Numbers 25:3-183And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. 4And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. 5And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor. 6And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 7And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; 8And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. 9And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. 10And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 11Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. 12Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: 13And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel. 14Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites. 15And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian. 16And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 17Vex the Midianites, and smite them: 18For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake. (Numbers 25:3‑18)
“AND ISRAEL joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.”
It seems that the wicked Balaam counseled Balak, king of Moab, telling him that if he could make Israel sin, God was so holy that He would destroy them. So the king made friends with Israel, and the daughters of Moab drew the people to the sacrifice of Moab’s gods. Through Balaam, Satan’s instrument, they were seduced and led into sin.
This has a very needful lesson for us. God’s purpose to bless will never be changed, but Satan is a wily foe and though he cannot touch our eternal salvation yet he would lead us into friendships and alliances with the world which will dishonor the Lord, spoil our happiness and ruin our Christian testimony.
Let us be warned by what happened to Israel here. May we seek grace and courage to choose the path of simple obedience to the Word of God; there we shall be kept happy and enjoy His blessing. When God’s people have allied themselves with the world it has always resulted in His dealing with them in government and the world in judgment, even though He is very patient and gives space to repent.
Judgment was surely to fall upon Moab and Midian for what they had done, but first it must begin at the house of God. The Lord told Moses to slay all those who had joined themselves to Baal-peor.
Then we read of one man, Zimri, son of a prince in Israel, who brought a Midianitish woman into the camp before Moses and all the people who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle. When Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, saw it he took a javelin and rushing into the man’s tent he killed both him and the woman.
Phinehas was zealous for God’s honor and was grieved that an idolator should have been brought into His camp. But this act of Phinehas stayed the plague, though not until 24,000 had died in Israel that day.
God showed His approval of Phinehas’ faithful act and said to Moses, “Behold, I give unto him My covenant of peace: and he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for Israel.”
The weapons of Israel’s warfare were carnal, ours are spiritual; they fought against flesh and blood, we with spiritual foes. The Word of God and prayer, walking in the truth in separation unto Him from the world, these are the weapons of our warfare. When God’s honor is vindicated in our own souls then we are able to be His witnesses against the world and its evils. We may not get much honor from men, and even from some Christians, if we act for the Lord’s glory, but His honor ought to be everything to the Christian.
God told Moses to “Vex the Midnites, and smite them” for what they had done. And later we learn that God gave them into the hands of His people who slew them with a great slaughter and burnt down their cities. The wretched Balaam perished along with them. Thus God was avenged on the Midianites.
ML-06/16/1974