Good morning everyone! Numbers chapter 25.
When our attention becomes captivated with someone or something, it is during these times that we are most susceptible of being distracted away from God. And once distracted, it becomes easy to compromise our faith with sin.
- The Israelites attention was captivated by the Moabite women.
- The lust of their flesh pursued the women and they had sexual relations.
- But they didn't stop there: it grew worse. They ended up worshipping their gods.
- God's anger was against them.
What has captivated our attention? How has it affected our relationship with the Lord? Are we gradually pursuing the infatuations of our hearts, while gradually turning our hearts away from God? I've seen or experienced it with relationships: boy and girlfriend relationships – Peer pressure relationships – sports and hobbies.
Phineas, the priest, was zealous for God's honor therefore he was zealous to serve God.
We will either be zealous for God which will result in US wanting to serve him with all of our hearts, and to walk holy in his sight. Or we will be zealous for the things of this world. It will either be for someone or something that will capture our hearts attention where we end up serving it rather than serving God.
I have to be cautious with relationships and make sure my investment in people's lives is Godly and points them to Jesus and not away from him. I have to make sure I don't want them focused on me so as to make me feel good. I want to point people to God so they can use their gifts and abilities for God's glory rather than have them focused on me for my glory.
In chapter 24, we could see how faithful God was to the Israelites. He wouldn’t allow Balaam to curse them even when Balak kept persisting him to do so.
In chapter 25, we see how faithless the Israelites were to God. It didn’t seem to take long. We read about it in the first few verses.
How could this be? Of course, we are all sinners and everyone is responsible for their own actions, but I also think that Balak and Balaam also had something to do with this.
Balaam appears almost to be a hero for Israel in chapter 24 in saying that he could only speak what God spoke about Israel so he would not curse them. Chapter 24 ends with him returning to his place, but I think there’s more to Balaam than what we are seeing here. Something bad is happening behind the scenes. Why do I think this? Check out Revelation 2:14. “But I (God) have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.”
It looks to me like Balaam was definitely involved in what happened even though he isn’t even mentioned in chapter 25. Even though we read in previous chapters that he only spoke what God told him to, it seems that Balaam didn’t really have good intentions for the Israelites. He must have counseled Balak, showing him a different approach as another way to get what he wanted. Balaam knew that it would be impossible to persuade God to curse Israel, but he also knew that if the Israelites turned away from the right path by rebelling against God’s laws, then they would have to face God’s wrath. They would bring a curse upon themselves! Balaam must have known that tempting the Israelites to sin would be the way to get what Balak ultimately wanted because God would punish their sin. We read that the Israelites were seduced and 24,000 people died because of their sin. It was good that Phinehas rose up and zealously took a stand in chapter 25 because God ended the plague as a result of his courage.
Balaam’s unclean heart, evil plan and sneaky actions remind me of what we read in Matthew 18:7-9. “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.”
Romans 14:13 is my prayer today. “Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.”
Oh yes, brothers – chapter 25 is a wonderful lesson to us on how easy it is to slip into sin, degree by degree, until we are overwhelmed and buried in it. In Numbers 31, we will indeed learn that it was Balaam who since he was not allowed by God to curse Israel, instead counseled Israel’s enemies on to bring about their downfall. But the lesson also is about choices. No one forced them to sin.
Zimri was the Israelite man who brought the Midianite woman to the temple – his name means “remember him”. The Midianite prostitute’s name, Cozbi, means “deception”. God has some amazing lessons for us through the Israelites. The people who could not be cursed in chapters 22-24 curse themselves in chapter 25. It is all about our choices.
Show me, Lord, whatever “Midianite god” is drawing my attention now – whether an attitude or an activity – let me kill it now so Your blessings can flow.
Wow! Such amazing and powerful insights by all. Here I was thinking Balaam was a good guy… he even makes himself out to be that good guy by saying he cannot curse what God does not curse, yet he finds another way around it. Why, I wonder? For the silver and gold? The hefty reward waiting for him from Balak? It hardly seems worth it! Yet how often do I hear God put something on my heart and in my mind, yet I don’t fully obey. I find a way around it. The Israelites did make their choice. How easily they can be persuaded to sin against God. After all God has done for them, so many are quick to sacrifice to idols and engage in sexual immorality. I consider myself an Israelite. After all of the blessings God has put into my life, I fall short to sin daily. I put things before our God. I speak too sharply, become too distracted, and lose sight of our reward in Heaven. I pray I can look into my own life, and put God first, and not allow sin to anger God after all He has done for me.