Numbers 25

(1) Israel Cheats on God

While the Israelites lived in Shittim [west of the Jordan river], Israel began acting like a prostitute with the descendants of Moab [Lot’s son]. The Moabites invited the Israelites to sacrificial ceremonies for their gods, and the Israelites actually bowed down to those gods! The Israelites hooked up with Baal-Peor, which made the Existing One so mad He told Moses,

“Take all the Israelites leaders and execute them in broad daylight in front of Me. That way, Israel will be spared from facing My anger.”

So Moses told Israel’s judges,

“You guys need to kill everyone under your jurisdiction who has joined themselves to Baal-Peor.”

(6) Phinehas Spears Unfaithful Israelite

One Israelite even brought a Midianite woman home right in front of Moses and the rest of the Israeli population as they were all crying at the doorway of God’s meeting tent. Now Aaron the priest had a son named Eleazar [“God has helped”] who had a son named Phinehas [“mouth of brass”]. When Phinehas saw this Israelite brining a Midianite woman into his tent, Phinehas stood up from the crowd, grabbed a spear, chased them into the tent, and threw the spear right through both of their torsos. That put an end to the killing wave, but 24,000 Israelites ended up dying from all the executions.

(10) God Honors Phinehas

The Existing One told Moses,

“I was furious with Israel’s descendants, but Phinehas has soothed my anger, since he burned with My jealousy for them. His actions prevented Me from finishing off the Israelites in My jealousy.

“Let everyone know that I pledge inner peace and wholeness to him and his descendants. I pledge ongoing priesthood to them, since he was jealous on behalf of his God and spread a covering over Israel’s descendants.”

(14) Names of those Impaled

The name of the Israelite man who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri [“my music”]. He was the son of Salu [“weighted”], and he led his patriarch’s household in the Simeonite tribe.

The name of the Midianite woman was Cozbi [“my lie”]. She was the daughter of Zur [“rock”], who led a patriarch’s household in Midian.

(16) Israel to Attack Midianites

Then the Existing One told Moses,

“Be hostile toward the Midianites and attack them, because they’ve been hostile to you with their tricks. They tricked you in Peor’s ordeal and in Cozbi’s ordeal. Cozbi was the woman who was killed on the day that the killing wave came because of Peor.”