What is the meaning of Numbers 31:16? Look - The verse opens with “Look,” a word that calls immediate attention (cf. “Behold,” Exodus 3:2). - It signals urgency: what follows is not optional trivia but vital truth for God’s people. - Scripture often uses such an alert to ensure we do not gloss over sin’s seriousness (Deuteronomy 4:39). these women caused the sons of Israel - The women were Midianites and Moabites (Numbers 25:1-2). - Their allure was intentional; it “caused” Israel to stumble, echoing Proverbs 7:21-27 where seduction leads to death. - The phrase underscores personal responsibility: Israel chose to yield, yet the women were active agents (James 1:14-15). through the counsel of Balaam - Balaam could not curse Israel (Numbers 23-24), so he advised Balak to corrupt them instead (Revelation 2:14). - His counsel mixed political strategy with spiritual treachery, a pattern denounced in 2 Peter 2:15 and Jude 11. - The episode warns against teachers who outwardly honor God but internally pursue profit or compromise (1 Timothy 6:10). to turn unfaithfully against the LORD at Peor - “Turn unfaithfully” points to covenant betrayal (Joshua 22:16). - At Peor, Israel “joined in worshiping Baal of Peor” (Numbers 25:3), combining idolatry with sexual immorality (Psalm 106:28-29). - Spiritual adultery is as real to God as physical adultery (Hosea 9:10; James 4:4); compromise always begins with a turn of the heart. so that the plague struck the congregation of the LORD - The result was immediate judgment: “Those who died in the plague numbered 24,000” (Numbers 25:9). - God’s holiness demands He deal with sin among His people (Hebrews 10:29-31). - Paul cites this very incident to warn the church: “We should not commit sexual immorality as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died” (1 Corinthians 10:8). summary Numbers 31:16 looks back to Israel’s fall at Peor and explains that the Midianite women, following Balaam’s scheme, lured the men of Israel into idolatry and immorality, provoking God’s righteous plague. The verse underscores three timeless truths: sin’s seductive pull, the peril of compromising counsel, and God’s unwavering holiness that disciplines His covenant people. |
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