Numbers Chapter 25
Israel’s Sin with Moab
A. Sexual Immorality, Idolatry, and the Aftermath
1. (Numbers 25:1–3) Israel’s harlotry with the women of Moab.
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.
Israel’s stay in Acacia Grove (also called Shittim) became a moment of moral collapse. The people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab, who seduced them into both physical and spiritual adultery. In ancient Canaanite religion, sexual immorality was intertwined with pagan worship, so these acts of harlotry were not merely moral failings but direct participation in idolatry. The sin of Israel was not only lust but apostasy. They abandoned the covenant fidelity owed to God and joined themselves to Baal of Peor, the local manifestation of the Canaanite fertility god.
The text alternates between describing these women as Moabites and as Midianites, showing the cultural overlap between the two peoples, as the Midianites were a nomadic tribe dwelling among the Moabites at that time. The women of Moab became instruments of Satan’s strategy when military and prophetic attempts to curse Israel failed.
Balak could not pay Balaam enough to pronounce a curse upon Israel, but through sin and idolatry, Israel brought a curse upon itself. As Balaam’s prophecies proved true, no external curse could stand against God’s chosen nation, yet internal corruption would accomplish what enemies could not. Later verses reveal that God’s anger manifested in a deadly plague that killed thousands, threatening to consume the entire camp if left unchecked.
This moment illustrates a recurring spiritual principle: external persecution cannot destroy God’s people, but inward compromise can. The devil’s greatest weapon is not force but seduction. The mightiest assault of Satan against the believer is ineffective compared to the devastation caused by sin tolerated in the heart.
As Rabbi Hirsch observed, “The sword of no stranger, the curse of no stranger had the power to damage Israel. Only it itself could bring misfortune, by seceding from God and His Law.” Similarly, as Poole noted, when Balak and Balaam’s schemes by war and witchcraft failed, the Moabites took another route—corrupting Israel through sensual temptation. In the same way, Satan cannot curse the believer, but he can entice one into sin so that God’s chastening hand falls upon them.
Balaam’s greed for gain kept the matter alive even after his failed attempt to curse Israel. As written in 2 Peter 2:15–16, “They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.” The New Testament reveals that Balaam, though unable to curse Israel, counseled Balak on how to ensnare them. Revelation 2:14 says, “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.”
In other words, Balaam advised Balak, “I cannot curse these people, but you can get them to curse themselves by tempting them to disobey their God. Send your most beautiful women among them to seduce them into idolatry.” The plan worked tragically well. Balaam got his desired payment but died later with the enemies of God as recorded in Numbers 31:7–8, which says, “They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of those who were killed—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. Balaam the son of Beor they also killed with the sword.”
2. (Numbers 25:4–5) God’s judgment on the offenders.
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.”
God’s command for judgment was swift and public. The offenders were to be executed and exposed openly “before the Lord, out in the sun.” The public nature of their punishment reflected the open nature of their sin. Israel’s defilement was not hidden; it corrupted the entire camp. Therefore, divine justice had to be displayed visibly, purging the evil from among the people so that His wrath might be turned away.
Moses then directed the judges of Israel to execute every man who had joined himself to Baal of Peor. This command demonstrated that sin could not be tolerated or ignored within the covenant community. When idolatry and immorality are accepted or protected, the entire nation decays. Moses, as God’s appointed leader, would not allow the camp to rot under the stench of unrepentant sin. The same holds true in the Church today—unchecked sin among God’s people brings divine chastening.
Public judgment of open sin preserved both Israel’s purity and God’s honor. Holiness demanded that the transgressors be cut off, showing that the covenant people could not serve both the Lord and Baal.
B. A Flagrant Sin Judged
1. (Numbers 25:6–9) Phinehas’ stand for righteousness stops God’s angry plague.
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 twenty-four thousand.
At the very moment when Israel was weeping before God at the door of the tabernacle in repentance and grief for their national sin, one Israelite man brazenly committed a flagrant act of rebellion. Before the eyes of Moses and the whole congregation, this man presented a Midianite woman and led her into his tent for immorality. This was not only an act of sexual sin, it was an open defiance of God’s holiness in full view of the sanctuary, where His presence dwelt. Such defiance demonstrated a hardened heart and utter contempt for divine authority.
Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron and son of Eleazar, saw this offense and was stirred with holy indignation. He took a javelin in his hand, entered the tent, and pierced both the man and the woman through, putting an immediate end to their sin. His decisive action represented the execution of God’s righteous judgment. As soon as Phinehas acted, the plague that had been ravaging Israel stopped. Twenty-four thousand had already perished, but his zeal prevented further destruction.
Phinehas’ act may shock modern sensibilities, yet it exemplified godly zeal in a time of moral collapse. The people had been weeping, but none had acted. Phinehas alone refused to tolerate the open profanation of God’s holiness. Allen notes that this act likely occurred while the couple was in the act of fornication, and the text veils this detail because of its indecency. Phinehas’ righteous anger aligned with the holiness of God, not personal vengeance.
His stand teaches that one person’s obedience and courage can make a decisive difference in the face of overwhelming wickedness. God honored his zeal, using it as the turning point that halted the plague. In a corrupt generation, God still values individuals who are willing to act with holy boldness for His glory. While the vast majority of Israel remained passive or compromised, Phinehas’ single act of courage saved the nation.
Balak, king of Moab, must have rejoiced to see twenty-four thousand Israelites fall under divine judgment. What he and Balaam failed to accomplish through sorcery and cursing, Israel had brought upon itself through rebellion. But their apparent victory was short-lived, as God’s holiness and justice were vindicated through the zeal of one faithful priest.
2. (Numbers 25:10–13) God honors Phinehas for his zeal.
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.’”
God publicly commended Phinehas and established him as an example of true zeal. He did not act out of cruelty or ambition, but because he shared the zeal of God Himself. The Lord said, “He was zealous with My zeal among them.” Phinehas’ heart burned with the same passion for holiness that fills the heart of God. His actions reflected divine jealousy for purity among the covenant people.
By his zeal, Phinehas turned back the wrath of God and made atonement for Israel. This act of judgment preserved the nation from destruction. In response, God gave him “My covenant of peace,” promising him and his descendants “a covenant of an everlasting priesthood.” This was both a divine commendation and a reward. The covenant of peace symbolized restored harmony between God and His people, and Phinehas’ priestly line would carry forward the ministry of reconciliation.
It was fitting that a priest, whose office centered on making atonement, should be the one to act decisively to restore God’s favor to Israel. His zeal foreshadowed the righteous priesthood of Christ, who would make perfect atonement for sin through His own sacrifice. Phinehas’ name became synonymous with covenant faithfulness and unyielding loyalty to God. His example stands as a reminder that true peace is established only when sin is confronted and purged, not ignored.
3. (Numbers 25:14–18) God commands Israel to harass and attack the Midianites.
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. 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 Cozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister, who was killed in the day of the plague because of Peor.”
The Israelite slain by Phinehas was Zimri, a prominent leader from the tribe of Simeon, and the Midianite woman was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, a chief among the Midianites. Their union represented more than personal immorality; it was a political and spiritual alliance between the covenant people and a pagan nation. This unholy union symbolized the corruption of leadership in Israel, as even the nobles participated in idolatrous defiance.
Because the Midianites had deliberately ensnared Israel through deception and immorality, God commanded Israel to “harass” and “attack” them. The people were to show no tolerance toward those who had corrupted them. God’s instruction revealed that the source of temptation and idolatry must be completely eradicated from among His people. Just as sin must be put to death in the believer’s life, Israel was to destroy the instruments that had led them into rebellion.
This command was not about revenge but purification. The Midianites had weaponized sensuality and deceit as tools of spiritual warfare against God’s nation. Therefore, they were to be resisted and destroyed. The Lord’s command demonstrated His intolerance for sin and His insistence that His people remain holy.
The story concludes with justice, holiness, and zeal restored to Israel. Though 24,000 perished, the righteous action of Phinehas and the judgment of God preserved the covenant people from total annihilation.
