Num 25:1-3 | KingComments | STEP | In Numbers 23-24 we see how God thinks about His people: as objects of His grace and care. Numbers 25 is therewith in great contrast. We often see this great contrast in our lives. On the one hand we may know that God looks at us in Christ. On the other hand, we often let the flesh work in our daily life. In the previous chapters Balaam did not succeed in letting God become unfaithful to His people. God has remained faithful to His view of the people. Now the enemy tries to do it on the side of the people. Balaam knows how to draw the people away from God by a trick, to let them become unfaithful to God ( ). He succeeds in this with a people who have all the experience of the wilderness journey behind them. They got to know themselves and they got to know God’s faithfulness. Here we learn that there will never be a time in our life when we can say that the enemy can no longer get a grip on us. The people “remained” at Shittim, while they had previously camped in the plains of Moab ( ). ‘To camp’ is done with a view to immediately moving on, while ‘to remain’ has a more permanent character. Could it mean that Israel is beginning to lose sight of the purpose of the journey and that they are moving toward a more permanent stay at Shittim? In any case, it is significant that the enemy manages to connect with them there. If we lose sight of the fact that we are pilgrims, on our journey to our final destination, and start focusing on our stay on earth, we are open to wrong connections. The people are invited to come and eat from the sacrifices that are brought to the idols. It seems like a friendly invitation. So people from the world can invite us to come and eat with them and that can be considered. It does not need to be rejected ( ). However, in such cases it may also be friendships of the world that are more to fear than its enmity. In this case it does not stop with eating. The people also bow down before the idols of the Moabites. Although they have already had an idol in the golden calf ( ), we find a new aspect here in the people’s unfaithfulness against God. They have grumbled about food and drink and also about the leadership of Moses. They have always revolted against God and Moses and Aaron. Now they go one step further. In this idolatry they not only put the LORD aside, but replace Him by an idol. The persistence of this evil will be evident in the history of Israel. It will be one of God’s main indictments against the people. The application of this history for us is in Revelation 2 ( ). There we read about the teaching of Balaam, not about his deceit . The deceit he uses here has become a doctrine. The mixing of the people of God with the world is not rejected, but encouraged. This turns the people’s gaze from the Lord to the world. He is no longer in the first place, but the world is. It says of the church in Pergamum that it “dwells where Satan’s throne is” ( ). Satan is the prince of the world. ‘Dwell’ means feeling at home there. The church lives in the heart of the world, where the government is exercised. The teaching is that Christians should not be separated from the world. The world council of churches is an example of this. Christians are called upon to connect with the world and to exert their influence in order to move toward a better world. But the Lord says: “I have a few things against you” ( ). Then He speaks of the teaching of Balaam and its effect on the people of God. The attitude appropriate to this teaching is not a soft resistance. The Lord Jesus stands opposite this church with “the sharp, two-edged sword” ( ). The use of the sword can be seen here in the next verses with Phinehas. God was angry against Israel, because His people have joined themselves to Baal of Peor. The word ‘joined’ has the power of ‘going together under one yoke with’. Israel moves under one yoke with a pagan people in the worship of the idols ( ). Baal of Peor, or lord of Peor, is the local god worshiped on Mount Peor ( ). There a plague and a judgment come. God punishes what bears His Name, that His people may not alienate themselves from Him. For that purpose, the fierce anger of God has also struck professing Christianity many times. The most responsible persons have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness. They should therefore be judged. The seriousness of sin requires a special punishment: “Execute them in broad daylight before the LORD.” They must be hung in public before the LORD. The people must see it and fear, for the judgment is executed because of the LORD’s charge. God’s wrath of sin must deter man from committing sin. And the wrath of God over sin is the proof of His righteousness. Thus He wants evil to be punished. The people are unfaithful in all the points God has mentioned in blessing on His people: 1. It is a people that dwells alone ( ), but here they mix with the nations. 2. It is a people in which God sees no iniquity ( ), but here they commit iniquity. 3. It is a people in which He sees beauty ( ), but here they commit fornication in their tents. 4. It is a people that will subdue their enemies ( ), but here they subdue themselves to their enemies. Here we find no Moses who intercedes for the people. That says something about the seriousness of sin. There is no intercession here, but judgment. The memory of this sin is strongly kept alive throughout the history of Israel ( ; ; ).

‏ Numbers 25:1-3

Israel Joins Themselves to Baal of Peor

In Numbers 23-24 we see how God thinks about His people: as objects of His grace and care. Numbers 25 is therewith in great contrast. We often see this great contrast in our lives. On the one hand we may know that God looks at us in Christ. On the other hand, we often let the flesh work in our daily life.

In the previous chapters Balaam did not succeed in letting God become unfaithful to His people. God has remained faithful to His view of the people. Now the enemy tries to do it on the side of the people. Balaam knows how to draw the people away from God by a trick, to let them become unfaithful to God (Num 31:16). He succeeds in this with a people who have all the experience of the wilderness journey behind them. They got to know themselves and they got to know God’s faithfulness. Here we learn that there will never be a time in our life when we can say that the enemy can no longer get a grip on us.

The people “remained” at Shittim, while they had previously camped in the plains of Moab (Num 22:1). ‘To camp’ is done with a view to immediately moving on, while ‘to remain’ has a more permanent character. Could it mean that Israel is beginning to lose sight of the purpose of the journey and that they are moving toward a more permanent stay at Shittim? In any case, it is significant that the enemy manages to connect with them there. If we lose sight of the fact that we are pilgrims, on our journey to our final destination, and start focusing on our stay on earth, we are open to wrong connections.

The people are invited to come and eat from the sacrifices that are brought to the idols. It seems like a friendly invitation. So people from the world can invite us to come and eat with them and that can be considered. It does not need to be rejected (1Cor 10:27). However, in such cases it may also be friendships of the world that are more to fear than its enmity.

In this case it does not stop with eating. The people also bow down before the idols of the Moabites. Although they have already had an idol in the golden calf (Exo 32:1-6), we find a new aspect here in the people’s unfaithfulness against God. They have grumbled about food and drink and also about the leadership of Moses. They have always revolted against God and Moses and Aaron. Now they go one step further. In this idolatry they not only put the LORD aside, but replace Him by an idol. The persistence of this evil will be evident in the history of Israel. It will be one of God’s main indictments against the people.

The application of this history for us is in Revelation 2 (Rev 2:14). There we read about the teaching of Balaam, not about his deceit. The deceit he uses here has become a doctrine. The mixing of the people of God with the world is not rejected, but encouraged. This turns the people’s gaze from the Lord to the world. He is no longer in the first place, but the world is.

It says of the church in Pergamum that it “dwells where Satan’s throne is” (Rev 2:13). Satan is the prince of the world. ‘Dwell’ means feeling at home there. The church lives in the heart of the world, where the government is exercised. The teaching is that Christians should not be separated from the world. The world council of churches is an example of this. Christians are called upon to connect with the world and to exert their influence in order to move toward a better world.

But the Lord says: “I have a few things against you” (Rev 2:14). Then He speaks of the teaching of Balaam and its effect on the people of God. The attitude appropriate to this teaching is not a soft resistance. The Lord Jesus stands opposite this church with “the sharp, two-edged sword” (Rev 2:12). The use of the sword can be seen here in the next verses with Phinehas.

God was angry against Israel, because His people have joined themselves to Baal of Peor. The word ‘joined’ has the power of ‘going together under one yoke with’. Israel moves under one yoke with a pagan people in the worship of the idols (2Cor 6:14-15). Baal of Peor, or lord of Peor, is the local god worshiped on Mount Peor (Num 23:28). There a plague and a judgment come. God punishes what bears His Name, that His people may not alienate themselves from Him. For that purpose, the fierce anger of God has also struck professing Christianity many times.

The most responsible persons have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness. They should therefore be judged. The seriousness of sin requires a special punishment: “Execute them in broad daylight before the LORD.” They must be hung in public before the LORD. The people must see it and fear, for the judgment is executed because of the LORD’s charge. God’s wrath of sin must deter man from committing sin. And the wrath of God over sin is the proof of His righteousness. Thus He wants evil to be punished.

The people are unfaithful in all the points God has mentioned in blessing on His people:

1. It is a people that dwells alone (Num 23:9), but here they mix with the nations.

2. It is a people in which God sees no iniquity (Num 23:21), but here they commit iniquity.

3. It is a people in which He sees beauty (Num 24:5), but here they commit fornication in their tents.

4. It is a people that will subdue their enemies (Num 24:19), but here they subdue themselves to their enemies.

Here we find no Moses who intercedes for the people. That says something about the seriousness of sin. There is no intercession here, but judgment. The memory of this sin is strongly kept alive throughout the history of Israel (Jos 22:17; Psa 106:28-31; Hos 9:10).