While Balak failed to curse Israel, did surrounding nations influence them to be cursed by sin? Does the world also impact Christians? Let’s look at Numbers 25.
Did marrying outside the faith bring apostasy into Israel?
And Israel remained at Shittim, and the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. Indeed they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel. And Yahweh said to Moses, “Take all who are the heads of the people and execute them in broad daylight before Yahweh, so that the burning anger of Yahweh may turn away from Israel.” So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor.” (Numbers 25:1-5 LSB)
Was the punishment for intermarriage with pagan wives like a plague?
Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought to his relatives a Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting. When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand, and he went after the man of Israel into the inner room of the tent and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman, through the abdomen. So the plague on the sons of Israel was brought to a halt. But those who died from the plague were twenty-four thousand in number. (Numbers 25:6-9 NASB)
Was Phinehas zealous in faithfulness, and did God reward him for it?
The Lord said to Moses, “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for my honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal. Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites.” (Numbers 25:10-13 NIV)
What were the names of the couple who were killed?
Now the name of the Israelite who was killed, 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 Cozbi the daughter of Zur; he was head of the people of a father’s house in Midian. (Numbers 25:14-15 NKJV)
Because they couldn’t get Balaam to curse Israel, did the Midianites try other tricks?
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Attack the Midianites and destroy them, because they assaulted you with deceit and tricked you into worshiping Baal of Peor, and because of Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, who was killed at the time of the plague because of what happened at Peor.” (Numbers 25:16-18 NLT)
Did God encourage Elijah in a land deceived by pagan heresies?
“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have broken down your altars. I am left alone, and they seek my life.” But how does God answer him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. (Romans 11:3-5 WEB cp. 1 Kings 19:10-18)
Do these things only come from outside or also from inside the human heart?
It’s from the inside, from the human heart, that evil thoughts come: sexual sins, thefts, murders, adultery, greed, evil actions, deceit, unrestrained immorality, envy, insults, arrogance, and foolishness. All these evil things come from the inside and contaminate a person in God’s sight. (Mark 7:21-23 CEB)
While Balak failed to curse Israel, did surrounding nations influence them to be cursed by sin? Does the world also impact Christians? You decide!
