Israel’s Harlotry in Moab
”Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the Lord, out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.”
So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor.”
And indeed, one of the children of Israel came and presented to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Now when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand; and 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 body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel. And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal. Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’ ”
Now the name of the Israelite who was killed, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s house among the Simeonites. And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur; he was head of the people of a father’s house in Midian.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Harass the Midianites, and attack them; for they harassed you with their schemes by which they seduced you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister, who was killed in the day of the plague because of Peor.”
Ah, the Israelites! God’s chosen people. Witnesses of incredible miracles. Recipients of God’s divine protection. Surely, gratitude for all God has done for them will keep them faithful…….WHAT?!?! Are you kidding? Given the opportunity for a good orgy, a bunch of the Israelites are off immediately to do sacrifices to Baal, to eat steak from the sacrificial meat, and to engage in sex with alluring Midianite maidens.
The inspiration for this might have come from Balaam. Although Numbers 24 tells us that Balaam returned home, other sources suggest differently. It’s possible that having failed to succeed in cursing the Israelites, Balaam comes up with another plan that will get him back into favor with King Balak. Wikipedia tells us, “Numbers 25:1–9 describes how Israel engaged in the Heresy of Peor. Numbers 31:16 blames this on Balaam’s advice and because of his culpability in the incident, which resulted in deadly divine judgements against the Israelites who participated, he was eventually killed in a retaliatory battle against Midian in Numbers 31:8.
Deuteronomy 23:3–6 summarizes these incidents, and further states that the Ammonites were associated with the Moabites. Joshua, in his farewell speech, also makes reference to it. With God’s protection taken from him, Balaam is later listed among the Midianites who were killed in revenge for the “matter of Peor”. Joshua 13:22 records that Balaam died “by the sword” during a battle for the Reubenite occupation of Moabite land. Revelation also states that Balaam “taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel.”
This time God isn’t messing around! “Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the Lord, out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” While the orgy is still on-going, people are beginning to drop like flies from some kind of plague. If the leaders are not killed promptly, the plague might spread through the entire camp. Spurred on by indignation and zeal for the Lord, Phinehas, Aaron’s grandson, slaughters an Israelite man and his Moabite girlfriend. Since this man was allegedly a leader in Israel, he might have been one of Phinehas’ close friends, but Phinehas proceeds anyway. This sacrificial act helps stop the plague, but not before 24,000 people die.
From a public health standpoint, we might wonder what kind of plague could kill so swiftly. Read some of Rudyard Kipling’s stories from his time in India, and you realize that cholera epidemics can sweep through entire groups within hours. In the book The Secret Garden, the little girl is orphaned because her parents and most of the other people in the house die suddenly from cholera, leaving her alone. Dodgy sanitary conditions and a crowd of drunken people would be a set-up for a cholera outbreak. Although Balaam’s name never appears in this account, other sources claim he is responsible for inciting the Moabites to invite the Israelites to worship Baal with an orgy. Of course, many of the Israelites probably don’t need much persuading.
APPLICATION: While it’s tempting to criticize the Israelites, how quick are many of us to compromise when temptation offers itself? Temptations come in all sorts of disguises, not necessarily sexual temptations. We know a Catholic priest who chose to be initiated as a traditional diviner as the basis for his doctoral thesis in Anthropology. In this case, it was the lure of secret knowledge that influenced our friend; yet, what did he sacrifice spiritually in the process and to what did he commit himself without realizing it?
How do we avoid temptation and compromise? Pray! Ask God for guidance, and refuse to deceive yourself. James 1:13-15 tells us, “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” Those Israelites who went in for Baal worship probably gave themselves all kinds of excuses. “We’re just being neighborly; besides, what harm could it do?” But they died anyway, indulging in rituals God had strictly forbidden. May God help us, so that we will follow hard after Him all the days of our lives!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be careful about the temptations that surround us. Thank You for Your promises of guidance. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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