How does Psalm 106:31 connect with Abraham's faith in Genesis 15:6? Two Verses, One Phrase • Genesis 15:6 — “Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” • Psalm 106:30-31 — “Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was restrained. It was credited to him as righteousness from generation to generation—forever.” The identical wording, “credited to him as righteousness,” links the faith of Abraham and the zeal of Phinehas, showing a single, unchanging principle of how God reckons righteousness. Abraham: Righteousness Credited by Believing God • Setting: God promises a child and countless descendants (Genesis 15:1-5). • Response: “Abram believed the LORD.” Trust alone, before circumcision, before the law. • Outcome: God “credited” (ḥāšab) Abraham’s faith as righteousness—an accounting term meaning God placed righteousness on Abraham’s ledger. • New-Testament echo: Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23 affirm this as the prototype of justification. Phinehas: Righteousness Credited through Faith-Filled Action • Setting: Israel’s idolatry with the Moabites brings a deadly plague (Numbers 25:1-9). • Action: Phinehas, trusting God’s holiness, “stood up and intervened” (Psalm 106:30), stopping the sin and the plague. • Divine verdict: “It was credited to him as righteousness” (Psalm 106:31). God publicly counts Phinehas righteous and grants him “a covenant of a perpetual priesthood” (Numbers 25:11-13). • Key observation: The same verb ḥāšab appears, revealing that God’s accounting of righteousness spans both believing and acting out that faith. Connecting the Two: One Principle Expressed in Two Lives • Same God, same standard: Faith—whether expressed by trusting a promise (Abraham) or by a zealous deed springing from that trust (Phinehas)—is what God counts as righteousness. • Before and after the law: Abraham predates the Mosaic Law; Phinehas operates under it. The shared verdict shows righteousness has always been imputed by God’s grace, not earned by law-keeping (cf. Romans 4:9-13). • Faith that works: James 2:22 notes Abraham’s faith “was perfected by what he did.” Phinehas illustrates the same truth; genuine faith produces obedient action, yet the righteousness remains God’s gracious credit. • Generational promise: Psalm 106:31 adds “from generation to generation—forever,” signaling that God’s method of reckoning righteousness never expires. Implications for Us • Trust God’s revealed Word—the very posture that justified Abraham. • Let faith overflow into courageous obedience like Phinehas; true belief never stays idle. • Rest in God’s unchanging way of salvation: righteousness is accounted, not accumulated. • Rejoice that Christ fulfills this pattern completely—“so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Summary Psalm 106:31 intentionally echoes Genesis 15:6 to demonstrate that from the first patriarch to the zealous priest, God has always credited righteousness to those who trust Him. The continuity of this truth invites every generation to the same living faith. |
    |