This dark chapter describes some unfortunate choices and consequences for many from Israel.
“While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take all the chiefs of the people and hang[a] them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.’ And Moses said to the judges of Israel, ‘Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.’ ” (v1-5)
Many in Israel begin intermingling with the Mobaite and and Midianite women (this is Balak’s backup plan when Balaam didn’t curse Israel). This invites worship of a false god, Baal of Peor. God commands Israel to execute all those who have begun worshiping this false god (it’s against the first commandment: “I am the Lord your God… You shall have no other gods before me.” [Ex 20:2-3 abr]). It isn’t the intermarrying that’s extremely worrisome, it’s the adoption of another god through those marriages that brings God’s wrath.
Phinehas (son of Eleazar, making him Aaron’s grandson) helps enact God’s will by personally killing at least one of these Baal worshipers and his Midianite wife in their tent. As brutal as that sounds, it was God’s command and the plague on Israel ceased upon the completion of this act (v6-9). God then commands an all-out opposition/war upon Midian for misleading the people of Israel.
I have two strong takeaways from this passage. First, if there is any sin in my life, it needs to be annihilated with extreme prejudice. God will not tolerate sin, He literally died (Jesus on the cross) in order to break its stranglehold, and He will permanently destroy every trace of it at Jesus’ second coming. Sin will not be tolerated in God’s presence in heaven, or on the new earth, period. It needs to be actively eliminated from our lives, even if it hurts. Jesus says it’s better to cut off your hand and enter into heaven maimed, than to let your hand keep on sinning and you go to hell intact (Mt 5:30). He doesn’t mean we should literally cut of our hand, He means sin is a serious issue and it needs to be dealt with in a serious manner – whether the “hand” is part of our personal body/heart/spirit, or the proximal body/heart/spirit of someone around us. Either way, allowing that sin to remain is playing with fire.
Second, which ties into my last point about people around us – if there are those who would mislead us or cause us to sin (in our current culture you don’t need to look far), we are to spiritually set ourselves apart, even if that means physically distancing ourselves as well. We are to be “in the world” (we don’t have a choice here, we’re born into this), but not “of the world” (worshiping its false gods, being led astray). If someone causes/tempts us to stray from the One True God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then we should repent from that sin and take a spiritual stand against it. We don’t murder the person who misled/tempted us, of course, but we witness to them by turning/returning to our One True God. Perhaps they’ll be saved by grace just as we have been.
This may be a heavy Monday morning message, but I think it’s a necessary one, especially for me. There are so many spiritual compromises I’m willing/tempted to make, which will only end badly for myself, and for those to whom I fail to witness. I’m not the only one who gets hurt when I compromise – I may inadvertently influence others to sin, or fail to lead others to Christ – it’s something I need to take very seriously, and and rely on God for forgiveness and guidance so I may closely follow Him and His word.
Father God, we humbly admit that we have sinned against You, and we plead for Your forgiveness. We have allowed this world to influence us in one or more ways, and we are sorry. Father, please cleanse us of all unrighteousness and help us return to the true path of righteousness. Please help us to remain faithful in every word, thought and action, because we cannot do it on our own. Please guard our hearts against temptation and deliver us from the clutches of the evil one. Please cast him out of our hearts wherever he has a foothold, and be our Strong Protector to keep him at bay. Please work in and through us to witness to those around us so they too may be saved from unrighteousness. We are weak, and only You are strong. Please be our everything. In the serpent-crushing name of Jesus we pray, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training