Numbers 25

In Numbers 25, the Israelites, after a long journey, fall into sin as they engage in idolatry and immorality with the Moabites. This results in God's anger and severe judgment upon the people. The chapter shows how the Israelites were seduced into worshipping Baal of Peor and how one man's zeal for God's holiness helps stop a devastating plague.

Numbers 25:1-3 (NKJV)
1 Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab.
2 They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.
3 So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel.

The Israelites, camped at Acacia Grove, are led into immorality by the Moabite women. These women entice the men to participate in pagan rituals, including the worship of Baal, a Canaanite god associated with fertility. The people not only engage in sexual immorality but also in idolatry, joining themselves to Baal. This was a direct violation of their covenant with God, and it provokes His righteous anger.

Numbers 25:4 (NKJV)
4 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.”

God commands Moses to take immediate action by executing the leaders responsible for leading the people into sin. This public execution is meant to demonstrate the seriousness of the offense and to turn away God's wrath from the nation. The severity of the punishment highlights the destructive nature of idolatry and the necessity of maintaining holiness among God's people.

Numbers 25:5 (NKJV)
5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor.”

Moses passes on God’s command to the judges of Israel, instructing them to kill those who had committed idolatry with Baal. This judgment is a call for internal purification within the camp, removing the individuals who have turned away from God to prevent further corruption of the nation. It is a sobering reminder of the cost of sin and the need for righteous leadership.

Numbers 25:6 (NKJV)
6 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.

Amidst the judgment and the people's repentance, a brazen act of rebellion takes place. An Israelite man brings a Midianite woman into the camp, openly flaunting their relationship before the people, Moses, and the weeping congregation. His actions display utter disregard for the seriousness of the situation, showing that some were still unrepentant in the face of God’s judgment.

Numbers 25:7-8 (NKJV)
7 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;
8 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.

Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, takes swift and decisive action. He is zealous for God's holiness and acts as an instrument of God's justice. By killing the Israelite man and the Midianite woman, Phinehas stops the spread of sin and brings an end to the plague that had begun to strike the people. His actions, though extreme, are seen as necessary to stop the defiance and rebellion against God.

Numbers 25:9 (NKJV)
9 And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.

The severity of the sin results in a plague that claims the lives of 24,000 Israelites. This high death toll underscores the devastating consequences of sin, particularly idolatry and immorality. The plague serves as both a judgment and a warning to the nation about the seriousness of breaking God's covenant.

Numbers 25:10-11 (NKJV)
10 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
11 “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.”

God acknowledges Phinehas' actions as a righteous response to the situation. His zeal for God’s honor mirrors God’s own zeal for holiness. By taking swift action, Phinehas averts further destruction, and God’s anger is appeased. This marks Phinehas as someone deeply committed to God’s holiness, whose actions spared the entire nation from total destruction.

Numbers 25:12-13 (NKJV)
12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace;
13 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.’”

God rewards Phinehas by giving him a covenant of peace and ensuring that his descendants will always serve as priests. This promise is significant, as it not only honors Phinehas but also secures the priestly line for generations to come. His zeal for God brought atonement to the people, illustrating how one person's righteousness can bring peace and blessing to others.

Numbers 25:14-15 (NKJV)
14 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.
15 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.

The individuals involved in the act of rebellion are identified. Zimri was not just an ordinary Israelite; he was a leader from the tribe of Simeon, while Cozbi was the daughter of a Midianite leader. Their prominent status highlights the gravity of their sin, as their actions set a dangerous example for others to follow, further justifying the severity of their punishment.

Numbers 25:16-18 (NKJV)
16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
17 “Harass the Midianites, and attack them;
18 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.”

God commands Moses to take action against the Midianites, who played a key role in leading the Israelites into sin through their schemes and seduction. This was not just an isolated incident but part of a deliberate effort to undermine Israel’s relationship with God. The judgment against Midian was part of God’s plan to protect His people from further corruption and idolatry.