Numbers
chapter 25 begins with a powerful example to us of how vulnerable we
really are. At the conclusion of the previous chapter, it seemed the
nation of Moab was on the verge of annihilation from Israel.
Israel’s army was strong and God was with them but the king of Moab
knew the only way to defeat them was through seduction. “While
Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual
immorality with Moabite women who invited them to sacrifice to their
gods. The people ate and bowed down before their gods. So Israel
joined in worshipping Baal of Poer. And the Lord’s anger burned
against them“.
Moab understood the only way to defeat Israel was for Israel to
defeat itself. We read in the previous chapters that God would not
allow Balaam to curse Israel, and apparently he went away empty
handed. Sadly, Revelation 3:14 indicates it was Balaam that gave
Moab the plan “to
entice the Israelites to sin“.
And later we read that Balaam was killed when the Israelites attack
the Moabites. Perhaps the lure of promised riches was too much for
Balaam to resist? Don’t miss the lesson here; every one of us is
vulnerable to temptation. Proverbs 16:18 warns, “Pride
goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.“
The
corruption of the men of Israel is so extreme that God tells Moses,
“Take
all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad
daylight before the Lord, so the Lord’s fierce anger may turn away
from Israel“.
The men were so bold, they were sinning openly: “An
Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite women right before
the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly.”
(The text uses both Midianite and Moabite interchangeably). There
seems to be no shame at all. Finally, Phinehas, son of Eleazar the
priest can no longer stand the rebellion. “He
left the assembly, took a spear in his hand and followed the
Israelite into a tent. He drove a spear through both of them… then
the plague against Israel was stopped”
but not before 24,000 died. Because of his action God made a promise
to Phinehas, “I
am making My covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will
have a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of
his God“.
Wow, how zealous are we in defending the honor of our God?
The
Lord instructed Moses, “Treat
the Midianites as enemies and kill them, because they treated you as
enemies when they deceived you.”
It is important for us to recognize and guard against our
vulnerabilities and weakness. It is also vital that we deal with
those temptations decisively or our hearts can be quickly turned away
from God. If you are struggling, call on God’s Holy Spirit.
Alone, we are weak, but with the Spirit of God, “We
are more than conquerors though Him that loved us”
(Romans 8:37). Philippians 4:13 exhorts, “I
can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”
I pray you will be zealous in honoring God!