Numbers 25:3: “So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel.”

February 4th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

In the last few chapters, Balak, king of the Moabites, frightened at the size and threat of the children of Israel, asked Balaam, the backslidden prophet, to curse them. But no matter how many times Balaam tried to curse them, he could only ever bless them. After this, the Israelites began to form relationships with the Moabites, and committed “harlotry with the women of Moab. [The Moabites] invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods” (Num. 25:1–2). Revelation adds to this, revealing that Balaam taught Balak how “to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality” (Rev. 2:14).

Through the ungodly advice of Balaam, the Moabites and the Midianites found a backdoor way to defeat God’s people. These worshippers of the idol Baal successfully introduced their daughters to the young Hebrew men, who became ensnared and enamored by them and were drawn into lewd acts of idol worship. In fact, one young Israelite was bold enough to bring a Midianite woman home, right in front of Moses, which didn’t end well for either of them. Balaam understood that idol worship would bring God’s displeasure on His people. And so, what Balak dared not attempt by war and could not bring about by sorcery, he accomplished by sexual immorality and the worship of false idols.

There is an important lesson here for every believer, even 3400 years later. If the Devil can’t overcome believers as a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), he tries to overcome them as a serpent, through deception and cunning. We need to be careful as we bring the good news to the world around us, being aware of the dangers that come with having friendships with the enemies of God’s Kingdom. We must take care to avoid their snares and gifts, which could be used by Satan to bring us to destruction. Balaam thought that Israel’s sins of false religion and immorality would move God to destroy them completely. However, Balaam misunderstood God’s grace. God did discipline His people for their sin, but because of His amazing grace and faithfulness, He never left or forsook them, and He has promised to never leave or forsake us either. We sometimes stumble and fall, but He is waiting for us to turn to Him in sincere repentance, that we might again be cleansed and brought back into fellowship with Him.

“LORD forgive our sins and create in us a clean heart and clean hands today so that we can serve You.”

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Numbers 25 KJV

¹ And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. ² And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. ³ And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. ⁴ And the LORDsaid unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORDagainst 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. ⁶ And, 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. ⁷ And 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. ⁹ And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. ¹⁰ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ¹¹ Phinehas, 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.  ¹² Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: ¹³ 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 the children of Israel. ¹⁴ Now 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.  ¹⁵ And 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. ¹⁶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁷ Vex the Midianites, and smite them: ¹⁸ For 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.