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