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Q3. Balaam and Phinheas


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Though Balaam wouldn't prophesy evil against Israel, he was willing to counsel the Moabites how to hurt Israel. Balaam's counsel led Israel into sin by enticing the Israelites to eat food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.

Aaron's grandson Phinheas was so honored for his action because he zeallously honoured the Lord by fighting immorality.

His reward was a covenant of a lasting priesthood.

We are so often zealous to defend the rights of God's enemies and so slow to defend God's honor because of our little faith, disobedience and arrogance.

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Q3. (Numbers 25; Revelation 2:14) Though Balaam wouldn't prophesy evil against Israel, he was willing to counsel the Moabites how to hurt Israel. How did Balaam's counsel lead Israel into sin?

After God made it clear to Balaam that Israel was blessed, and no one is to curse Israel, or they will be cursed, Balaam thought he could get around this by telling Balak to send in the prettiest girls among them, to entice the men of Israel to commit the sin of immorality and idolatry, he went against God

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Q3. (Numbers 25; Revelation 2:14)

Though Balaam wouldn't prophesy evil against Israel, he was willing to counsel the Moabites how to hurt Israel.

How did Balaam's counsel lead Israel into sin?

Balaam advised Balak how the Israelites would hurt themselves by sinning:

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Q3. (Numbers 25; Revelation 2:14) Though Balaam wouldn't prophesy evil against Israel, he was willing to counsel the Moabites how to hurt Israel. How did Balaam's counsel lead Israel into sin?

They seduced the Israelites into harlotry with the daughters of Moab....created an emotional and physical attachment to them which further lured them into attending their sacrifices to Moab's gods, eating their sacrificed meat and bowing down to the idols, joining themselves to Baal of Peor and were led away from devotion to God.

Why was Aaron's grandson Phinehas so honored for his action?

He rose up from the congregation and ran his spear through the sexually engaged couple because he was jealous/zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites by executing judgment. (ps 106:31)

What was his reward?

God's covenant of Peace. Phinehas and his descendants after him were granted the covenant of an everlasting priesthood.

Why are we so often zealous to defend the rights of God's enemies and so slow to defend God's honor?

Satan's weapon of "political correctness" has stopped many in their tracks, so that it's become "sin" to call sin, SIN. Mustn't offend anyone, for goodness sake. In olden times, "Onward Christian Soldiers, marching into war", was the hymn of battling God's enemies. Now we've adopted the "ministry of acceptance" and anything goes, even in the church. We've been neutralized, sanitized, and are impotent and indifferent to defending God's honor.

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Q3. (Numbers 25; Revelation 2:14) Though Balaam wouldn’t prophesy evil against Israel, he was willing to counsel the Moabites how to hurt Israel. How did Balaam’s counsel lead Israel into sin?

He must have advised the Moabites to send in hookers to tempt the Israelite men firstly with the sins of the flesh then, when they had them ensnared, the sin of participating in pagan worship.

Why was Aaron’s grandson Phinheas so honored for his action?

That sort of adultery was punishable by death. No one seemed keen to carry that sentence out when they saw it happen right in front of them except Phinheas who wasted no time at all but speared them in the very act.

What was his reward?

Phinheas' descendants would be guaranteed the priesthood for all time.

Why are we so often zealous to defend the rights of God’s enemies and so slow to defend God’s honor?

Defending the rights of others has become a popular cause these days. We find citizens of one country actually defending the rights of the enemies of their own country! In these days of Jihad our enemies are also God's enemies!

The sort of religious zeal that Phinheas displayed would be frowned upon today. Religious zealots are regarded as lunatics, thanks to the Muslims who are most deserving of that description. They use religious zeal to give them an excuse to kill innocent people who in many cases are simply walking down the street or riding in a bus, justifying the killing by saying they're all Allah's enemies. It's not fashionable to be zealous for God. Those that are come under intense criticism and ridicule. I think also that there is a prevailing belief that God is above noticing people who besmirch His honor. These days people figure God can look after Himself without any help from us. The idea of speaking out against people who dishonor God has been tempered by the freedom of speech . . . "It's that person's right to say that because we have freedom of speech." If a Christian denounces a person for dishonoring God, the Christian is actually in the wrong legally in some cases.

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Balaam counseled the Moabite women on how to turn the Israelites away from the Lord. We find in Numbers 31:15-16 Moses questioning the officers of the army after their victory over the Midianites, if they had "Allowed all the women to live?" because, "They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the Lord in what happened at Peor, so a plague struck the Lord's people."

Balaam counseled the women that sexual immorality would turn the men away from the Lord.

Balaam's counsel led into sin in many ways. First, sexual immorality is a break from God's law and the purity He desired for His people. Second, the immoral sexual practices involved religious fertility rites in honor of a Moabite god. So, they were worshiping false gods in the practice as well as practicing immoral behavior. To top it off, even though the people were warned of such practices, an Israelite man, in full view of Moses and the whole assembly, while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting, deliberately brought a Midianite woman into his tent! It was "in your face" rebellion!

Aaron's grandson Phinehas was honored for his actions because, "Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my (God's) anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them..."

His reward was a "Covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will also have a covenant of a lasting priesthood..."

Today everything is about our "rights". The right, unfortunately, to do anything anyone pleases, and if any one person doesn't go along with that mentality, we become targets of disdain, anger, rejection....anything to make us disappear so the truth is hidden and postmodern thinking can have reign. It's about individuals thinking whatever they want to, and making those thoughts into their own little individual truths. They don't want God's truth....because that convicts of sin and they don't want anybody to ruin the party or rain on the parade or burst their own bubbles. They don't want any conviction on anything and get stubborn in showing they CAN do anything they want. Open rebellion.

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Though Balaam wouldn't prophesy evil against Israel, he was willing to counsel the Moabites how to hurt Israel. How did Balaam's counsel lead Israel into sin?

Entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.

Numbers 25:1 As the Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.

They placed their desires first; they worshipped other gods through sacrifices; they ate what they wanted to eat; they did not worship the Lord God alone and they were disobedient. Numbers 25:2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.

Why was Aaron's grandson Phinheas so honored for his action?

He was watchful, being so the course of action he took stopped the plague which had killed 24,000.

What was his reward?

Because the Lord acknowledged that because of Phinehas' actions He turned His wrath away from the children of Israel; that Phinehas was zealous for the Lords sake among the children of Israel. The Lord God is jealous God, the children of Israel had placed things, gods and people above God. he says in Numbers 25:11 because of Phinehas' actions that He, "consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy."

Why are we so often zealous to defend the rights of God's enemies and so slow to defend God's honor?

That's a difficult question, perhaps I'm not understanding it. I can't think of a time where it is transparent that servants of God are zealous to defend the rights of God's enemies. Perhaps I'm naive, but I've not seen this. What I have seen in our country is the belief that there is a blanket freedom, where it is almost implied that being in America that you can do almost anything. I don't see where anyone was zealous to defend the ongoing practices while the Israel abode in Shittim , in essences people minding their own business and in a sense being disrespectful to elders. It is not recorded that Moses said anything when the man brought a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel. They were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. Phinehas saw this and did something. Perhaps Moses was in the midst of a spiritual process and did not want to stop, to rebuke or stop the man. Whatever the reason, I still do not see where a servant of God is zealous to defend the right's of God enemy here nor can I recall elsewhere.

The second part of the question I have seen whereby the people of God are slow to defend His honor. I think this is in part because of fear. Fearful of bother someone / intruding, fearful of what others might say or do, fearful of what others may think. The list can go on and on, so many just mind what they say is their own business and neglect the Fathers business. Then there are those who are of the other extreme and they rebuke unlike the Lord would do, therefore the effect is not pleasing to the Lord as well.

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Q3. (Numbers 25; Revelation 2:14) Though Balaam wouldn't prophesy evil against Israel, he was willing to counsel the Moabites how to hurt Israel. How did Balaam's counsel lead Israel into sin? Why was Aaron's grandson Phinheas so honoured for his action? What was his reward? Why we are so often zealous to defend the rights of God's enemies and so slow to defend God's honour?

When God would not permit Balaam to curse Israel, Balaam counselled Balak, the king of Moab, to send out dancing girls where the Israelite warriors could see them and thus be encouraged to engage in immoral practices. While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor. And the LORD

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Why are we so often zealous to defend the rights of Gods enemies?

Initially I did not get this part of the question, and I stated so. As I was mopping the floor this morning this came to me in regards to Balaam. I associated the question with Balaam and his motives. I'm not sure all of the motives as to why he chose to do what he did, but it can be summed as self centered. Balaam and others from his time to present are zealous to defend the right's of God's enemies because of self centered motives. It could be for profit financially, status and or promotion of self. The greatest travesty is when God divinely intervenes and they adhered to His guidance and yet pursue another means to accomplish the task of focus. Balaam did not pronounce a curse upon the people of Israel however he did through influence manage in aiding to their becoming polluted.

A bad analogy, a person says don't bring drugs to the party, most adhere to the request yet one person in an attempt to get someone to loosen up in a social gathering prior to the engagement in a small gathering introduce drugs to a few, they refuse the offer. The next attempt the person introduce them to alcohol they accept and they become addicted to it.

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Nowadays, our gov't doesn't respect or serve God & they view enemies of God as those who need to be defended--that they have rights too.

Balaam first lead Israel to sin by placing himself in the place where he and his position in God could be bought for $. He encouraged unpure behavior for Israel--was not a true representative of God.

Phineas was quick to stand up & defend God & take action--netting him a place in the Bible for all to read and a covenant of lasting priesthood.

It's easier to stand with the crowd & not go against the group. It takes courage to stand up for God.

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Answering to Q.3:Balaam 's counsel leaded the Israelites into sin by telling Balak to allow Israelites to eat the food sacrificed to idols and to let them having illicit affairs with the Moabite women.

Phinheas wae so honoured because he helped terminating and saving the lives of sinned Israelites (by piercing with lance the sinned-couple), after about 24,000 were killed.

He was rewarded by God that he and his descendants will gain the everlasting priesthood.

I think we now let the words "free will and human's right" play more important roles than they should be;for these things we can earthly sense more easier whilst God's statues and words from heavenly sources are graved in us spiritually and we need time, silence and awareness in order to realise and see them.

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Q3. (Numbers 25; Revelation 2:14) Though Balaam wouldn't prophesy evil against Israel, he was willing to counsel the Moabites how to hurt Israel. How did Balaam's counsel lead Israel into sin? Why was Aaron's grandson Phinheas so honored for his action? What was his reward? Why are we so often zealous to defend the rights of God's enemies and so slow to defend God's honor?

Answer:

1.Though Balaam wouldn't prophesy evil against Israel, he was willing to counsel the Moabites how to hurt Israel. How did Balaam's counsel lead Israel into sin?

Numbers 24:14- And now, I am about to go back to my own people. Come now, and I will advise you as to what this people will do to your people in the future.

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