Last time we studied about Balaam. He was a prophet of God who had run after the riches of this world. And Balak the king had tried to hire him to curse the children of Israel. He was unsuccessful because God was their hedge of protection. No one could do them any harm so long as they were faithful to God.

But now Satan would work in a different manner to bring the curse of God upon themselves.

• Numbers 25:1
  And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
• King Balak of Moab could not curse this people. However, he sent women in to seduce them into sin to commit adultery and fornication.
• But how did they get to this point of committing whoredom with the women of Moab? The next verse gives us a clue.
• Numbers 25:2
  And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
• You see, first they invited them to their festival of sacrificing to their gods. It seemed harmless because they were just eating there. It appeared as more of a social event rather than a religious event. Sure they didn’t believe in their gods but it was just a festival.
• But we ought to be careful whom we associate with. Harmless though it may seem, the people whom we choose to keep company with will sooner or later affect us.
• The Bible counsels us:
  • 2 Corinthians 6:14
    Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
• It’s not that we can’t be their friends at all. But we ought to be careful that they don’t become our inner circle to influence in any of the decisions that we make in life or even our character.
• Before they knew the Israelites they were bowing down to their gods as well.

Judgment came quickly from God.

• Numbers 25:3-5
  3 And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: 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 Baalpeor.
• Those that committed this terrible sin were visited with swift punishment and paid for it with their lives. The judges of Israel were instructed to slay all those that were caught up with this act of vice!

However, whilst in the midst of all that was going on with punishment being handed out, look at what happens next.

• Numbers 25:6
  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.
• A man of Israel went and brought a Midianitish woman into this tent to commit this terrible sin while Moses was interceding for everyone. It was an act of rebellion to show Moses and God his utter disregard for the judgments being poured out.
• Where did this Midianitish woman come from though? I thought that Balak was the king of Moab right?
• You’ll remember that when Balak sent people to speak to Balaam to come and curse the children of Israel, it wasn’t just the Moabites that came.
• Numbers 22:7
  And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.
• The elders of Moab and also of Midian came to invite Balaan to help them. And so it was the women of Moab and also of Midian that would come and seduce the men into sin in Numbers 25.

However, coming back to the story. As soon as the leaders see this man bringing this Midianitish woman into his tent, what happen?

• Numbers 25:7-9
  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.
• Phineas, who was the son of Aaron the high priest, would run after them and slay them both. As a result the plague from God would be stopped, but not before it killed twenty four thousand people.
• You see, Balak didn’t need to curse the children of Israel directly. All he needed to do was lure them into sin and God would punish them Himself.
• Satan cannot overthrow any saint, no matter how weak they may be, if their lives are hid in Christ. All the powers of hell are powerless against them. We place ourselves in danger when we walk away from God’s protection and put ourselves in a position where Satan can overcome us.

The Bible actually gives us the name of the Israelite man and Midianitish woman that Phinehas slew with a Javelin. It gives us some very interesting and important lessons for us today.

• Numbers 25:14-15
  14 Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites. 15 And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian.
• The name of the Israelite man that was slain was Zimri. He was even one of chief princes of his house!
• And the name of the Midianitish woman was Cozbi.
• The name Zimri actually means my music.
• The name Cozbi means my lie or false.
• So when put the two together, it means false music. This is not by chance. There is important implications regarding their names.
• Music has very much to do with our morals. It can affect us for the better or even for the worse. We ought to be careful the type of music that we listen to. Music that is sensual, that has worldly elements to it, we better discard it right away. Very much of the modern worldly music out there is just not healthy for the soul.
• We’re not going to do an in-depth study into music here, but it’s just interesting to note that God would warn us about the importance of being careful about music. It can lead a man to defile the marriage covenant that they make with their wives, or make a young man to commit fornication. We need to take note of that and think about its application to our lives as well.
• Even in Daniel 3, we are warned again about music. Musical instruments were played before King Nebuchadnezzar forced everyone to bow down to his great image of gold. Those music instruments were repeated 4 times throughout that chapter.

One of the major sins of the last days is that of fornication. This is the power that woman has over man who have given themselves over to the service of Satan.

• Proverbs 7:26-27
  26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. 27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.
• Many have been tempted and many have fallen because of this terrible sin.
• Many in the Bible have stumbled and fallen because of this sin.
• 2 Samuel 11:2-4
  2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. 3 And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? 4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
  • King David would commit adultery and even murder because of his desire for Bathsheba.
• Judges 16:1
  Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.
  • Samson was the strongest of men in strength, but he was weak morally. It was because of his love for women that he eventually lost his strength and had his eyes plucked out.
• 1 Kings 11:1-3
  1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; 2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
  • Solomon had so many wives and concubines that they would eventually turn his heart away from God and make him to bow down and worship other gods!
• Genesis 39:7-9
  7 And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. 8 But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
  • Joseph was tempted by Potiphar’s wife but he would be true to God and run from this temptation even though it cost him his job there at Potiphar’s house. He would end up in prison because of his faithfulness to God!

There is no doubt that Satan is still on the ground tempting many men to sin with this temptation. What happened to the Israelites is a foreshadowing of what would happen to us in our time as well. Paul reminds us of this.

• 1 Corinthians 10:11-12
  11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
• What they experienced was a warning, a type, of the temptations and challenges in our day. From complaining to fornication and adultery. We see all this in our day today as well!
• Jesus would even address this in His day. It was that important to Him that it bore mentioning.
• Matthew 5:27-28
  27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
• If it was not so serious, Jesus would not have to take it a step further.
• Yes, there is many people still caught up in the burning lusts of their hearts for woman. Many are still committing adultery and defiling the marriage bed. Many more are committing fornication and having sex before marriage in their relationships.
• But the sin that is so prevalent today is that of pornography and lusting after a woman in the heart and keeping it secret. Not just men, but I’m finding that many women are caught up in this sexual vice and sin as well. It is so easy today with the advance of internet being made so available everywhere. Sin is so much harder to resist! Sure we might not be committing the actual act in the flesh with another person, but this is just as bad.
• You don’t even have to go to x-rated sites anymore. Facebook, Instagram, even Tik Tok. People posting pictures of themselves scantily clothed just to get more followers. The temptations abound everywhere!
• James 4:4
  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
• Another way we are adulterers and adulteresses is our friendship with the world. We want to have the world and have Jesus at the same time. But anyone will tell you that it is not possible. It’s impossible to have God and the world together just as it is impossible to have two wives but say you love them both with all your heart. Our hearts are divided. And that is the same when we try to love God and love the world together. Eventually one will win over.

What does Paul advise us?

• 1 Corinthians 6:18
  Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
• We need to flee fornication. We need to run just as Joseph ran from Potiphar’s wife. He left his coat behind but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to sin against God.
• When we commit this sin of fornication, we are sinning against ourselves, we are sinning against our own bodies. We are just hurting ourselves!

What else should we do?

• Job 31:1
  I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
• We need to make a covenant, a promise, with our eyes that we would not look on anything that would make us to think impure thoughts. We must pray and ask God to help us every day to avoid seeing the impure and if we do, that He would cleanse our hearts and minds from all the filth that the world has tainted our minds with.
• It is so important as to what we behold because by beholding we will become changed.

But before we are able to do this, what must we do? Before we would even be willing to flee or to make a covenant with our eyes, what must happen?

• Proverbs 4:23
  Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
  • We must be careful to protect our hearts and our minds. This is the source from which our bodies will be affected. So we must keep it with all diligence!
  • If there is anything we must work on to train and to keep healthy, it is our brain, our mind, our hearts. Not our bodies and our muscles. That is all good. But the most important is our mind. We must exercise it in the right and feed it that which is good!
• Proverbs 23:7
  For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
  • As we think in our hearts, it will affect our whole life.
  • We must be so careful what we allow our minds to dwell upon. If it is impure, then our whole life will be impure. If we dwell on the world and darkness, our whole life and thinking will lead down to the world and darkness.

So what should we do?

• 1 Peter 1:13
  Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
  • Gird up means to prepare, to bind up. We have to prepare each day how to nourish our minds to fill it with the good and right food.
• Psalms 119:11
  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
  • We have to fill it with God’s word. As we do that, God will strengthen our resolve for right. He will be the One that will help us to desire spiritual things, pure things, honest and good thoughts.
• And then we can be more ready to resist temptation when it springs upon us unexpectedly. To the point that we’re able to successfully apply that which Paul counsels us:
  • 2 Corinthians 10:5
    Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
• To cast down imaginations and catch everything that goes against God, it means that there has to be a desire to shun evil itself as well. That only comes with putting God in our hearts.
• As our thoughts become His thoughts and our desires become His desires, then the pursuit for righteousness becomes more appealing.
• But to tell a worldling to give up their bad habits and things that they lust after would be an impossible mission unless the Spirit of God is abiding there.

So the warning of God echoes down to our time today.

Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Let us not deceive ourselves thinking that we can keep living the same way today. Though we may be successful in keeping it secret from those around us, God surely sees. And one day, we will reap that which we have sown. God will give to everyone their just reward, whether it be of righteousness to eternal life or unrighteousness to eternal damnation.

May God help us to resist the devil, to resist the temptations that surround us today. May we find strength in His word to help us to change our hearts, our desires and our habits of life. We can be more than conquers though Him that loves us!