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All right, you can turn with 
me in your Bibles to Numbers chapter 25, as we continue to 
work our way through the wilderness wanderings. They are now stopped 
on the plains of Moab, where they remain till the end of the 
book of Numbers, and then all the way through the book of Deuteronomy. So they're in the plains of Moab. 
getting ready ultimately to go into the promised land and to 
take what God had given to them as He had promised to Abraham, 
Isaac, and to Jacob. So I'll read chapter 25 beginning 
in verse 1. Now Israel remained in Acacia 
grove and the people began to commit harlotry with the women 
of Moab. 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. 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. So Moses said to the judges of 
Israel, every one of you, kill his men who were joined to Baal 
of Peor. 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. 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. 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, and those 
who died in the plague were 24,000. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, 
saying, 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. Therefore say, Behold, 
I give to him my covenant of peace, 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. Now the name of the Israelite 
who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri, the son of Salu, 
a leader of a father's house among the Simeonites. And the 
name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cosbi, the daughter 
of Zur. He was head of the people of 
a father's house in Midian. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, 
saying, Harass the Midianites, and attack them. For they harassed 
you with their schemes, by which they seduced you in the matter 
of Peor and in the matter of Cosbi, the daughter of a leader 
of Midian, their sister, who was killed in the day of the 
plague because of Peor. Amen. Well, as we resume the 
wanderings or resume the goings on in Israel, we see that not 
much has changed. In fact, there's a lot of similarities 
here between Numbers 25 and Exodus 32, which we'll notice in just 
a moment. But essentially what we have in this part is the final 
plague upon Israel. And you'll notice its placement 
here in chapter 25. Of course, chapter 26 is the 
second census of Israel. Remember, the grand theme in 
the book is the wilderness wanderings from point A to point B. And 
along the way to point B, the first generation sins. The first 
generation violates the covenant. And God condemns them. And God 
kills many of them. And then it's the second generation 
on the plains of Moab that Moses addresses before they go into 
the land of promise. So the last plague placed before 
the second census. I think there's a specific reason 
for that, again, to highlight the thinning of the herd, as 
it were, and the preparation of the second generation. Basically, 
what we have in the chapter is the harlotry of Israel. We'll 
look at that in verses 1 to 9. Secondly, we have the commendation 
of Phinehas in verses 10 to 15. And then finally, the judgment 
on Midian in verses 16 to 18. As far as the harlotry of Israel, 
we'll look at three specifics. The harlotry with, first of all, 
the sin of the people, rather, then secondly, the intercession 
of Phinehas. But with reference to the sin 
of the people, notice what the text tells us in verse 1. Now, 
Israel remained in Acacia Grove. That's the same location where 
Balaam is up high, and Balaam is in the act of blessing the 
children of Israel. Remember, Moses was up on the 
mountain, to have truck with God while the children of Israel 
in chapter 32 of Exodus play the harlot. They make the golden 
calves and they worship them and they dance around them. And 
I think the underlying theme is that they always are struggling 
with that sin problem. Remember, the book of Numbers 
as a whole is about God's divine guidance. You see that in Exodus 
chapter 40, and then specifically in Numbers 9, verses 15 to 23. You've got the idealized version 
that through the pillar of cloud and fire, God would guide his 
children from point A to point B. That's the idealized version. The realistic version is that 
they're going to sin all along the way. They're going to rebel, 
they're going to reject, they're going to transgress the covenant 
that they swore to uphold, and they're going to reap the judgment 
of God. So that's what is similar here in terms of Exodus chapter 
32. But with reference to the specific 
sin, notice the people began to commit harlotry with the women 
of Moab. And in terms of the connection 
with the previous chapters, God is blessing Israel through Balaam. Balak was afraid of the number 
of Israelites. Balak had heard about Sihon and 
Og and the way that Israel bested them. So Balak hires Balaam to 
curse or to put a hex upon the children of Israel so that they 
cannot launch a successful offensive against the Moabites. Of course, 
Balaam attempts to do that using sorcery and divination and enchantments, 
but God overrules it and brings blessing to bear upon the people. So God is blessing through Balaam 
and the people are engaged in wickedness. Timothy Ashley says, 
it is ironic that the Israelites may have joined themselves to 
a foreign god at the very site where Balaam uttered his startling 
third and fourth blessings of Israel in chapter 24. Now, in terms of the connection 
with Balaam, Balaam's not mentioned here in chapter 25. He's mentioned, 
obviously, in chapters 22 to 24 when Balak contracts his services, 
and then we have Balaam and his donkey, and then we have Balaam 
blessing Israel. But Balaam is all over chapter 
25, and you can look at chapter 31, specifically in verse 16. And in the context, the children 
of Israel are actually executing what God had said at the end 
of our chapter. They go and they get vengeance 
on the Midianites according to God's commandment. But if you 
look at 31.16, it says, look, these women caused the children 
of Israel through the counsel of Balaam to trespass against 
the Lord in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among 
the congregation of the Lord. You can put your finger there 
and then turn to the book of Revelation in Revelation chapter 
2, where we see the same language, the same emphasis with reference 
to Balaam and his activity in provoking this situation with 
these Moabite women. So in Revelation chapter 2, specifically 
at verse 14, 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." 
That's Numbers chapter 25. So though Balaam is not mentioned 
in Numbers chapter 25, he is in chapter 31 and verse 16, and 
he is here in Revelation 2 and verse 14. So he provoked the 
children of Israel, ultimately, to play the harlot with these 
women in Moab. And basically, when we look at 
this statement in verse one, the people began to commit harlotry 
with the women of Moab. That's a particularly easy word 
to define. We don't need to spend a lot 
of time there. But we do need to notice that the prophets pick 
up that language of harlotry or adultery and oftentimes apply 
it to the nation of Israel, not specifically for sexual sin, 
but specifically for idolatry and apostasy or defection from 
God. I think that what we see here 
in Numbers 25 is that the physical act of harlotry, the violation 
of the seventh commandment, led to a spiritual form of harlotry, 
as we see in the passage. They sacrifice to the other gods. 
They bow to the other gods. Their hearts are led astray. 
And so the idolatry going on here is directly connected to 
the physical harlotry that has been done. Now, in terms of Baal 
and his function with reference to the Pantheon and the ancient 
Near Eastern world, I'll just quote from Davis's commentary 
on the Book of Judges. And this just gives you a bit 
of background as to why this kind of stuff happens. It was 
actually a means by which the worshipers would provoke their 
gods to function on their behalf. So Davis says, in Canaanite theology 
and agriculture, the fertility of the land depended upon the 
sexual relationship between Baal and his consort. Remember, Baal 
was the storm god. Baal was the god responsible 
for watering the crops. He says the revival of nature 
was due to sexual intercourse between Baal and his partner, 
but the Canaanite faithful didn't simply sit back and say, let 
Baal do it. There was no let go and let Baal, 
thinking among them. Instead, their watchword was, 
serve Baal with gladness all ye glands. Hence, the Canaanites 
practiced sacred prostitution as a part of their worship. A 
Canaanite man, for instance, would go to a Baal shrine and 
have relations with one of the sacred prostitutes serving there. 
The man would fulfill Baal's role, and the woman, Asherah's. 
The idea was that the copulating of the worshiper and of the harlot 
would encourage the divine couple, Mr. and Mrs. Baal, to do their 
thing, and thus the rain, grain, wine, and oil would flow again. This is why God told them to 
dispossess the land of the Canaanites. God knew, and God obviously, 
He knows all things, but the children of Israel would go into 
the land, and if they hadn't successfully dispossessed the 
land of the Canaanites, they would not have successfully dispossessed 
the land of the Canaanite gods. And if you have truck with the 
Canaanites, it won't be long before you're having relations 
with them, and it won't be long before you're actually bowing 
down to their gods. We see the same thing in King 
Solomon in 1 Kings 11. Why did Solomon go after other 
gods? Well, it was through the vehicle 
of ungodly relations. He had multiplied wives, he multiplied 
concubines, and they led his heart astray, and that is precisely 
what happened. So the commission of harlotry 
was physical with spiritual ramifications, and that then follows. So after 
the harlotry with the Moabite women, we see the worship of 
their gods in verses 2 and 3a. 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. So the Israelites joined the 
Moabites in the worship service. That was the first step. Of course, 
that then led to them engaging in the worship services with 
them. Matthew Poole says the Moabites, being now neighbors 
to the Israelites and finding themselves unable to affect their 
design against Israel by war and witchcraft, they now felt 
another way to work, by contracting familiarity with them and perceiving 
their evil and lustful inclinations. They, i.e. their daughters, last 
mentioned, invited them to their feasts. So if you think about 
it for just a moment, Balaam was a prophet for profit. Balaam 
was a soothsayer tasked by Balak to curse the children of Israel. 
Obviously, when Balaam tried to go about that task, he was 
thwarted. God overruled it, and God ended 
up blessing. So you can see the mind of Balaam 
behind the scenes. He goes to Balak, and he says, 
hey, I've got an idea. I can't curse them or pronounce 
a hex or any sort of bad thing upon them, but we can get at 
them through corruption. In other words, get the Moabite 
women to entice them to lay with them, and once they've enticed 
them and they've laid with them, then the next step will be that 
they will sacrifice to their gods and then they will worship 
their gods. I mean, I'm not commanding Balaam by any stretch of the 
imagination, but it's an ingenious plan. As one man says in a commentary 
actually on the book of Revelation, David Chilton, when it was discovered 
that the people of God could not be defeated in open warfare, 
Numbers 22 to 24, the false prophets suggest another plan to Balaam. The only way to destroy Israel 
was through corruption. That's precisely what's happening 
there. Remember, Israel is formidable. 
Israel is numerous. Israel has bested Sihon and Og. 
Israel's God is able to directly intervene into the affairs of 
men, and the peoples around are starting to get scared and worried 
that while Israel is among them, they might be casualties as well. 
So we've got to defeat them, and if it doesn't happen on the 
battlefield, because God isn't going to allow them to be cursed, 
it can happen in the bedroom, it can happen at the shrine, 
it can happen at the altar, it can happen when they themselves 
defect from their God, and then they invoke the judgment and 
wrath of their God, who will then weed out this particular 
problem, the menacing problem of a number of people that we 
don't want to go to battle with. So again, it's an ingenious plan, They're trying to yeah, they're 
trying to get the numbers shrunk through corruption, that's precisely 
right. So the Israelites joined the 
Moabites in the worship service, but then notice in verse 2a, 
they invited the people to the sacrifice of their gods, and 
the people ate and bowed down to their gods, so Israel was 
joined to Baal of Peor, 3a rather. So Israel was joined to Baal 
of Peor. That's what happens when you 
go and you bow to a false god. Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 
10. First Corinthians chapter 10, where by the way the Apostle 
Paul refers to this particular incident, and he does so in a 
paragraph where he also refers to the incident at Sinai in Exodus 
chapter 32. The point here is this participation 
with demons, this participation with idols. this participation 
or joining with that which is contrary to the Lord God Most 
High." Notice in 1 Corinthians 10.6, now these things became 
our examples to the intent that we should not lust after evil 
things as they also lust it. And do not become idolaters, 
as were some of them. As it is written, the people 
sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play." That's Exodus 
32. Now Numbers 25, verse 8. Nor let us commit sexual immorality, 
as some of them did, and in one day 23,000 fell. Paul says 23,000. Our text in Numbers 25 says 24,000. I'll give you Matthew Poole's 
explanation in just a moment, but that's not the immediate 
point. So Paul mentions the 23,000 that fell. Verse 9, ìNor let 
us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted and were destroyed 
by serpents. Nor complain, as some of them 
also complained and were destroyed by the destroyer.î Now all these 
things happened to them as examples and they were written for our 
admonition upon whom the ends of the ages have come. ìTherefore 
let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.î It's 
great encouragement. It's not the first time that 
somebody within a covenant community, at least a professing member 
of a covenant community, has succumbed to these sorts of lusts 
or has succumbed to these sorts of sexual temptations and have 
found themselves actually worshipping an idol or a false god. Verse 
13, no temptation has overtaken you except such as is common 
to man. But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be 
tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will 
also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it. Therefore, 
my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men. Judge 
for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing which we 
bless, is it not the communion, or adjoining together, or a fellowship 
with, of the blood of Christ. The bread which we break, is 
it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we though many 
are one bread and one body, for we all partake of that one bread." 
When we're worshiping God the way that we're supposed to do 
according to His revealed will, we have that communion with our 
blessed Savior. When we defect from that God 
and we don't worship Him the way we're supposed to and we 
worship a false God, we worship an idol, we get in contact with 
demons, then we are joined to them. Notice in verse 18, "...observe 
Israel after the flesh are not those who eat of the sacrifices 
partakers of the altar." What am I saying then? That an idol 
is anything? What is offered to idols is anything? rather that the things which 
the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to 
God. And I do not want you to have 
fellowship with demons." It seems to me that Paul, we know for 
sure he has Numbers 25 in his mind as he quotes it or refers 
to it in verse 8, but that same sort of a mindset when you worship 
an idol, it's connection with a demon and it is participation 
or fellowship with that particular demon. He says in verse 20 again, 
rather that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they 
sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to 
have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the 
Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the Lord's 
table and of the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to 
jealousy? Are we stronger than he? So Paul refers to this particular 
passage specifically, and then I think at least by way of allusion 
to make that point, that if you're not faithful to God, and you 
start to go with the Gentiles in a way that is not sanctioned 
by God, you open yourself up, and by Gentiles I mean non-Christians 
in that context, you open yourself up to evil and to wretchedness, 
and you'll find yourself, like they did at Baal-a-peor, where 
they're joined to Baal-a-peor. So the initial step, sexual immorality, 
leads to this spiritual harlotry, which is ultimately defection, 
apostasy from God, and an idolatry that is condemned by God. And 
so as we, oh, Poole explains it this way, and this is the 
bulk of the commentators, at least that I read. The odd thousand 
here added in numbers, notice in numbers 25-9, those who died 
in the plague were 24,000. Paul mentions 23,000. So Poole, and again I think the 
bulk of the commentators, So basically what he's saying 
is that Paul quoted, or Paul gave the number of those who 
were killed by God in that expression of his wrath in terms of the 
plague. He is not counting the thousand that the judges that 
they had identified, or the leaders in Israel had identified. Again, 
it's a tough one to figure out, but I think that's probably the 
best explanation. So then after the harlotry with 
the Moabite women and the worship of their gods, what might we 
expect from the living and true God? We might expect His wrath. 
Notice in verses 3b to 5. So it says, and the anger of 
the Lord was aroused against Israel. So we've got the declaration 
of God's anger. We should already expect this 
because we've been with Israel in the wilderness and we've seen 
that anger of the Lord aroused against them when they are unfaithful 
in terms of covenant. The expression of that wrath 
is given to us in verse 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. I don't think it means take all 
the leaders and hang them. I think it means take the leaders 
and have them identify the faithless among them, and those are the 
ones that you are supposed to hang, which underscores the responsibility 
that goes along with leadership. Right? It's on their watch, they 
should have been more careful, they should have been more discriminating 
in terms of the people under their charge, they didn't do 
that, so now they have to function this way. They have to find the 
guilty, they have to punish the guilty, and they're responsible 
ultimately to appease the wrath of God. That's the end of verse 
4. That the fierce anger of the 
Lord may turn away from Israel. And so, of course, Moses obeys 
this, as Moses obeys all the time. Verse 5, so Moses said 
to the judges of Israel, every one of you kill his men who were 
joined to Baal of Peor. Now, for those who think, and 
I'm not suggesting any of you are, that doesn't seem right. 
It's exactly, absolutely, positively right. They knew the rules. they 
knew the stipulations, they knew the commandments, they had heard 
them, they had received them at the foot of Sinai, they had 
heard them preach, they had heard them taught, they had heard them 
ministered, all of that. So God was very clear, if you 
do that sort of thing, especially in the sin of idolatry, It is 
one of those sins that provokes God in a way that perhaps others 
don't. I'm not suggesting that there's 
any change or difference with reference to God. But if you 
read your Bible, you'll see that God specifically targets idolatry. Idolatry is a bad thing. David 
was considered a man after God's own heart. That's always been 
a very intriguing statement to me in terms of the light of David's 
history. David committed adultery. And 
then David conspired to commit murder to cover up that particular 
act of adultery. But you know what David never 
did? He never engaged in idolatry. He never departed from the living 
and the true God. He was a man after God's own 
heart. And of course, David lived on 
the righteousness of Christ, imputed to him and received by 
faith alone. So Moses obeys, and that brings 
us to the intercession of Phinehas. Note the language, the intercession 
of Phineas. And I'm going to argue that's 
precisely what he's doing here. Note, first of all, the gravity 
of the situation. You talk about chutzpah, or you 
talk about arrogance, or you talk about guts. in a bad way, 
notice in verse 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. Their names are given later, and I think that's for 
the flow of the narrative. I don't think Moses wanted to 
interject their identifying data at this particular point. He 
wanted us to see the gravity of the situation. He wanted us 
to see the sin in verse 6, and he wanted us to see how Phinehas 
responds. But if you do drop down for just 
a moment, notice this Israelite was Zimri, verse 14, the son 
of Salu, a leader of a father's house among the Simeonites. So 
he wasn't some rank-and-file Israelite that, you know, was 
picking up litter and saw this Midianite woman and took her 
back to his tent. That's not what happened. This 
was a leader in Israel that does this in the public view of everybody, 
according to verse 6. And then notice the Midianite 
woman, Cosby, the daughter of Zur, he was head of the people 
of a father's house in Midian. So she had prestige, both of 
that. They were, you know, they had 
notoriety. They were, you know, the stars 
of the day in, you know, Old Covenant Israel at that particular 
time. So these are, you know, people 
that are looked favorably upon because they're of a higher social 
status. So indeed, one of the children, 
verse 6, 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. They're weeping because not everybody 
was guilty. Not everybody had transgressed. 
Not all of them had gone into the Moabite women. Not all of 
them had gone to the worship service. Not all of them were 
bowing to Baal of Peor and then being joined, participating, 
communing with, fellowshipping with Baal of Peor. God's wrath 
had been expressed. People are starting to die. And 
so what happens? The children of Israel, who were 
not guilty or culpable or responsible, are upset. They're mourning. 
They're weeping. They're sad. Moses is there. 
I mean, it's a pretty grave scene in terms of the seriousness of 
the situation. And so this man, a leader of 
the Simeonites, marches in there with this princess from the Midianites 
and goes into a tent to have relations with her. It is just 
an open, you know, flouting of any of God's commandments. It 
is a horrible expression of the wickedness of Old Covenant Israel 
here. Not all, but some. Now, verse 
7 tells us, now when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, just a bit 
of background, he's the grandson of Aaron, and he is the son of 
Eleazar. So he would have been the third 
high priest in Old Covenant Israel. And remember that one of the 
functions, according to Numbers 3 and 4, and according to Adam's 
vocation in Genesis 2 and verse 15, and according to 1 Chronicles 
9, verse 20, Phinehas was overseer of subordinate priests, but one 
of the functions or primary functions of the priest was to protect 
the sanctuary. That's what Adam was told in 
2.15. Tending the garden there is the 
language used later in Tabernacle and Temple. Guarding the garden. You don't allow talking snakes 
into the garden. You don't allow the devil into 
the garden. You don't allow a leader of the 
Simeonites and a princess from the Midianites to wander right 
into the camp, enter into a tent, and openly violate God's holy 
commandment. Phineas, as well, is a public 
man. I had preached on the sanctity 
of life Sunday and mentioned the death penalty. This is not 
an act of private vigilantism. Phineas is a leader. Phineas 
is an authority. Phineas' task was to guard the 
holy place. And so what Phineas does here 
is commended by God. It's not commanded by God. There's 
no command, hey, Phineas, go get your javelin and pierce through 
the Simeonite and the Midianite. That's not there. But God's commendation 
of Phineas tells us that this was, in fact, a good thing. So 
the idea that Phineas is some renegade vigilante who just went 
out and got a gun and he's going to blow everybody's heads off, 
that's not what's happening in verse 7. So verse 7 says, Now 
when Phineas 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. And he went after the man of 
Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through. Now the 
language suggests and the commentary tradition suggests that they 
were in the act. They were violating the seventh 
commandment at that particular time. In fact, Gill makes the 
observation, by which it seems they were killed in the very 
act of uncleanness. And so Phineas takes the javelin, 
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. 
Gil goes on to say, this was an extraordinary action done 
by a person of public authority and under more than common emotion 
of spirit. It wasn't just this common emotion 
of spirit. It isn't just, you know, this really makes me feel 
bad. I'm going to, you know, take matters into my own hand. 
That's not what the text is suggesting. The text is suggesting that this 
is authorized, it is approved, it is sanctioned, it is blessed 
of God. He goes on to say, and not to 
be drawn into an example by persons of private character. In other 
words, private Christians in the 21st century are not supposed 
to take numbers 25-7, go out and buy a C4 vest, and wander 
down to the city square and say, see you later, sinners. You're 
not supposed to do that. Private persons sin if they take 
up the sword of retribution in terms of the death penalty. Public 
persons sin if they put that sword away. And so Phineas does 
what God had sanctioned. Matthew Poole makes the same 
observation, which is no warrant for private persons to take upon 
them the execution of justice upon any. Though the greatest 
malefactors, because Phinehas was himself a man in great authority 
and power, and did this after the command given by Moses to 
the rulers to slay these transgressors, and in the very sight, and no 
doubt by the consent of Moses himself, and also by the special 
instinct and direction of God's Spirit. Notice Moses doesn't 
stop him. Moses doesn't say, no, wait a 
minute, I'm the lawgiver here. I didn't get a command from Lord. 
No, this is sanction. This is blessed. David pronounces 
a blessing upon him in Psalm 106. We'll see that when we conclude 
in a few minutes or a bit later. But note what we read here. Here's 
the intercession of Phinehas. Verse 8b. So the plague was stopped 
among the children of Israel. That's what a priest is supposed 
to do. He's supposed to intercede on 
behalf of the covenant people to God. And in this instance, 
the atonement, the sacrifice, wasn't an animal. The sacrifice 
was the Simeonite and the Midianite who had openly flouted God's 
holy law and God's holy commandment. And so he stays the play. If 
you turn back for just a moment, you'll see a similar instance 
with Aaron in chapter 16. Chapter 16, the whole rebellious 
scene there with Korah and the rebellion of Dathan and Abiram. Korah seemed particularly to 
be a religious assault upon the authority of Aaron, and Dathan 
and Abiram seemed to be a civil assault upon the leadership of 
Moses. So all of these people were just 
yearning for position, yearning for place within the hierarchy 
in terms of the religious and civil leadership. So God opens 
up the earth and sends fire down to consume the rebels. That's 
pretty amazing, right? He opens up the earth, he sends 
fire down to consume the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, 
and all those who participated in it. Now, notice in chapter 
16 at verse 41. Well, imagine if yesterday you 
saw God judge a whole group of sinners by opening up the earth 
and sending fire down. You'd kind of like to think that 
that would tighten you up for today. Your conduct would hopefully 
be a little bit more strict. you'd be a little bit more cautious. 
When you witness the judgment of God in epic proportions, it 
might just cause you to put your hand over your mouth before you 
complain about things that God's in control of. But that's not 
the children of Israel. Notice in verse 41, On the next 
day, all the congregation of the children of Israel complained 
against Moses and Aaron, saying, You have killed the people of 
the Lord. I'm sorry, Moses doesn't have the power to open the earth 
and send fire from heaven. That was obviously God. They're 
just wanting to complain and Moses and Aaron always get the 
lion's share of those complaints. You have killed the people of 
the Lord. Verse 42, Now it happened when the congregation had gathered 
against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle 
of meeting, and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory 
of the Lord appeared. Then Moses and Aaron came before 
the tabernacle of meeting. And the Lord spoke to Moses, 
saying, Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume 
them in a moment. And they fell on their faces, 
Moses and Aaron, because they were humble before God, and they 
respected his holiness. So Moses said to Aaron, take 
a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it 
and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, 
for wrath has gone out from the Lord. The plague has begun. Then 
Aaron took it as Moses commanded and ran it in the midst of the 
assembly. And already the plague had begun among the people. So 
he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. Isn't 
that a beautiful statement? And he stood between the dead 
and the living so the plague was stopped. He interceded effectively 
as a priest. That's the same thing that Phineas 
does with reference to this situation. He intercedes effectively as 
a priest to avert the wrath of God upon the children of Israel. 
Now obviously, Phineas, along with his grandfather Aaron, typify 
our Lord Jesus Christ, because he averts the wrath of God from 
falling upon the children of the new covenant Israel through 
his life, death, and resurrection. So you've got the typical significance 
of Phineas and this promise of a priesthood to him. It's hard 
not to see Jesus in this particular chapter. It's hard not to make 
that connection to our Lord Jesus Christ, who has an unchangeable 
priesthood because He continues forever. So then notice that 
brings us to the sum total of who was killed. Verse 9, those 
who died in the plague were 24,000. Again, the last sort of official 
plague prior to the coming of the second census there in Israel. So then notice the commendation 
of Phineas in verses 10 to 15. He gives the reason, verse 10. 
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Phineas, 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. That is a great commendation. That is a spectacular commendation 
from God Almighty. He was zealous with my zeal among 
them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in my 
zeal. It's the wrong reading to come 
to chapter 25 and say, wow, you know, Phinehas, I'm not sure 
that that's authorized for a priest of the Lord. I mean, would the 
priests, if they had guns, carry a sidearm and go and shoot people 
that were in the holy place? Yeah, if that's what God commanded 
them to do in terms of tending to the holy place. Remember guarding 
that sanctuary. Why do you think there were temple 
police? Why do you think there were night guards? You read the 
Psalms and there's night watchmen. Yes, to defend the body politic, 
but to defend the sanctuary where God specially manifested his 
presence among the children of Israel. That was Adam's vocation. The garden was a sanctuary. Adam 
was supposed to protect it. Adam was supposed to make sure 
talking snakes didn't come in. Adam was supposed to make sure 
the devil didn't get in there. And then later on, tabernacle 
and temple, we see a priestly activity being the protection 
of holy space. And so what Phineas does here 
is he functions as a priest. He functions as an excellent 
priest, and he manifests the very zeal of God in doing so, 
and God commends him. And then notice the nature of 
the commendation in verses 12 and 13. This covenant of peace 
and covenant of an everlasting priesthood seem to be the same 
thing. Lots of different explanations 
in the commentaries. It's a bit difficult to pin down. 
But he says, behold, I give to him my covenant of peace. Gil 
suggests that as a priest, he would know that nearness of God 
that priests enjoy, and that Phinehas would enjoy that all 
the days that he functioned as a priest. Behold, I give to him 
my covenant of peace, and then in verse 13, it shall be to him 
and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting 
priesthood. Remember, we've seen that word 
everlasting or eternal used before in the Pentateuch, and it doesn't 
always mean forever and ever and ever, world without end, 
amen. It means as long as there's an old covenant, as long as there's 
a theocracy, as long as there's a commonwealth of Israel wherein 
God directly rules them through Moses initially, and then through 
judges, and then ultimately through a monarchy. So the everlasting 
there doesn't promise a new covenant priesthood. The everlasting there 
is specifically located in the Old Covenant, but again, the 
obvious connections between this and our Lord Jesus Christ, just 
read the book of Hebrews for a great explanation of the priestly 
ministry of Jesus. He doesn't come from the Levites. He's not a direct descendant 
of Aaron. He's from the tribe of Judah, 
which is the royal tribe. And so what does the author of 
the book of Hebrews do in terms of linking him with reference 
to priesthood? He links him to Melchizedek. 
His priesthood is that of Melchizedek. It's not of Aaron. It's not of 
the Levites. And so there's a connection between 
Phineas as priest and Jesus as priest, and then God ends this 
brief section by saying at the end, because he was zealous for 
his God and made atonement for the children of Israel. It's 
a blessed statement concerning this particular individual, and 
he's a wonderful champion in terms of heroes in scripture. 
So we've already rehearsed the two offenders of verse six. It was the, uh, Zimri and Cosby. And then that brings us to the 
end, the judgment of Midian. And you might wonder, cause again, 
look at verse one. Now Israel remained in Acacia 
Grove and the people began to commit harlotry with the women 
of Moab. So why is God saying, go harass the Midianites? Seems 
a bit odd, doesn't it? I think that Midianites and Moabites 
were in the land together. I think they worked in, well, 
I don't think they did. They definitely worked in harmony 
with reference to this situation. Look back for just a moment at 
Numbers 22. Numbers chapter 22. Remember, Balak is concerned 
about the invading Israel, and he doesn't want them to best 
him. And so he concocts this plan 
to get Balaam. But notice in 22.4, so Moab said 
to the elders of Midian, now this company will lick up everything 
around us as an ox licks up the grass of the field. And Balak, 
the son of Zippor, was king of the Moabites at that time. And 
then verse 7, so the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian 
departed with the diviner's fee in their hand. and they came 
to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balaam. So there was 
a coalition between Moab and Midian. God, according to Deuteronomy 
2, seems to have had a special place in his heart, I speak in 
the manner of men, for Moab. There was a prohibition against 
them going after Moab. The commentators suggest it was 
probably due or likely due to a nod to Lot. Remember, that's 
where the Moabites hailed from, was from Lot. So in Deuteronomy 
2.9, the Lord said to me, Do not harass Moab, nor contend 
with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land 
as a possession, because I have given Ar to the descendants of 
Lot as a possession. So what we have are the Midianites 
and the Moabites. Now that doesn't mean the Moabites 
are off the hook in perpetuity. In Numbers 22-ish or 23, I think 
it's 23, speaks about 10 generations and then the Moabites will be 
cut off. But in this instance or at this season, God did not 
permit Israel to go specifically after the Moabites. So that's 
probably why we've got Midianites in the spotlight in verses 16 
to 18. So then notice, We not only have an exemption 
for the Moabites, the participation of the Midianites, we actually 
have as well in chapter 31, we already looked at verse 16, but 
prior to that, you see that the children of Israel took seriously 
God's command here and they went and rendered vengeance upon the 
Midianites. So in verse 17 it says, So God says specifically, you 
take them out. They're a threat. They saw and 
perceived that you were a threat. They tried to curse you through 
Balaam, and that didn't work. So they then tried to curse you 
through corruption, and that had a degree of success. So you 
need to go and extinguish these Midianites so that they don't 
continue to be a perennial problem for you in the land that you 
will inherit. Gil says, with reference to the 
strategy of the Midianites, not with wars, but with wiles, with 
cunning stratagems and artful methods to draw them into sin 
that thereby they might be exposed to the wrath of God. That's precisely 
what God says, for they harassed you with their schemes by which 
they seduced you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of 
Cosbi. So God says, neutralize the potential 
threat concerning the Midianites, and they carry that out in chapter 
31. So, that's the conclusion of the chapter. I want to just 
point out a couple of things. First, the sin of Israel. The 
sin of Israel. I mean, that's a broad category 
there to be sure, but remember that in the New Covenant Israel, 
there's a lot of prohibitions to us. about doing these sorts 
of things. We just looked at 1 Corinthians 
10. Paul's writing to a church that's got some huge sanctification 
problems. Huge sanctification problems 
in 1 Corinthians. I mean, all you've got to do 
is read it and go, really? They did that? Really, they did that? Yeah, they did that. So Paul 
brings out the big guns and tells them to flee idolatry, to guard 
their hearts against these things. So the connection that we see 
here in Numbers 25 is that the physical act of harlotry led 
to apostasy, or it led to idolatry. This is why you've got, for instance, 
in 1 Corinthians 7, that a believer is confined to only marry in 
the Lord. That's an absolute requisite. You're not a missionary when 
it comes to marriage. You're supposed to marry somebody 
that's a believer. And that's the emphasis that 
Paul brings out. 1 Kings 11, I've already mentioned 
it. Solomon, what a sad case in 1 
Kings 11. Solomon was great. I would still 
say he is great, but I mean, after, you know, first kings, 
you've got, you know, the queen of Sheba coming, just a marvel 
at his kingdom. I mean, people, you know, all 
over are finding out just what manner of wisdom he has. He composes 
proverbs. He's into the natural sciences. 
He's a philosopher. He's a theologian. I mean, he's 
an accomplished man. He's expanded the territories. 
He's moved the boundaries of old covenant Israel. He's brought 
peace and tranquility. And then in 1 Corinthians 11, 
what does he do? He starts to multiply wives. 
He multiplies wives, probably initially for political alliance. 
That's one of the reasons why kings would marry multitudes 
of wives, is for the political alliances that they would bring. 
You know a king or a prince in another nation, and he gives 
you his daughter, and it forges an alliance between those two 
peoples. But multiplying the way that 
Solomon does there, the connection is obvious. His wives led him 
to their gods. And that is a wretched situation. 
If you turn to 2 Corinthians 6, again, just some application 
based on what we see there in Numbers 25. Notice in 2 Corinthians 
6, verse 14. It's a familiar passage. We usually 
apply it specifically to marriage, but I think the application far 
exceeds marriage. But he says, do not be unequally 
yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness 
with lawlessness, and what communion has light with darkness? And 
what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with 
an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple 
of God with idols? For you are the temple of the 
living God, as God has said. I will dwell in them and walk 
among them. I will be their God. They shall 
be my people. Therefore, come out from among 
them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, 
and I will receive you. I will be a father to you, and 
you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." This 
is one of those places where you get a terrible chapter break. 
Now, the chapter breaks are not inspired, so I'm not blaspheming 
God here. The chapter breaks and the versification 
happened after the fact. If you saw the text on a piece 
of paper, you wouldn't even see spaces. It would just all be 
written out. There wouldn't be numbers. There 
wouldn't be red letters. There wouldn't be wide margins. 
There wouldn't be goatskin. But the words would be on the 
page. But notice verse one in chapter 
seven, therefore. That's an implication based on 
what he has said, beginning in verse 11, but specifically in 
verse 14. Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. 
Notice how he argues. He argues from the promises of 
God in verse 16. I will dwell in them and walk 
among them. I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 
Based on that, come out from among them and be separate, says 
the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. 
I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, 
says the Lord Almighty." Verse 1, therefore, having these promises, 
beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh 
and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. You see, 
the apostle understands that this unequal yoke can oftentimes 
lead to apostasy, defection, idolatry. And so I think that's 
a lesson that jumps out in Numbers 25 with reference to the children 
of Israel. I would suggest, secondly, with 
reference to the zeal of Phinehas. He's typological of Jesus. He points us to that one who 
has an unchangeable priesthood. But as well, the faithfulness 
of Phinehas. I mentioned Psalm 106. In verses 
28 to 31, we read, they joined themselves also to Balapeor and 
ate sacrifices made to the dead. Thus they provoked him to anger 
with their deeds, and the plague broke out among them. Then Phinehas 
stood up and intervened, and the plague was stopped. And that 
was accounted to him for righteousness to all generations forevermore. 
I don't believe that means his righteousness in this act got 
him into heaven. What got him into heaven was 
the imputed righteousness of Jesus received by faith alone. 
But this act, this deed, this javelin thrust through the Midianite 
and the Simeonite was was looked upon by God as righteous. And then as well, the zeal of 
Phinehas was indeed the zeal of the Lord. And the zeal of 
the Lord is for God's glory and the good of his people. Now, 
curious about zeal. Zeal's good, if it's good. The Muslim who, you know, bombs 
people or whoever bombs people, I would suggest there's some 
zeal behind that. I mean, to be a suicide bomber, 
I would think it takes some zeal. Imagine being kamikaze pilot 
in Japan in World War II. I'm sure they're motivated by—not 
all zeal is good, brethren. Paul speaks of zeal without knowledge 
according to Romans 10, verse 2. Your zeal must be tempered 
by good theology. Your zeal must be tempered by 
sound biblical exegesis. Just to be zealous isn't necessarily 
virtuous if you're zealous for wickedness or for heresy or for 
heterodoxy. So Phineas' zeal was commended 
by God. And then finally, the wretchedness 
of Balaam. He doesn't even make it in the 
chapter, but he's an absolute monster. He's a reprobate, horrible 
sinner. He's condemned throughout scripture, 
but even then, he did what he was supposed to do under God 
in Numbers 23 and 24. So, interesting and curious passage 
concerning Balaam. Well, let's pray. Our Father 
in heaven, thank you for your word. Thank you for the lessons. 
As Paul says, these things were written for our admonition, for 
our instruction. We pray that you'd give us ears 
to hear and hearts to receive these things and to see how the 
lusts of the flesh and the sins that are so often just seemingly 
external, have such an internal and spiritual impact upon us. 
Help us to walk carefully. Help us to perfect holiness in 
the fear of God. Help us to live in light of those 
blessed promises that we have there in 2 Corinthians 6. And 
we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, any questions 
or comments on any of that material? Comments are preferable. Yes, 
sir. That's right. Yeah, good came 
out of the Moabites, that's right. She's the line of David and Jesus, 
that's right. Which, by the way, the book of 
Ruth is about. I know we all love it as a nice romance and 
love story. The bulk of Ruth, sounds odd, 
hopefully she wasn't a bigger girl, but the end, it's that 
bit that tells us the connection to David. That's the purpose. And the fact that she's a Moabite 
hints at, foreshadows, shows us something about Gentile inclusion 
in the covenant promises of God made to Israel. So we see in 
Ruth very good things. Good point, Bob. Silas, you look 
like you were cocked and ready to go. Okay, great. I just thought 
it was good thinking about Phineas and the jurisdiction that God 
has given him. Because when I read it, I'd be 
like, oh, if God asked me to do that, could I actually do 
that? Could I? Oh, phew, I'm awesome. Phineas 
is just like, where's that javelin? Yeah, pretty hardcore story. There's jurisdiction. That's 
right. That's right. He doesn't tell 
you to go and javelin the enemies of Yahweh down in the middle 
of Chilliwack there.