March 7th

Numbers 25:1-26:65

Moses and Eleazar, the High Priest, were asked to take another census of the people. It had been forty years since the first one and an entire generation of people had died in the desert, as the Lord foretold. The purpose of the census was to count those men of military age and to apportion the land fairly once they entered Canaan.

However, while the tribes camped in the plains of Moab, just east of the Promised Land, many of the men became restless and snuck off to a town called Peor, to indulge themselves with Moabite women. The women there enticed the Israelite men to worship Baal, a false god. The anger of the Lord burned against these men, and He had them executed for their betrayal.

It is difficult for me to understand these men. I get the idea of needing to unwind a bit after they’ve wandered through the desert for so long; but, after all that they’ve seen, after all that God had done for them, and after all of the commandments, covenants, warnings, and rebellions, why would anyone be so foolish as to worship the first idol they saw? Was not the first commandment of their covenant to have no other gods? What were they thinking to forget rule number one? All I can think is that these men were lost in their lust. Their physical passions overwhelmed their godly pursuits.

One man was so bold that he brought a Moabite woman back to his tent in the Israelite camp, before God, Moses, and everyone else! He might as well have had sex with her in the Tabernacle! One of the priests named Phinehas was so furious that he jumped up, grabbed a spear, and skewered them both like a shishkabob!

As a result, the Lord commanded Moses to at- tack and destroy the Midianites. Thus, the temptation to worship other gods was abated.

Daily Reflection

Why do you think sin is so offensive to the Lord? What is it particularly about idol worship that angers Him most?

What can you learn from Phinehas concerning how to deal with your temptations and sins?

When dealing with temptation and sin, you cannot be passive. You must be aggressive! Like these men, temptation will lure you away from the Lord’s camp. Over time, you may even become so comfortable with your sin that you bring it into the Lord’s camp.

Be aware that sin will undermine your relationship with the Lord and destroy any godly pursuits that you have. Be aggressive and deal with your temptations and sins before they overwhelm and overtake you.

“If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you...” (Matthew 18:9).

BiAY.org | Daily Reflections Day 66 — 299 Days to Go