Numbers 25:1-9

II. IN MOAB (Numbers 25; Numbers 26; Numbers 27)

A. GRAVE SINS WITH THE MOABITES (Numbers 25:1-9)

TEXT

Numbers 25:1. And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. 2. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 3. And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. 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. 5. And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor.

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. 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; 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. 9. And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.

PARAPHRASE

Numbers 25:1. While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moab. 2. They called the people to sacrifice to their gods, and the people ate, and bowed down unto their gods. 3. In this way Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. 4. And the Lord said to Moses, Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them in the sun before the Lord, in order that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned from Israel. 5. And Moses said to the judges of Israel, Each one of you is to kill his men who have yoked themselves to Baal-Peor.

6. And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the very sight of Moses and of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, who were weeping in front of the door of the Tent of Meeting. 7. And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw this, he arose and left the congregation, and took a spear in his hand. 8. and went after the man of Israel, into the chamber, and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman, through her belly. And the plague was stopped from the children of Israel. 9. But those who had died from the plague numbered twenty-four thousand.

COMMENTARY

The harsh life Israel has led for nearly forty years is now drawing to its close. They are stationed in the final encampment before launching on the last leg of their long tripinto the Promised Land itself. This camp is at Shittim (the acacia trees), which lies directly opposite Jericho, approximately equidistant on the east side of the river. Throughout their time in the wilderness, God had proved His faithfulness in every respect. We would expect the people to be living in a thrilling anticipation of the new life before them. The incidents related in the opening verses of chapter 25 must have occurred as the people relaxed their guard prior to their push. Living near the Moabites, they observe the immoral religious rituals of these people at first hand, and yield to the seductions of the Moabite women. They join in the sacrificial festival of Baal-peor, who is believed to be the same as Chemosh, the Moabites-' national god. Along with the lustful conduct, gluttony was practiced by the defectors, who have been living on manna for forty years.
God's anger rose high over the conduct of His people. Their complaints, criticisms, faithlessness and gross misconduct lead us to marvel at His patience. A time must certainly come, however, when divine mercy is inappropriate. The Lord summoned Moses and instructed him to kill the guilty sinners, especially their chiefs, who should have led the resistance to such a misadventure rather than becoming a part of it. The penalty was severe in proportion to the seriousness of their dereliction of duty. Divine justice has always held a special responsibility for those in special positions, and to impress the people with the gravity of the situation, the bodies of the chiefs are impaled in the open camp after having been first put to death. The properly appointed leaders of the people, their judges, are then commanded to put to death every man who had defected to the worship of Baal-peor.
At this point the account takes a turn which has been variously understood. Some (as IB and ICC) believe the incidents of Numbers 25:1-9 are totally unrelated and incomplete, as the products of various writers which have been illogically combined. IB says the accounts are from JE and P respectively,.. the first, featuring Moabite women, lacks an ending; the second, introducing Midianite women, has no beginning, (p. 263). The judgment is unfair and inaccurate. Both stories are complete in themselves. The first ends quite appropriately with the sentence pronounced upon the adulterous miscreants. It is by no means a strain upon the text to have introduced at this point the appearance of yet another influencethat of the Midianite womancontributing to the evidence of deteriorating and blatant immorality among the Israelites. Even at the moment, the camp is under the pall of the sentence of the judges, and an aggressive Simeonite named Zimri introduces the daughter of a Midianite chief into the very central presence of Moses and the congregation, obviously for immoral purposes. The effrontery is revolting to good taste and common decency, but seems to be typical of the attitude of the camp's more gross people.

By contrast with the licentious members of the nation, many Israelites are participating in a period of mourning because of the provocation against the Lord. The plague, which soon would claim 24,000 lives (Numbers 25:9), visited those insensitive and disobedient ones who had flaunted the laws of God. The sin of Zimri is no more grave than those of the other Israelitesit is, however, more blatant and defiant and depicts a highly degenerative spiritual attitude. The quick action of Phinehas in slaying Zimri without waiting for a called assembly to stone the man is clearly defensible. The account makes it logical to infer that the sinning couple were slain in the very act of adultery, within the tent of their deed. Obviously the attitude of Zimri was known to the people generally, and word had been carried to the young priest; his response was essential to the best welfare of the entire camp. The punishment enacted upon the two, as well as the fulfillment of the instructions previously given to the chiefs, stayed the plague after it had exacted a bitter toll. Rabbinical tradition must be the source of Paul's statement (1 Corinthians 10:8) that the deaths occurred on one day, since this book and no other in the Old Testament states the fact: and the Apostle also gives a figure of 23,000 which, according to the same rabbinical source, is the number of those who were victims of the plague itself, whereas the additional 1,000 were hanged (see KD, p. 206).

QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS

459.

Where is Shittim?

460.

Using a reliable Bible dictionary or reference book, read up on the ritualistic orgies which accompanied the worship of Baal-peor. Show how the Israelites who participated in such practices were in violation of various units of the Ten Commandments.

461.

Did the first overture in the incidents of this portion of Scripture originate with the Israelite men or with the Moabite women? Can you give any reason for your answer?

462.

What part did gluttony play in the series of events?

463.

Why was the punishment of the sinning people left in the hands of the chiefs?

464.

For what purpose were their bodies put on public display?

465.

How are the two incidents in this section substantially related? Why do some commentators attempt to separate them? Do you consider them complete units or only fragments? Why?

466.

Since the Moabites are the neighboring people at this time, how does a Midianite woman become involved?

467.

What factors make the sin of Zimn especially obnoxious?

468.

Why were the people weeping at the time?

469.

Can you justify the quick and decisive actions of Phinehas?

470.

What relationship is there between the actions of Phinehas and the arrested plague?

471.

How can the figure given in Numbers 25:9 be reconciled to the Apostle Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 10:8?