Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
"While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor.
And the Lord's anger burned against them. The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the Lord's fierce anger may turn away from Israel." So Moses said to Israel's judges, "Each of you must put to death those of your men who have joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor."
Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them—through the Israelite and into the woman's body. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.
The Lord said to Moses, "Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them. Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites."
The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family. And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Cozbi daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.
The Lord said to Moses, "Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them, because they treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the affair of Peor and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of Peor."
Numbers 25
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As Israel camped outside of Moab, we have studied how King Balak had been trying to curse Israel through using the renowned diviner Balaam. Each time an attempt was made, Balaam would instead end up blessing Israel because of His association with God who was unlike any god Balaam had ever encountered. God, speaking through Balaam, stood up for His people and portrayed them as a strong and formidable force, able to find victory over any opponent…all because He was with them and His power was their power as long as they remained obedient.
So Israel once again had everything going their way. And once again, we see where a portion of the people decided to disobey God and His commands.
For Chapter 25 opens with Israel "staying in Shittim". While they were there, "the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods" and the Israelites accepted the invite, as they "ate and bowed down before these gods" while joining in "worshiping the Baal of Peor". Israel knew that openly disobeying God’s commandments resulted in His disfavor and punishment…yet they couldn’t resist the pull of sin which beckoned them to indulge in their sinful, sexual desires and not only that but worship of false gods as well. You know what comes next. Things were about to get ugly.
For the "Lord's anger burned against them" prompting the Lord to tell Moses, "Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the Lord's fierce anger may turn away from Israel." So Moses told Israel's judges, "Each of you must put to death those of your men who have joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor." God also sent a plague among the Israelites that killed 24,000 before it was stopped…a very heavy price to pay for disobedience and far greater this time than when Korah and his allies rebelled against God in Numbers 16.
What caused the plague to stop? It was the actions of "Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron" who saw an Israelite man flaunting a Moabite woman in front of "Moses and the whole assembly of Israel". Disgusted with the immorality that was taking place in the Tent, Phinehas "took a spear in his hand"…and drove it "through both of them". His actions saved many Israelite lives and gained God’s favor. For we read where the Lord said to Moses, "Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them. Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites." Once again, we see where God favors and blesses those who remain loyal to His will, word and way. Conversely, His wrath and punishment can be expected for those who choose to pursue their own sinful desires and willfully disobey God. Israel knew all this and yet still chose to test God. One wonders when they will ever get it.
I think we can all relate well to Israel. If we’re truly honest with ourselves, we see where we fully know what God expects and yet we too often choose to give into our sinful desires, despite knowing the consequences. Such is the pull of sin in the world and it can easily suck us in just as it did Israel if we let our guard down. So what can we do to avoid falling to sin? Consider these recommendations supported by verses from God’s word:
1. Watch and pray.
Jesus said, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Matthew 26:41
2. Turn to God for your way out.
"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:12-13
3. Enter into God’s rest.
"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience." Hebrews 4:9-11
4. Stay strong in God’s word.
Jesus used God’s word to combat Satan’s temptations in Matthew, Chapter 4.
For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:24-25
5. Build your life on the Lord’s solid foundation.
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matthew 7:24-27
Friends, understand that Satan wants nothing more that to have you fail in sin. Understand as well that the Lord wishes for nothing more that for you to be faithful, obedient and strong as you live every day in accordance with His will. We need only turn to the Lord each and every day to ensure Satan doesn’t have the victory. Indeed, as the words of the Lord’s Prayer petitions, "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil". Let this be our plea each and every day we’re blessed with.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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