How does Numbers 25 relate to the warning in Joshua 22:17? Setting the Scene in Numbers 25 • Israel was camped at Shittim, preparing to cross the Jordan (Numbers 25:1). • Moabite and Midianite women invited the men of Israel to idolatrous feasts; “the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moab” (Numbers 25:1). • Israel “joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the LORD’s anger burned against them” (Numbers 25:3). • A divinely sent plague killed 24,000 before Phinehas’s zeal stopped it (Numbers 25:8-9). Content of Joshua 22:17 “Was not the sin of Peor, from which we are not yet cleansed even to this day, sufficient for us? It brought a plague upon the congregation of the LORD.” (Joshua 22:17) Direct Links Between the Two Passages • Same sin: Both texts reference “Peor,” shorthand for the apostasy of Numbers 25. • Same consequence: A deadly plague from God’s wrath (Numbers 25:9; Joshua 22:17). • Same lesson: Idolatry brings communal judgment; holiness is non-negotiable. • Same setting: On the eastern side of the Jordan, near where Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh settled (Numbers 25:1; Joshua 22:10). Why Joshua’s Leaders Invoke Numbers 25 1. Fresh Historical Memory – Roughly a generation has passed; survivors still live with the trauma. – The leaders argue: “We cannot afford repeat offenses.” 2. Preventing Contagion of Sin – Sin at Peor spread rapidly; so could the perceived altar-rebellion (Joshua 22:16). 3. Covenant Solidarity – Peor showed that one tribe’s sin endangers all (cf. Numbers 16:46-50; Joshua 7). – Thus western tribes fear being judged along with the eastern tribes. 4. Affirming Exclusive Worship – The altar at Peor competed with true worship; an unauthorized altar could do the same (Deuteronomy 12:13-14). Key Themes Highlighted by the Comparison • Holiness and Separation – God demands distinctness from pagan practices (2 Corinthians 6:17). • Corporate Responsibility – “A little leaven leavens the whole batch” (1 Corinthians 5:6). • Zealous Intervention – Phinehas’s action (Numbers 25:7-8) foreshadows Phinehas questioning the altar (Joshua 22:13,31). • Ongoing Need for Vigilance – Even after victory in Canaan, spiritual compromise remains a threat (1 Colossians 10:12). Practical Takeaways for Today • Remember past discipline; let history restrain present temptation. • Guard collective purity; personal choices affect the entire body (Hebrews 12:15). • Confront potential compromise promptly and biblically (Matthew 18:15). • Embrace wholehearted devotion; God alone defines acceptable worship (John 4:23-24). |
    |