Numbers 25-26
As noted yesterday, Numbers 31:16 tells us that Balaam is behind Israel’s sin here. He advises the Moabites and Midianites to lure the Israelites into idolatry and sexual immorality. (See also Rev. 2:14.) The Moabites and Midianites take that advice and, given Israel’s proclivities toward rebellion against the LORD, they successfully entice many to sin, such that Israel yoke[s] himself to Baal of Peor. (Num. 25:3) As Moses urges repentance along with judgment upon the guilty, one man brazenly “engages the services” of a Midianite woman right in front of everybody in utter defiance of the LORD. Phinehas, the priest, the grandson of Aaron, takes up a spear and skewers both the Israelite man and the Midianite woman together, thereby halting the immediate crisis. (My second grandson is named for this Phinehas. He’s now seven years old. I’m waiting for the day when my son explains this story to him!)
Sexual immorality is clearly a significant part of the problem here. The allure of the Moabite women is perhaps the main bait that entices the men of Israel. (Num. 25:1) But though significant, sexual immorality is not itself the biggest problem: idolatry is. And that remains true throughout the Bible — and on to today. Often, of course, sexual immorality and idolatry go hand in hand. In the ancient world, cult prostitution was commonly a central component of idol worship. Today in our own culture, sex itself is often the idol. Or if not the sex, it is our “right” to the sex or to “sexual freedom” that is the idol. For some of us, sex has nothing to do with it. We have different idols: money, success, reputation, family, sports, science, health, entertainment, hobbies — you name it; the human heart can make an idol out of anything. But make no mistake, God is no more pleased with idolatry now than for the Israelites in this incident with Baal of Peor.
So what idols are present in your life? What lures you away from the LORD? Perhaps we are not as brazen as the man whom Phinehas spears here, but are our hearts truly pure? If anything — good or bad — competes with God for our love and loyalty, we must give it up. Don’t let that thing linger around, whispering in your ear, enticing you away from God. But that is easier said than done. For a little help in that endeavor, consider joining us at Freedom Road.
One more thing…
You may notice that today’s reading contains a second census of the people. If that seems odd, note that the Israelites are now at the tail end of their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. (Yes, the text largely breezes past that time period.)
One of the main purposes of the census is to determine how the Promised Land is to be divvied up among the tribes — a large allocation of land going to a large tribe, smaller plots to smaller tribes. (Num. 26:52-56) But note also that the tribe of Levi is to receive no inheritance of land. (Num. 26:62) The LORD Himself is their inheritance. (Num. 18:20; Deut. 10:9; 18:2; Josh. 13:33) So the land is to be divided among the remaining “Twelve Tribes of Israel”. We might otherwise say there are thirteen tribes (see January 16 / Genesis 47-50), but Levi is generally excluded from the list just as they are excluded from the inheritance of land.
In this second census, there remain only two survivors from the first census: Joshua and Caleb, the two faithful spies from Numbers 13-14. We’ll read more about each of them as we move forward through the Scriptures.