Grace in God's Promise

Read Numbers 25, 31
 
Numbers 25:1-3 While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. 2 These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. 3 In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the Lord’s anger to blaze against his people.
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Numbers 31:1-2 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “On behalf of the people of Israel, take revenge on the Midianites for leading them into idolatry.”
 
SIN is easy to do, isn’t it? Believe in worldly treasures, and they replace God as your first pleasure. Israel’s armies had defeated armed foes. But then Israel’s men surrendered to the Moabite and Midianite women who led them to idolatry.
   The desert was dry. God gave water. Israel was hungry. God fed them daily. Israel was lost. God led them. Israel needed help. God empowered them. Sin tempted Israel. God told them how to be holy. Temptation became Moab’s deadly weapon.  
   The LORD’s just response describes his anger burned. Obeying his own law, the Holy God condemned the guilty. Do you think God was unfair to give his people no opportunity to repent? We have seen this several times throughout the journey. When sin corrupted the camp, the LORD immediately judged and removed the sinners.
   You might wonder, “Where is God’s forgiveness, his grace, his love?” in truth, you can find God’s love in his covenant with Israel. As you read through the Bible, keep in mind how God weaves his story into a picture displaying his glory. To know God’s grace, remember his promise in Exodus 19:4 “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. 6 And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.” God’s character – grace, justice, love, etc. – are in his promises. In love, God created Israel. He set them apart as his unique nation on earth. By grace they were saved to be blessed in every aspect of life. God had prepared a new Eden to give to them. He promised blessing for obedience and curses for disobedience. His Word is sure. But just as Adam and Eve, Israel refused to accept their God. God judged the sinners to save the nation.
   There are some very difficult judgments in Numbers 31. But this terror began five centuries before this event. Genesis 19:37 records Moab came Lot’s daughter’s perversion to have a son by her father. Genesis 25:2 records the Midianites were form Abraham’s concubine’s fourth son, Midian. Then Exodus 2-3 tells us Moses lived 40 years in the desert among the Midianites. His wife Zipporah was the daughter of a Midianite priest! Was Moses exposed to the same idolatry Israel faced? Was God’s judgment to completely erase the threat of future Midian influence?
   Perhaps God’s judgment illustrates the final judgment. Be extremely thankful “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)