idolatry – Moment to Moment (Bible blog)

Taking sexual sin lightly

If there was any doubt if Balaam served God or not, the answer is found in this chapter. It was he that led the Israelites into idolatry and sexual sin. (Numbers 31:16)

As a result, 24,000 Israelites died.

This was the second time the Israelites fell into this kind of sin (Exodus 32).

More, this is what we saw in Numbers 15. This wasn’t unintentional sin. This was defiant sin.

That was clearly seen in the man that Phinehas the high priest killed in verses 6-9.

While people were dying because of the plague God had sent, and Moses and the other Israelites were mourning before God, this man defiantly went into his tent to sleep with this woman in an act probably related to Baal-worship.

It’s interesting that sexual sin was tied so closely to idolatry in that time. Interesting because sexual sin has become the idol of this age.

So many in society take sexual sins lightly to the point they no longer consider them sins at all. (Romans 1:24, 26-27, 32)

But to God, these are sins worthy of death. (Romans 1:32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

That’s why Paul in looking back on these two incidents wrote,

Don’t become idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to party.

Let us not commit sexual immorality as some of them did, and in a single day twenty-three thousand people died. (1 Corinthians 10:7-8)

How about you? Do you take sexual sin as lightly as this world does?

Reasons for judgment

I know. At first glance, it seems a bit strange to combine Jeremiah and Obadiah. But there is some method to my madness.

If you look at Obadiah, it actually has a lot in common with Jeremiah 49:7–22.

A lot of the imagery and wording is so similar, you have to believe that Obadiah had some access to Jeremiah or vice versa.

It is not unusual for biblical authors to quote other biblical authors. And it’s possible that God told Obadiah, “Remember what Jeremiah said here. Repeat what he said.” Or vice versa.

Or it’s possible that God independently gave each of them the same words to speak. That too is not entirely unusual.

At any rate, God here is passing judgment on the nations surrounding Judah. At a guess, it would seem that these prophecies happened at the same time as the events of Jeremiah 27–29.

In those passages, as you recall, Jeremiah was warning many of these same nations to submit to Nebuchadnezzar.

Also in the prophecy against Elam, Jeremiah timestamps it as being early in the reign of Zedekiah.

Why did God pass judgment on these nations? He doesn’t always give reasons, but there are several repeated themes.

First, the worship of false gods.

For Moab, it was the god Chemosh. For Ammon, it was the god Molech. These are the gods mentioned in these passages, but each nation had their own gods that they worshiped, turning their backs on the one true God.

Second, pride. God said of Moab,

“Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive…

We have heard of Moab’s pride—her overweening pride and conceit, her pride and arrogance and the haughtiness of her heart.

I know her insolence but it is futile,” declares the Lord, “and her boasts accomplish nothing.” (Jeremiah 48:7, 29–30)

Of Ammon, he said,

“Why do you boast of your valleys, so fruitful? O unfaithful daughter, you trust in your riches and say, ‘Who will attack me?’” (Jeremiah 49:4)

To Edom, he said,

“The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart have deceived you… I will bring you down.” (Jeremiah 49:16)

And of Kedar and Hazor, he said,

“Arise and attack a nation at ease, which lives in confidence,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 49:31)

Finally, you see a lack of mercy and compassion on the part of these nations.

Moab ridiculed Israel when it fell (Jeremiah 48:27).

When Assyria had taken the northern kingdom of Israel captive, Ammon callously took over the land that had been left abandoned (Jeremiah 49:1).

As for Edom, despite the fact that they were descendants of Esau and the Israelites were descendants of his brother Jacob, Edom “stood aloof” when Israel was attacked and rejoiced over its destruction (Obadiah 12–13).

Idolatry. Pride. A lack of mercy and compassion. Do these things reign in your life?

You may not worship Buddha or other “gods,” but how about money? How about possessions? Whatever is most important in your life is your god.

What about pride? Who do you put your trust in? Yourself? Or God?

C.S. Lewis called pride “the great sin.” Because it is pride more than any other sin that separates us from God.

It is pride that causes us to think that we don’t need him. It is pride that causes us to walk away from him.

A lack of mercy and compassion.

This is what Jesus criticized the Pharisees and teachers of the law for. “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” he said.

But though they claimed to love God, they certainly didn’t care about people.

How about you? Do you actually care about the people around you? Or do you not give a rip, thinking only of yourself?