Numbers 25:1–5

As we start reading Numbers 25, we come down from Israel as God's purpose views them. We come to Israel as they really were at that time: fleshly and unbelieving. Balaam is not mentioned in the chapter but, as we have noted, he was at the bottom of the evil, urging Balak to promote it. The result was that Israel joined himself to Baal-peor. They no doubt committed this immorality in honour of Baal, and that disguised its wickedness in their minds. Not all the people took part, but enough did to make it an act of apostasy. It deserved severe and immediate judgment, and it got one.

Balaam could not succeed in enchantment against Israel... The aim was to get the Lord to curse His people. He could not, and he was forced only to bless. There is no possibility of using Satan's power against the people of God. God held the lips of Balaam, and made him bless despite himself. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." He has no power as an adversary. It is as a tempter that he has power. The enemy could not bring a curse on the people. So he sought to seduce them into wickedness — and then how could God bring them in? (Num. 25).

What was the next step for Israel? While they were living there, Balaam's counsel is, "Let us all be together; let us be social." And oh, what a subtle delusion of the enemy this is — this plea of friendship!

A plain on the east of the Jordan, where the Israelites camped before they crossed the Jordan. The name means 'acacias.'

One key is the word "abode." It suggests a settled state of mind, not a temporary one. Further, immorality and idolatry have both become common practice. (Immorality's spiritual counterpart is idolatry.) Here we reach a different degree of sin: a state of established idolatry, which resulted in Israel joining himself to Baal-Peor.

Here we get a summary of Balaam's teaching. For the full details we have to turn to Numbers 25:1-9 together with 31:16. Balaam stayed in the background, but he prompted Balak to put the stumbling block in place. It enticed Israel to idolatry and immorality — two things that are always joined together in the pagan world. The first is the most basic of all sins against God. The second is against mankind as well as God.

At the head of this humiliating list we find the Moabites. They had led Israel astray into the idolatry of Baal-Peor, gaining control of them through the lust of the flesh (Num. 25:1-5)... We are in danger of going to the world, or of letting it come in to us. Perhaps the second possibility is even more dangerous than the first. Out of conscience towards God, a Christian may hold back from an act of self-will or disobedience that would take him out to the world. But the world can seduce him more easily by coming to him. Little by little it works its way into our homes and into our lives. Often when we open our eyes to the danger, it is already too late.

How wrong and senseless it was for the men to commit sexual immorality with the women of Moab. The Moabites invited them to the sacrifices made to their gods, and they joined in that idol worship. Numbers 31:16 shows that Balaam's counsel set this in motion. He was Satan's cunning tool. When Satan cannot defeat God's people, he will befriend and corrupt them, if they will listen to his clever schemes.

Here we may well consider Revelation 2:14. Israel was caught in the snare of those friendly advances. Behind them lay the enemy's purpose: to destroy the character of God's people, who were called to dwell alone, separate to God. He had revealed His holy ways and worship to them. God's thought was that His people should stay separate from all the widespread evil of the nations. Balaam's teaching was that the two should mix. The tools were bodily desires and false religious activity.

When we share in a sacrifice, we express communion with everything it stands for. That is why it is so serious for a Christian to share in anything that expresses fellowship with idols.

Peor is where Balaam was called to curse Israel. It is also where the people were trapped into sacrificing to the gods of Moab, eating things offered to their idols, and committing sexual immorality. So Israel joined himself to Baal-peor. He had full fellowship with its demon worship and with the uncleanness that went with it.

A first key is the word "abode." It suggests a settled attitude, not a temporary stay. Further, sexual immorality and idolatry have become common practice. The spiritual counterpart of sexual immorality is idolatry. Israel has reached a different degree of sin here: a state of established idolatry.

Moab is the picture of sensual, easy-going religion (Jeremiah 48:11). It usually works by seduction, not by open conflict... Yet Moab knew how to tempt Israel into evil partnership with their women and their gods. In the same way, the easy lifestyles of the world can tempt Christians to choose a self-indulgent life — with little serious exercise of heart, little sense of pleasing God, and little real concern for the needs of others.

They begin to give up their separation from the nations around them. That separation was not arbitrary. It was a needed separation from the sin those nations were sunk in. So the result is wild and terrible license. Idolatry degrades God, and it always ends in degrading man. "So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel." Judgment goes out, as that implies. The plague begins its deadly work.

The Church was no longer to be distinct from the world. It was to be its agent and ally... To be in the world is one thing; to dwell in it, that is, to settle down and be at home in it, is quite another.

When the devil comes as an adversary, he has no power. The secret of his power lies in coming in as a tempter and seducer. When Satan could not get the LORD to curse Israel, he seduced them into wickedness, leading them to eat food sacrificed to idols and to practice sexual immorality. And then how could the holy God bring them in?

As we begin reading Numbers 25, we come down from Israel as God's purpose views them to Israel as they actually were at that time — living for the flesh and in unbelief. Balaam is not mentioned in the chapter but, as we have noted, he was at the bottom of the evil, urging Balak on to promote it. The result was that Israel joined himself to Baal-peor. The immorality involved in this was no doubt committed in honour of Baal, so they did not see its wickedness. Not all the people took part, but enough to make it an act of apostasy that deserved and got severe and immediate judgment.

There are two lines of truth which we should hold with equal firmness — the grace of God, and the government of God... The people were behaving very wickedly. Israel was to stand above the nations, not to be counted among them. They had abandoned their position of separation to God. They had quite forgotten their special relationship to Him, and had come down to the level of the pagan Moabites.

Peor is where Balaam was called to curse Israel. It is also where the people were trapped into sacrificing to the gods of Moab, eating things sacrificed to their idols, and committing sexual immorality. So Israel joined himself to Baal-peor — he had full fellowship with its demon worship and the uncleanness that went with it.

Again we see, at Shittim, the people of God in their constant tendency to get away from God. They begin to give up their separation from the nations among which they live. This separation is no arbitrary thing. It is a needed separation from the sin these nations were sunk in, so a wild and awful license is the result. Idolatry, the degradation of God, issues (as always) in the degradation of man.

A first key may be found in the term "stayed." It suggests a settled disposition, as opposed to a temporary state. Further, the sins of immorality (whose spiritual counterpart is idolatry) and of idolatry have become common practice. Here a different degree of sin is reached: a state of established idolatry, resulting in Israel joining himself to Baal-Peor.

As a result, "the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel" (v. 3). This time, God's anger is turned away by judgment, not by intercession (vv. 4, 8b). A total of 24,000 people died.

And what was the next step with Israel? As they were staying there, Balaam's counsel is, "Let us be all together; let us be social." And what a subtle delusion this is of the enemy — this plea of friendship!

In the one case we have their perfect standing; in the other, their imperfect state. Balaam's parables give us God's estimate of the first; the javelin of Phinehas, His judgment on the second. God will never reverse His decision about what His people are in standing. But He must judge and discipline them when their ways do not match that standing.

Here we have a summary of Balaam's teaching. For the full details we have to turn to Numbers 25:1-9, together with 31:16. Balaam stayed in the background, but he prompted Balak to lay the stumbling block. It lured Israel into idolatry and sexual sin. These two things are always joined together in the heathen world. The first is the most basic of all sins against God; the second is against mankind as well as God.

They begin to give up their separation from the nations they live among. This separation is no arbitrary thing. It is a needed separation from the wickedness those nations were sunk in. So a wild and terrible license is the result. Idolatry, the degrading of God, ends (as always) in the degrading of man. "Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel." Judgment goes out. Plague begins its deadly work. To appease this anger, God sentences the heads of the people to be hung up to the LORD before the sun.

Before the LORD said, "Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites," He had avenged Himself on the people of Israel. At His command Moses told the judges, "Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor." They carried this out righteively. Moses later used it as a warning to Israel: "Your eyes have seen what the LORD did at Baal-peor, for the LORD your God destroyed from among you all the men who followed the Baal of Peor. But you who held fast to the LORD your God are all alive today." The New Testament says that judgment must begin at the household of God. And so God began with Israel. To begin at home is the true and right way.

But the zealous act of an Israelite comes before anyone carries out this sentence. The congregation is weeping, gathered before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting. In front of them all, and with no shame, a man of Israel brings a Midianite woman to his tent. Now the zeal of Phinehas wakes: he carries out swift judgment, and God accepts this as atonement. It is God's wrath he executes, and the wrath is turned away from Israel: the plague stops.

God's glory and Israel's good were what governed the conduct of faithful Phinehas here. It was a critical moment. He felt there was a call for the sternest action. It was no time for false tenderness. There are moments in the history of God's people when tenderness to man becomes unfaithfulness to God. It is of the greatest importance to know when such a moment has come.

A solemn and yet healthy theme is before us. Again we see, at Shittim, the people of God in their constant tendency to drift away from God. They begin to give up their separation from the nations among whom they live, and since this is no arbitrary thing, but a needed separation from the wickedness those nations were sunk in, a wild and terrible license is the result. Idolatry, the degrading of God, produces (as it always does) the degrading of man.

Israel staying in Shittim were open to the seductions of Moab. The next thing after living where Satan's throne is, is to be at ease there. And then what may not follow?

It was to Peor that Balaam was called to curse Israel, and where the people were trapped into sacrificing to the gods of Moab, eating things sacrificed to their idols, and committing fornication. So Israel yoked itself to Baal of Peor — it had full fellowship with that demon worship and with the uncleanness that came with it.

The Lord's judgment of this was immediate and without mercy. He told Moses to take all the leaders of the people and hang those responsible for this corruption. That would turn God's anger away from Israel (v.4). So Moses passed the message to the judges. They were to kill everyone under their authority who had joined in the idol worship of Baal (v.5).

A first key may be found in the word "stayed." It suggests a settled attitude, as opposed to a temporary state. Further, the sins of fornication (whose spiritual counterpart is idolatry) and idolatry have become common practice. Here a different level of sin is reached: a state of established idolatry, resulting in Israel joining itself to Baal of Peor… This time, God's anger is turned away by judgment, not by intercession. A total of 24,000 people died.

God's glory and Israel's good were the objects that ruled the conduct of the faithful Phinehas on this occasion. It was a critical moment. He felt there was a demand for the sternest action. It was no time for false tenderness. There are moments in the history of God's people when tenderness to man becomes unfaithfulness to God; and it is of the greatest importance to be able to recognise such moments.

In the one case we have their perfect standing; in the other, their imperfect state. Balaam's parables give us God's estimate of the first; the javelin of Phinehas, His judgment on the second. God will never reverse His decision as to what His people are in standing; but He must judge and chasten them when their ways do not match that standing.

We see in Phinehas the faithfulness that overcomes. He judges the evil on God's behalf… Paul too in later days showed the holy jealousy that would not tolerate evil in the Church. "I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing… you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord."