PHINEHAS

“And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the ruler over them in time past and the LORD was with him” (1 Chron. 9:20 NKJV).

In the midst of the genealogies and priestly duties, there was Phinehas. He was a man whose character outshone many of the priests. Thus from our verse we want to note the parent of Phinehas, the position of Phinehas, the past of Phinehas, and the presence with Phinehas.

Parent of Phinehas – “Son of Eleazar.” This Phinehas is to be distinguished from another Phinehas, the son of Eli who was evil. This Phinehas the son of Eleazar was a good man. Being the son of Eleazar made him the grandson of Aaron, the brother of Moses since Eleazar was Aaron’s son.

Position of Phinehas – “Ruler over them.” When Eleazar died, Phinehas inherited the office of High Priest. This gave Phinehas high a religious position which he discharged with noble conduct. High position did not ruin Phinehas.

Past of Phinehas – “In time past.” Phinehas had quite a past. His first noteworthy mention is in Numb. 25:5-13, when he killed an Israelite man and Midianite woman for flaunting their immorality before the door of the Tabernacle. His action stopped the plague of judgment that God had brought upon the Israelites. Further, Phinehas’ action was rewarded by God with the priesthood being always in his family. He was then given the honor to be the priest that accompanied the Israeli army as they went to war against the Midianites (Numb. 31:6). He also led the group to speak with the tribes on the east of Jordan about the altar they made by the Jordan River (Josh. 22:13–32).

Presence with Phinehas – “The Lord was with him.” When the Lord is with us, we have His power to live noble and right. On the other hand, God does not abide with those who does not want His presence. Phinehas wanted God’s presence; he obtained it along with the accompanying blessing. Folks today do not want God’s presence. However, when trouble comes they want God to bless them. If you do not want God’s presence, you will not experience God’s blessings.

(Adapted from Butler Sermon Starters - Vol. 1)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“If you want to have a heart for God, you must let God have your heart!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Devoted

In Titus 1:9 we read, “holding fast (devoted to) the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict!” (NKJV)

Devoted (holding) is the Greek word antechomai (ἀντέχομαι = an-tekh'-om-ahee). It is made up of two words: “anti” which means against or opposite to, and “echo” which means to hold. Thus, the word means to hold before or against, hold back, withstand endure. Literally, it means to hold one’s self against, the primary sense being to keep one’s self directly opposite someone or something. It conveys the sense of cleaving to, strongly adhering to or holding firmly.

In Classical Greek antechomai was used to mean to hold firmly to or to cling to something in one’s own interest. In the Septuagint it also carried the idea of cleaving to someone. In the New Testament antechomai primarily denotes holding firmly to or cleaving to a person. Thus in the relationship of a servant to his master, the servant must declare his undivided loyalty or devotion to one master, and must despise the other.

In context, Paul uses antechomai to picture the overseer devoting (holding) himself face to face as it were with the Word of God because he knows it to be trustworthy and dependable. He clings with utmost confidence to the faithful word because he knows that it alone is completely trustworthy and reliable, unlike the spurious doctrines of the false teachers. There is nothing else like it in time and eternity. Therefore, believers need to be devoted (hold) to it even when all else falls or fails for it never will fail!

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – That His price money would be used to buy a potter's field (Zech. 11:12-13)

Fulfillment – Matt. 27:9-10

Bible Facts

Scripture assumes a revolving (spherical) earth (Luke 17:34-36). Jesus said that at His return some would be asleep at night while others would be working at day time activities in the field. This is a clear indication of a revolving earth, with day and night occurring simultaneously.

Bible Quiz

Whose wife told him to “Curse God and die?”

**Answer to last week’s trivia: From what city did Jesus ascend into Heaven? Bethany (Luke 24:50).

That’s in the Bible

"When the Spirit moves you”

“And the Spirit of the LORD began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol” (Judges 13:25 NKJV).

Telling people to act ‘whenever the spirit moves you’ indicates that we are permitting them to do things whenever they feel like it. The Bible doesn’t use this cliché figuratively but applies it to Samuel and how the Spirit of God really did begin to move him as a child.

Did You Know – Christian History

Joseph Barber Lightfoot, also known as J. B. Lightfoot was born April 13, 1828. Barber was an English theologian and Bishop of Durham. He was probably the greatest Bible scholar in England if not all Europe.

From 1854 to 1859 he edited the Journal of Classical and Sacred Philology. In 1857 he became tutor and his fame as a scholar grew. In 1861, he became Professor of Divinity at Cambridge College. Lightfoot wrote commentaries on the Epistle to the Galatians (1865), Epistle to Philippians (1868) and Epistle to the Colossians (1875). In a series of papers in the Contemporary Review, between December 1874 and May 1877, Lightfoot undertook the defense of the New Testament canon. The articles were published in collected form in 1889. About the same time, he was engaged in contributions to William Smith’s Dictionary of Christian Biography and Dictionary of the Bible, and he also joined the committee for revising the translation of the New Testament.

In 1879 Lightfoot was consecrated bishop of Durham in succession to Charles Baring. Encyclopedia Britannica asserts that his work for social reform, fund raising and education made him one of the greatest Anglican bishops of the 19th century.

Undoubtedly this was because he practiced what he preached. At a speech to some clergymen who were being ordained, Lightfoot said, “...let this be your one vow, your one prayer, ‘God helping me, I will do His work, because it is His work. God helping me, I will preach His truth, because it is His truth. I will not be discouraged by failure; I will not be elated by success. The success and the failure are not my concern, but His…” Lightfoot’s sermons were posthumously published in four official volumes, and additionally in the Contemporary Pulpit Library series.

A Little Humor

Maria came home from Sunday School on Palm Sunday and told her mother that she had learned a new song about a cross-eyed bear named Gladly. It took her mother a while before she realized that the hymn Maria had been singing was really: “Gladly The Cross I’d Bear.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“The birth of Christ brought God to man, but it took the cross of Christ to bring man to God!”