Cooled Anger

Numbers 25-27
 
Numbers 25:1-3 While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, 2 who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. 3 So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor. And the LORD’s anger burned against them.

IN contrast to the pagan priest, Balaam, who was faithful to God’s Word, some of God’s own people submitted to sinful desires.
    Sin – it’s easy to do, isn’t it? Believe in the treasure of worldly things, and they replace God as your first pleasure. Just ask Adam and Eve. Physical desire rejected the LORD’s commands: When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.” (Genesis 3:6a)
    When God commands, Satan tempts. Submission to temptation became Israel’s greatest enemy once they left Egypt. Fleshly desires made them vulnerable targets. Sadly, this is a very real and deadly temptation to Jesus’ church today. Many pastors and church leaders have yielded. We must pray continually for the Spirit’s protection to “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:13)
    Then note God’s response. He does not console them to say, “That’s okay. I’m sure you’ll do better next time. I love you, no matter who you are.” No. Instead, his anger burned.
    Because of his promise to Noah he would never again destroy the world by water and his promise to Abraham a great nation of blessing would come from him, the LORD God essential had only one option.
Following his own law, the Holy God condemned the guilty, removed the sin and saved the repentant.
    He’s had to do the same for us. To save you from condemnation, the Father removed your sin to place it on his holy Son. In the crucifixion, God’s anger was cooled. His judgment satisfied. For those who confess and believe on Jesus, “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man.” (Romans 8:1-3)
    Confess Christ, and your sin is condemned. Do you see how deadly sin is? God condemned his Son, so you wouldn’t be.
 
Realize how precious you are to your heavenly Father.