April 30, 2022

Today’s reading: Numbers 31:12-16

The threat of sexual immorality

We read in Numbers 31:12-16:

¹² Then they brought the captives, the booty, and the spoil to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. ¹³ And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation, went to meet them outside the camp. ¹⁴ But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, with the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, who had come from the battle.

¹⁵ And Moses said to them: “Have you kept all the women alive? ¹⁶ Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD. 

For ancient Israelites, it is easy to see how their neighboring nations were a threat to their sovereignty. It’s easy to point out that their enemies are made of grown men who are ready to fight and prevent them from entering the Promised Land.

Now, here’s what the Israelites failed to recognize. They never thought that the Midianite women were a threat. The leaders of the army thought they were harmless. They thought that they could simply let these women live among the Israelites and nothing bad would happen.

As a result, what happened? 

Moses became angry. Moses knew the big but hidden threat these women posed. They have the great potential to cause sexual immorality among the people of Israel, which historically, would eventually lead to idolatry.

In a way, these women are more dangerous than the mighty warriors of their enemies. With God’s help, Israel can easily destroy their enemies. However, they can easily fall because of the immoral and idolatrous seduction of these Midianite women.

In the same manner, we can be like these Israelites when it comes to sexual immorality. In our world today, we see how promiscuity, premarital sex, adultery, polygamy, same-sex marriages, and other similar sexual sins are being promoted as normal.

We see in history how the fall of great nations started with sexual immorality.

We might not be able to change the direction of where this world is heading, but we can certainly change ourselves.

Let’s do our best to get rid of all sexual immorality in our lives and begin living a pure and spotless life to God.

🔥 To learn more, I highly recommend you read, “The 3 Most Important Reasons Why God Forbids Adultery.”

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