March 20, 2021
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Reading along with us in Numbers? Here’s today’s reading:
Numbers 25 (NIV)
Moab Seduces Israel
1While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, 2who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. 3So Israel yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor. And the Lord’s anger burned against them.........Continue Reading
Well the Israelites were spared from the curse that Balak wanted to put on them and wind up cursed from their own disobedience and sexual immorality. Balak tempted them and they fell into sin so quickly. It was good to still see some that feared God and stood for righteousness and so God put an end to His very public judgement on the others.
Numbers 25
Once again the Israelites gave in to temptation, sexual immorality and idolatry.
Shittim was a location between the kingdom of Moab and the promised land. The new generation of Jews are at the brink of entering the promised land and they are seduced by sexual immorality which leads to worshipping a false god. In doing so they forsake the God who has been protecting, guiding and providing for them for 40 years. After several chapters of a Moabite ruler trying to rain curses on the Israelites and God proclaiming blessing on them instead (showing His heart and will for them), they shoot themselves in the foot and bring curses on themselves. Because of God wanting to purify the camp and rid the Israelite community of such a negative influence, He directs Moses to put to death those who have done these things. In the midst of that, a brazen example of the very evil God is looking to eradicate walks into the camp. So Phinehas the priest takes matters into his own hands, as He should as a priest, and kills the man and woman who are in the wrong, By defending the holiness of God in the community, Phinehas is honored and the plague God started to deal with these sinful people is stopped.
Although God would not lead us to do a similar thing, the dedication to purity it reveals should inspire us to promote purity in our own lives as well as the lives of others. We need to be very aware of the influences that come into our lives that would lead us to evil and disbelief. And sometimes those influences are based in the places where we reside and the people we choose to associate with. Bad company corrupts good morals. So be careful out there and make sure the flow of influence is gong from you to others and guard against wrong influence coming back to you….
How does a nation with unequal manpower conquer another? How does Satan influence and infiltrate the church? offer avenues of sexual temptation, invite them to dinner, invite them to “worship” idols – schemes of seduction.
10The Lord said to Moses, 11“Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for my honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal. 12Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. 13He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”