Having seen what happened to Balaam by dabbling with Moab, Israel remains in Acacia Grove. This was the region across the River Jordan from Jericho from where Joshua sent the two spies into Canaan especially Jericho (Joshua 2:1; 3:1) also known as Shittim which means Acacia trees, east of the river Jordan and near the border of Moab. The people committed harlotry with the women of Moab (v1-3). “They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel.”
The women of Moab led them into sexual sin and idolatry, the two usually went together. In this chapter the Moabites are also referred to as Midianites, many of whom lived among the Moabites. Their god Baal appeared often in Israel’s history and trouble ensued. Not unnaturally it aroused the Lord’s anger.
Enemies had tried and failed to overcome Israel, but Israel brought about the Lord’s anger on themselves. It is still the same today – what Satan cannot do, we bring on ourselves by rebelling against God. Satan is powerless against God but once we succumb to sin, he gains an entrance, and things fall apart, and we bring on to ourselves serious trouble. The Moabites had tried to defeat Israel by using Balaam so that they could find a way to attack them and having failed, Satan uses his other method by seduction.
Revelation 2:14 informs us further that Balaam, although he couldn’t curse Israel, he told Balak that he could ‘pull them down’ them from within. John was told to write a letter to the church at Pergamos (the compromising church) God commended them for their stand against persecution, but ”But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.” In other words, send your females in to seduce the men to immorality and idolatry. It evidently succeeded.
2 Peter 2:15 says to believers, “They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.”
“Then the LORD said to Moses, (v4,5) “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.” So, Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor.”” This was to be dealt with publicly, not brushed under the carpet. This was sin and gross sin against God.
Down through history when a nation has openly tolerated sexual immorality the consequences have always been serious. It probably started with Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis. There are civilisations which have been totally obliterated because of this.
In verses 6-9 one of the Israelites seems to have been openly having a relationship with a Midianite woman before all the congregation. When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the priest, son of Aaron, saw this he took a javelin and killed both the man and the woman. The plague was stopped after it had destroyed 24,000. Phinehas would not stand for this act of immorality and God honoured him and stopped the plague. God made a point of honouring him and his descendants in speaking to Moses (v10-13). It is interesting that one man standing against sin was honoured by God and instrumental in assuaging God’s anger. Balak must have been ‘rubbing his hands in glee’ at the destruction of 24,000 without him lifting a finger in battle.
We are living in a day of gross, open sexual immorality. God is not pleased and will judge us. Sadly, even some of our churches are complicit in allowing and even promoting it. However, even one standing against it can make a difference. The various vociferous (usually minority) lobbies are persuading those in authority to legislate for it rather than against it. We are in a very precarious situation and must repent of it, otherwise we will bring God’s anger to bear and ultimately destroy ourselves.
So serious was this, that God made a point of naming the man and woman who had flagrantly sinned (v14-18). No hiding place and no overlooking it. Zimri the son of Salu, a leader among the tribe of Simeon, and the Midianite, Cozbi the daughter of Zur, a head of a father’s house in Midian. These were not nondescript; they were quite prominent individuals, and God made no bones about laying open this terrible sin. Moses was to show no tolerance to those who had sinned. And also, to harras the Midianites for leading Israel into sin.
