Today we begin Numbers Chapter 25.
For the Complete Jewish Bible, click here.
For the King James version, click here.
So we’ve just finished off our study of Balaam and Balak and boy the contrast between that story and what we encounter in this chapter are like night and day.
Balaam has just finished proclaiming wonderful and victorious prophetic blessings over Israel.
We were told that Israel was specially chosen from among the nations and that the Hebrew people bear no guilt in God’s eyes.
After all of these glorious pronouncements, what do we encounter in the very next chapter?
I’ll tell you what we find and it’s outrageous as all hell!!!
We find the Israelites romping and rollicking with the women of Moab and engaging in all manner of un-kosher hog wild revelry with their pagan gods.
Now one would think that after 40 tough and lean years of living out in the Wilderness and with God’s presence always in sight via the cloud by day and the fire by night not to mention the Tabernacle, a fully-functioning Priesthood, and established festivals and commands including an unbendable Shabbat….
…you would think that with all these things in place Israel would have had no problem keeping on the straight and narrow HOLY path that HASHEM had established for them.
But unfortunately, it seems like no dice.
You’re probably asking yourself at this point, “Do these stiff-necked people ever learn?“
Well, not so fast.
I’m not defending the hog wild revelry the Israelites got themselves into here but let’s remind ourselves that in a very real way, their story is our story.
The first thing you have to understand is that this rebellion concerns the 2nd generation of Israelites.
With the exception of Moses, Joshua and Caleb, the 1st EXODUS generation had died off.
So in a very real sense, we’re kind of dealing with a totally fresh group of people here who had obviously failed to learn the harsh lessons that had previously been taught to their elders.
This is so reflective of human nature.
We just never seem to learn from history, do we?
It kind of reminds me of the saying that a while a smart man learns from his own mistakes, an even smarter man will learn from others’ mistakes.
Well, it seems like this new generation of Israelites would have to learn the hard way the consequences for disobedience to the Lord their God.
Before closing, I wanted to bring up one more point.
Do you want to know why the Torah can be so repetitive at times?
The reason is because we need it!
Without constant reinforcement of what is required of us in order to maintain a sound relationship with HASHEM, it is so easy to stray from the straight and narrow path…just as we witnessed this 2nd generation fall into sin.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Enter through the narrow gate.
For wide is the gate and broad
is the road that leads to destruction,
and many enter through it.”
-Matthew 7:13
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