I think one of the things 2020 will always be remembered for is the plague; known as Covid-19 and commonly called the Corona Virus. I’ve been searching the Scripture for causes of the plague, trying to see if the same catalyst has manifested itself in America today. Last week we looked at “The Census and the Plague.” We saw how taking a census apart from God’s direction with the motivation of relying on one’s own strength can make the Lord angry, and result in the plague. This morning, we’re going to see another possible cause of the plague, along with the remedy.
But before we get started looking at Numbers chapter 25, I want to share a detailed overview of the events leading up the scene that we’re about to see. The background information will help is make sense of the account. So, beginning back in Numbers 22, we read that while Israel wandered in the wilderness after leaving Egypt, they arrived on the plains of Moab; and on arrival, they faced an unexpected enemy, “one who was hidden in the mountain heights and able to call upon the forces of the evil one to assist him.”(1)
“Camping peacefully in the valley [below], the Israelites had no idea that Balaam was trying to curse them so that the Moabites and Midianites could defeat them.” Balaam was “a Gentile who lived at a place called Pethor near the Euphrates River. He had a reputation for success in divination (receiving hidden knowledge, especially about the future) and incantation (the use of occult power to grant blessing or cursing), and he was willing to sell his services to all who could pay his fee.”(2)
“The Moabites and Midianites became very frightened when they saw the magnitude of the camp of Israel and heard the reports of Israel’s military victories over the neighboring nations . . . [So] conventional warfare was out of the question. Moab and Midian needed help from the devil.”(3) Therefore, Balak, the king of the Moabites, sought help from Balaam; and “Balak depended on two things to influence Balaam to come and help him: 1.) the impressive delegation of important elders from both Midian and Moab, and 2.) the wealth they carried to pay his fee.”(4)
But before Balaam would help the Moabites and Midianties, he did something that may strike us as unusual. “In those days, people believed that each nation had its own god, and Balaam knew that [Yahweh] was the God of the Israelites. Therefore, he went to seek the Lord’s will about the summons from Balak . . . [but] the Lord wouldn’t allow him to accept the invitation. God made His will very clear [in Numbers 22:12]: ‘Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed’ (NIV).”(5)
“Balak [then] sent Balaam a larger and even more impressive delegation of princes with the promise of paying any fee Balaam asked, plus bestowing royal honors on him . . . [so], God came to Balaam and instructed him to go with the princes only if they came to call him the next morning (v. 20). But the next morning, Balaam didn’t wait for the men to come to him; he saddled his donkey and went to the place where the delegation was camped, determined to do his own will;”(6) which brings us to the well-known account of Balaam and his donkey, where an angel of the Lord was standing in his path to stop him, and the donkey kept balking until it supernaturally spoke to Balaam.
“In His permissive will, God allowed Balaam to continue on his journey, but He cautioned him to speak only the messages that God gave him.”(7) So, Balaam delivered to Balak four oracles from the Lord, and all four of them spoke of the Lord’s favor and blessing on Israel (Numbers 22:36-24:25). Numbers 24:25 says that afterwards, “Balaam rose and departed and returned to his place.” So, with this background information in mind, we can now begin looking at Numbers 25:1-11.
Cause and Remedy for the Plague (Numbers 25:1-11)
1 Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. 2 They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel. 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.” 5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor.”
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, who were weeping at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 7 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; 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 body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel. 9 And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.
10 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 11 “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.”
So, what’s this all about? Commentator Warren Wiersbe tells us that “Balaam wasn’t able to curse Israel, but he knew how to defile them and seduce them into sin so great that [Yahweh] would judge them.”(8) “Balaam suggested to Balak that the Moabites and the Midianties convene a religious feast to honor Baal, and that they invite the Jews to attend. The feast, of course, would involve idolatry and abominable immorality, and would be a flagrant violation of Israel’s covenant with the Lord . . . What Balaam couldn’t do by appealing to the demons, he accomplished by appealing to the flesh and inviting the Jews to ‘enjoy themselves’ at Baal Peor, [and] this is the first recorded occasion in Scripture of Israel worshipping Baal.”(9)
Wiersbe goes on to say that “the Lord sent a plague that began to kill the people, so Moses moved into action. Following God’s orders, he commanded the judges in each tribe to kill the people who had led Israel into this terrible sin, and to expose their bodies as a warning to the rest of the people. But one special act of judgement helped to bring the plague to an end and save the rest of the nation,”(10) and we’re going to hone in on that “one special act” a little later in the message.
So, let’s dig into this passage a bit further. Verse 3 says, “So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel.” In order to understand what aroused the Lord’s anger and brought about the plague, we need to understand some things about Baal worship. So, allow me to take a moment to talk about Baal; and as I do, I’m going to identify some of the ways that “the spirit of Baal” is alive and well today in the United States of America.
Part of the spirit of Baal is selling out for a price. Just consider how greatly Balaam was influenced by money, in the fact that he would curse just about anyone if the commission were big enough. “In artistic depictions and archeological finds, Baal took the shape of a bull or ram.”(11) So, let me tell you, we shouldn’t be surprised to learn that on Wall Street there is a huge bronze sculpture of a bull standing 11 feet tall by 16 feet long, weighing 7,100 lbs. Wall Street is the powerhouse of the world economy; and like the worship of Baal, we find the worship of money on Wall Street.
Let’s consider some ways that people are selling out for a price. Those in Big Tech are selling out our country by censoring free speech, allowing the only voices heard, to be those willing to pay the highest price for that privilege. In our latest election we saw former prisoners willing to sell out their vote to a certain billionaire who offered to pay their legal fees. In the church we see Christians willing to sell out their time with God, and sell out their devotion to the church, in order to work on Sunday – and I’m not referring to those whose jobs demand it, but to those who are working an extra job, or an extra shift, because they want more money than they really need to live on.
One of the most tragic ways that our nation is selling out to Baal is through abortion, as we know that abortion is big business. Did you know that Baal required the sacrifice of children by fire, which was often the first-born male child?(12) It’s true! We read in Psalm chapter 106: “They joined themselves also to Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices made to the dead. Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds, and the plague broke out among them . . . They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons, and shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood” (vv. 28-29, 37-38).
Another part of the spirit of Baal is the occult and Satan worship. Baal is called Ba’al Zebub in 2 Kings 1:3, which in Hebrew means, “Fly Lord.” Scholars have interpreted the title “Lord of the Flies” as showing a link to the power to cause pestilence, as flies are usually found swarming the dead.(13) So, perhaps God is not the one who “sends” the plague or “causes” it, but maybe He instead “allows” it to happen. Baal causes the plague; and so, what God does, is He lifts His hedge of protection, allowing His people to be tested, as He did with Job (Job 1:6-12). In the New Testament, Beelzebub is the prince of all the demons of Satan; or rather, the “head demon” (Luke 11:14-18).
As I stated earlier, in archeological finds, Baal took the shape of a bull or ram.”(14) The ram, or goat, is actually a symbol for Satan. Detroit, Michigan has the largest Satanist Temple chapter in the United States. In fact, they commissioned an artist to fashion a huge bronze statue of Satan, standing 8.5 feet tall, which has the head of a goat and features a huge pentagram, as well as having two smiling children gazing up at the seated figure. It was publicly unveiled in Detroit on July 25, 2015.(15)
Another part of the spirit of Baal is sexual obsession and perversion. Verse 1 says, “The people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab.” The word “harlot” is another word for a prostitute. Verse 3 says, “So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor.” The word “joined” means that they were joined physically with temple prostitutes committing fornication, and committing both physical and spiritual adultery.
Amos 2:7 portrays how the Israelites participated in deliberate acts of ritual prostitution in pagan temples. This verse says, “A man and his father go in to the same girl, to defile My holy name.” The website Bible Tools comments on Amos 2:7, saying, “Because Baal was neither alive nor a moral force, his worshippers felt they could communicate with him only by ritual actions that portrayed what they were asking him to do. Since Baal was, like almost all ancient deities, a fertility god, the human act of intercourse demonstrated that they wanted Baal to prosper them.”(16) Prosper them, huh? So, it all goes back to money!
This same website asks concerning ritual prostitution, “But what was its real effect on the participants and the nation?” It answers by saying, “Ritual prostitution only served to erode the family, eventually leading to the destruction of the nation.”(17) Just consider how sexual obsession and perversion are eroding the family in our own nation, with things such as marital unfaithfulness leading to divorce, and same sex-unions redefining the institution of marriage, and thus the family. If you want to tear apart a nation, you first have to dissolve the glue that binds us together, which is the family.
The primary manifestation of the spirit of Baal in Numbers chapter 25 is sexual obsession and perversion. “Balaam told King Balak how to get the Israelites to commit sin by enticing them with sexual immorality.”(18) Take a look at verse 6, and then listen as I read from two other translations. The New International Version says, “Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting.” The New Living Translation tells us, “Just then one of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman into his tent, right before the eyes of Moses and all the people, as everyone was weeping at the entrance of the Tabernacle.”
What we see in verse 6 is outright, flagrant disobedience and sin; and a complete disregard for the feelings of others. “Zimri, a leader in the tribe of Simeon (v. 14), not only attended the idolatrous feast but brought a Midiantie woman named Cozbi (v. 15) back to the camp of Israel, and [he] openly took her into his tent right before the eyes of Moses and the weeping Israelites at the tabernacle door.”(19) He took her into his tent to have relations with her. “This was brazen high-handed sin for which there was no forgiveness. Zimri was a prince in Israel and Cozbi was the daughter of a prince, so perhaps they thought their social status gave them the privilege of sinning.”(20)
So, we see that Zimri didn’t even try to hide his sin; and his actions lead me to a question, which is this: “How prevalent is the spirit of Baal in America, and just how flagrant is it?” Allow me to share something from Jonathan Cahn, author of The Harbinger. He says: “As much as America has driven God out of its life and waged war against His ways, as much as America has sacrificed millions of its unborn children, as much as it has called evil ‘good’ and good ‘evil,’ as much as it has celebrated sexual immorality, and as much as it has persecuted the righteous – it is following after the god Baal, animated by the spirit of Baal.”
He goes on to ask, “Could the sign of Baal actually appear on American soil?” He then answers by saying, “The idea that anything linked to an ancient Canaanite god would be erected in America would seem unthinkable. But . . . the Sign of Baal has manifested on American soil. It took place on a rainy Monday afternoon, September 19, 2016; it happened in . . . New York City.”
He continues to elaborate, “One of the centers of Baal worship in ancient times was Palmyra, Syria. The city contained not one but two prominent temples to Baal. The Romans erected an arch there to lead to the Temple of Baal. So, the worshipers of Baal would walk through the arch and approach the temple in which they would venerate their god. This arch that led to the Temple of Baal was reproduced down to the smallest detail and erected in New York City . . . in the park outside City Hall . . . [and] a black slate of stone sat at the side of the arch reminding the people of the connection. On the slate was an image of an ancient temple with the words “Temple of Bel (Baal).”(21)
Now, to my understanding, this arch was not a permanent installation; but rather, part of a travelling exhibit. Nevertheless, it goes to show that the spirit of Baal is alive in the United States. It is in your face at all times, ready to entice people to sin. And no doubt, the manifestation of this spirit, through obsession with money, killing of the unborn, the worship of Satan, and sexual perversion, is one of the primary reasons why we could be under judgment by the plague, as perhaps God has lifted His hedge of protection from our nation. But it’s also important to consider that, according to this passage, there is a way to stop the plague! “So, how is that?” you might ask.
In verses 7-9, we read how “Aaron’s grandson, Phinehas, left the prayer meeting and went after the couple, killing both of them in the tent with one thrust of his spear. This stopped the plague, but not before 24,000 people died.”(22) And no, we’re not supposed to kill sinners! The key verse which explains this action is verse 11, in which the Lord said, “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.” It was Phinehas’ zeal that stopped the plague; a zeal for the Lord. In one fell swoop, he cut off the sin, which stopped the plague. He struck down the idolatry in its most blatant, in-your-face expression.
So, what is “zeal for the Lord?” The Hebrew word for “zealous” (qana’) in this passage means, “to excite to jealous anger,” and “to be jealous,” as seen in the redness of one’s face (Blue Letter Bible); and some uses of the word “zeal” (qin’ah) in the Bible are “ardour of zeal” of men for God, of men for the house of God, and of God for His people; and “ardour of anger” of men against adversaries, and of God against men (Blue Letter Bible). The Bible says in Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry, and do not sin,” implying that not all anger is considered sin. Anger that is free from sin would be “righteous anger” for truth and justice. Allow to share some more biblical examples of this kind of zeal.
In 2 Kings chapter 10, we are told that when King Jehu of the northern kingdom of Israel met Jehonadab coming down the road, that Jehu said, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD” (v. 16), and so Jehonadab rode along in Jehu’s chariot as he proceeded to kill all the false prophets of Baal (cf. 2 Kings 10:15-28). In Zechariah 8:2-3, God said, “I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; with great fervor I am zealous for her . . . I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem [and] Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth.” How many of you are zealous for truth, and willing to do spiritual battle to see America called the “nation of truth” once again?
In John 2:13-17, we read something about the zeal and righteous anger of our Savior: “Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, ‘Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!’ Then His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up’.”
How many of us are eaten up with a zeal for God? How often do we feel a righteous anger when we see evil called good, and good called evil (Isaiah 5:20); when we see churches ordered to close; when our jobs are being threatened for speaking biblical truth; or when our kids can be expelled for wearing a Christian t-shirt or bringing their Bible to school? Maybe some of these things aren’t that close to home yet, but they are happening in America, and it won’t be long before it’s at our door. How many of us have a passion that drives us to share our faith and speak the truth no matter what?
Phinehas used a javelin to “take out” sin and halt the plague. So, what injustices are we “taking out,” in order to restore truth and exalt the name of Jesus in the land? Paul said, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Phinehas used his weapon to cast down two fornicators, but we should be wielding our mighty and God-given weapon to cast down arguments and break mental and spiritual strongholds! So, what is that weapon?
Our weapon is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17), or the Bible. We read in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” So, let’s wield our weapon with zeal! Let’s proclaim the Word of God to those who are entranced by the spirit of Baal. Let’s cast down shallow arguments, and pull down the mental strongholds of those obsessed with money, those who believe in the killing of babies, those who think the worship of Satan will give them power, and those who think that sexual indulgence and perversion is okay. Let’s share the Word of God with great zeal and power, in order to lead people to repentance and halt the plague.
Time of Reflection
In 2 Corinthians 7:10-11, Paul said, “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, [and] what zeal!”
Paul said “the sorrow of the world produces death.” There is much sorrow right now. Many people are experiencing feelings of hopeless and despair; because of this deadly virus; because of lockdowns, and isolation and loneliness; and because of the loss of their job. Our country has found itself in such a place because of sin; because of following the ways of the world; but the ways of the world only lead to sorrow; and the modern solutions of the world which promise to make our life better and bring about enlightenment; they only result in death and destruction; and ultimately separation from God.
But Paul said there is another kind of sorrow that leads to life; a sorrow that causes us to look up. It is a sorrow that leads us to realize that our own ways, the ways of sin, and the promises of this world, will only leave us empty and dead inside. It is a sorrow over our sins, and a sorrow over our disobedience to God, and a sorrow over where sin has taken us. It is a sorrow that leads to repentance and life; life by confessing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. And when we gain life in Jesus, we will rise up in our spirit with a vehement desire and zeal; knowing that we have a newfound purpose and calling in serving the Lord and fighting for the kingdom!
The way that we walk away from death and into life is by confessing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
NOTES
(1) Warren Wiersbe, “The Complete Old Testament in One Volume,” The Wiersbe Bible Commentary (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2007), pp. 285-286.
(2) Ibid., p. 286.
(3) Ibid., p. 286.
(4) Ibid., p. 286.
(5) Ibid., p. 286.
(6) Ibid., p. 286.
(7) Ibid., p. 287.
(8) Ibid., pp. 289-290.
(9) Ibid., p. 290.
(10) Ibid., p. 290.
(11) Hope Bolinger, “Who Is Baal in the Bible?” Christianity.com: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/who-is-baal-in-the-bible.html (Accessed November 26, 2020).
(12) “Baal, Ashtoreth and Molech – God’s Old Testament Rivals,” Redlands Daily Facts: https://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/2007/01/11/baal-ashtoreth-and-molech-gods-old-testament-rivals/ (Accessed November 26, 2020).
(13) “Baal,” Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal (Accessed November 26, 2020).
(14) Hope Bolinger, “Who Is Baal in the Bible?” Christianity.com: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/who-is-baal-in-the-bible.html (Accessed November 26, 2020).
(15) “Statue of Baphoment,” Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Baphomet (Accessed November 29, 2020).
(16) “What the Bible Says about Temple Prostitutes,” Bible Tools: https://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/cgg/ID/7112/Temple-Prostitutes.htm (Accessed November 26, 2020).
(17) Ibid.
(18) “Balaam,” Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balaam (Accessed November 26, 2020).
(19) Wiersbe, p. 290.
(20) Ibid., p. 290.
(21) Hope of the World Ministries Jonathan Cahn, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/120744241312739/posts/the-harbinger-of-baal-appears-in-nycexclusive-jonathan-cahn-explains-unveiling-o/1115261078527712/ (Accessed November 26, 2020).
(22) Wiersbe, p. 290.
