NUMBERS LESSON 31
We will begin this lesson in Numbers 25:1 "And Israel abode in
Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of
Moab."
It appears, this Shittim was the location of the center of the
encampment. The Israelites had been successful in their battles, and
have settled down to rest. The idle mind has a way of causing a person
to sin. These Moabite women were forbidden to the Hebrew men, but this
did not seem to stop them. The following Scripture is the very reason
God did not want them to mix. Exodus 34:16 "And thou take of their
daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their
gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods."
Numbers 25:2 "And they called the people unto the sacrifices of
their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods."
We find that lust of the flesh caused these men to follow these
Moabite women. They sinned greatly, when they followed these women,
and sacrificed to false gods. They ate the food offered in sacrifice,
as well. In this, they have committed physical and spiritual adultery.
God will not allow the worship of false gods under any circumstances.
Numbers 25:3 "And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the
anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel."
This "Baal-peor" was a false god that used sex to lure its
people. It was the worst kind of worship of false gods. This worship
of false gods greatly angered God.
Numbers 25:4 "And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of
the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the
fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel."
We see the terrible wrath that God had on their leaders, who
encouraged them in this terrible sin. God holds the leaders of each of
the groups responsible. They are killed, and hung up before all the
people, to see the seriousness of this sin. Whether they were hung, or
crucified, we do not know. We do know they were killed, and left
hanging for all the sinners to see.
Numbers 25:5 "And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye
every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor."
Every man, that was involved in the worship of this false god,
was to be killed by the judges.
Numbers 25:6 "And, behold, one of the children of Israel came
and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of
Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of
Israel, who [were] weeping [before] the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation."
This is the first mention of the Midianitish woman. This could
have even been the source of the problem with the Moabitish women. It
appears, they came to the door of the tabernacle weeping.
Numbers 25:7 "And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of
Aaron the priest, saw [it], he rose up from among the congregation,
and took a javelin in his hand;"
"Phinehas" was the grandson of Aaron. He was in line for the job
of high priest, just under Eleazar. Phinehas relates the problem of
this false worship to this Midianitish woman, and the Israelite who
took her. He armed himself with a javelin to punish them.
Numbers 25:8 "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 belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of
Israel."
Phinehas' action against these two, who had started the trouble,
showed the utter disgust of the priesthood for this sin. God stayed
the plague, because He felt the priest could handle the situation.
Notice, Phinehas killed both the man and the woman. They were each
guilty. They were each punished.
Numbers 25:9 "And those that died in the plague were twenty and
four thousand."
Before the plague stopped, 24,000 died. We must remember that God
will bring a plague upon the people, if the people will not govern
themselves. We have a plague in our land today. It is A.I.D.S. God
will not allow the abomination of homosexuality, and lesbianism to go
unchecked. If the nation does not stop it, God will.
Numbers 25:10 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying," Numbers
25:11 "Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath
turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous
for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in
my jealousy."
Had not this one man stood up and spoke out against this
abomination, God would have killed the whole nation.
Numbers 25:12 "Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant
of peace:"
The zeal of Phinehas to do what was right in the sight of God,
brought God's approval. He brought great peace to Phinehas.
Numbers 25:13 "And he shall have it, and his seed after him,
[even] the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was
zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of
Israel."
God makes an everlasting covenant of peace with Phinehas, and his
descendents. His action brought atonement for all the people. It
appears that, somehow, this had something to do with Balaam. We do
know that Balaam was a Midianite.
Numbers 25:14 "Now the name of the Israelite that was slain,
[even] that was slain with the Midianitish woman, [was] Zimri, the son
of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites."
This is the only time this particular person, Zimri, is mentioned
in the Bible. He was a descendent of Simeom. The fact that the
person's name involved is given here, gives more evidence that this
was a real happening, and not just a lesson to be learned.
Numbers 25:15 "And the name of the Midianitish woman that was
slain [was] Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he [was] head over a people,
[and] of a chief house in Midian."
The name "Cozbi" means false. What an appropriate name. Zur was a
chief among his people. He is, in fact, spoken of as one of the 5
kings of Midian. All of this adds to the evidence that this whole
thing was planned by the Midianites.
Numbers 25:16 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying," Numbers
25:17 "Vex the Midianites, and smite them:"
This is another way of saying attack them in war. It really
appears, that the women of Midian were part of a plot by Balaam to
bring disaster to Israel. They used the lust of the men to entrap
them. God sees through the plan and says, destroy them.
Numbers 25:18 "For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they
have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi,
the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in
the day of the plague for Peor's sake."
These women were indulging in sex with the men of Israel, not out
of desire for them, but to destroy them. The men of Israel are
indulging in sex because of lust. The men are lusting after the women
to the extent, that they were even worshipping their false gods. God
says, kill the Midianites for plotting such a thing.
Numbers 31 Questions
1. What sin did the people begin to commit?
2. Quote Exodus chapter 34 verse 16.
3. Where did this sin lead the men of Israel?
4. They have committed ___________ and ____________ adultery.
5. What was "Baal-peor"?
6. What did God tell Moses to do with all the heads of the people?
7. Why were they hung before the people?
8. Who did Moses tell the judges to kill?
9. In verse 6, we see a _____________ woman.
10. Where did they come weeping?
11. Who was "Phinehas"?
12. What did he do?
13. The __________ was stopped, because of his actions.
14. How many died in the plague?
15. What is the plague in our land today?
16. What did God tell Moses had stopped the plague?
17. What would have happened to the whole nation, if Phinehas had not
done this?
18. What covenant did God make with Phinehas?
19. What did his action bring to the people?
20. What was the name of the Israelite that Phinehas killed?
21. Who was the Midianitish woman?
22. Who was her father?
23. What position did he have in the land of Midian?
24. Who had planned this whole thing?
25. What does God tell Moses to do to Midian?
26. How had the women of Midian trapped the men of Israel?
27. The men's lust had even led them to ________ their ________
_______.
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