February 12, Numbers 25:1-18, 31:1-54, Are you or someone you know addicted to porn?

Numbers 25

The Message (MSG)

The Orgy at Shittim

25 ^1-3 While Israel was camped at Shittim (Acacia Grove), the men began to have sex with the Moabite women. It started when the women invited the men to their sex-and-religion worship. They ate together and then worshiped their gods. Israel ended up joining in the worship of the Baal of Peor. God was furious, his anger blazing out against Israel.

⁴ God said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of Israel and kill them by hanging, leaving them publicly exposed in order to turn God’s anger away from Israel.”

⁵ Moses issued orders to the judges of Israel: “Each of you must execute the men under your jurisdiction who joined in the worship of Baal Peor.”

^6-9 Just then, while everyone was weeping in penitence at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, an Israelite man, flaunting his behavior in front of Moses and the whole assembly, paraded a Midianite woman into his family tent. Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw what he was doing, grabbed his spear, and followed them into the tent. With one thrust he drove the spear through the two of them, the man of Israel and the woman, right through their private parts. That stopped the plague from continuing among the People of Israel. But 24,000 had already died.

^10-13 God spoke to Moses: “Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has stopped my anger against the People of Israel. Because he was as zealous for my honor as I myself am, I didn’t kill all the People of Israel in my zeal. So tell him that I am making a Covenant-of-Peace with him. He and his descendants are joined in a covenant of eternal priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the People of Israel.”

^14-15 The name of the man of Israel who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the head of the Simeonite family. And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.

^16-18 God spoke to Moses: “From here on make the Midianites your enemies. Fight them tooth and nail. They turned out to be your enemies when they seduced you in the business of Peor and that woman Cozbi, daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed at the time of the plague in the matter of Peor.”

"Despite the promise of military success over their political enemies, the Israelites soon find themselves defeated at their weakest point-that is, morally. At the urging of Balaam-the very man who has just blessed the Israelites-the Midianites deliberately and cunningly scheme to destroy Israel.  The plan is to use the Midianite women to lure Israelite men first into bed and then into the obscene worship of a sensuous idol.  The Midianites correctly understand that such worship would be a deathblow to this unique theocratic nation.

It takes little time for the men of Israel to be attracted by the Midianite women in Moab, and equally little time to be seduced into worshiping Baal-Peor, the fertility god which the women worship.  Israel's seduction serves as a good example of how personal relationships-particularly wrong ones-can easily influence religious preferences, and why the Israelites are so severely restricted from mixing with foreigners (who worship other gods).

The impudence of one Israelite in flaunting a foreign woman before the congregation of Gods people is met with a forceful response by Eleazar's son, Phinehas. And God's own wrath against the idolatrous Israelites results in thousands dying of the plague for their transgressions." Daily Bible Devotional Insights

Thank God for Phinehas. He boldly took action. Many times we know sin is happening in the lives of those we love but we do nothing. Sometimes, we actually cover up the sin, because we don't want to bring embarrassment to ourselves or our loved one. I'm sure Phinehas was criticized for what he did, but he did the right thing. I'm sure many were angry, shocked, and hurt by his behavior.  

The right thing is usually the hard thing. Doing the right thing will cost us friendships. The loved one we confront or expose may be very angry and hurt that we would do such a thing. But are we in a popularity contest? No. We are in a battle for the souls of our families and our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Fathers, take action in your home. If you or a family member has ever, even one time, looked at porn or movies containing lust or immorality, your responsibility as a father is to get it out of your home. If you have the internet in your home, you have an adult bookstore right in your home. Don't gloss over it. 

What you're doing to your family is saying, "Ok I'm closing and locking the door on the porn store. I'm putting the key right here. Now can I trust you not to unlock the door and go in?" 

Seriously? That is not working, and will never work. 

You are allowing your family free access to worshiping obscene, sensuous gods of Asheroth and Baal-Peor. The devil is just lounging around on your couch, waiting to pounce on a family member who's home alone.

There is a great email accountability plan you can use. Our general superintendent, David Bernard, uses this type of system in his home. We use one called triple x. It can be connected to all hand held devices as well.  

"Dear Jesus, I want my heart and my home to worship You and You alone. If there's any idol worship going on in my home, please reveal it and bring it to light! I curse any evil spirit that would come into my home through the internet or through companions of anyone who lives here who do not worship You and You alone.  I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ, Oh Lord. Bring everything to light in Your precious body of Christ that is not of You. Dear Jesus I ask You to tear down the strongholds that are holding people back from ministry. I curse any evil force that would try to sneak in and kill and destroy. Send Your mighty warring angels to keep the enemy away from Your precious sheep. Cover us all in Your blood. I worship You and thank You for all You are doing in each one of us. In Jesus precious name, AMEN!"