David Bahn – Reflections

Numbers 25:6-9

Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand 8 and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear into both of them, right through the Israelite man and into the woman’s stomach. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; 9 but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.

The final days of Israel’s wilderness wanderings are marked by a sad refrain of complaint, rebellious sin, and strong judgment. They moved from place to place, prevented from entering the Promised Land, and having experienced testing and triumph. Whether it was water from a rock, or the infestation of fiery serpents, God was constantly shaping them by means of favor or punishment.

The stakes were high, and the judgments were severe. On one occasion 3000 people died, on another people were put to death by the swords of the priests. On this occasion (above) 24,000 people died. I shake my head as this saga of sin and judgment, repentance and grace. On this occasion, however, the true level of sin and rebellion becomes clear: the action of the Israelite man is so open and defiant that action must be taken. Phinehas exacts ruthless, immediate, and the ultimate judgment against this flagrant sin.

I am tempted to gloss over these extreme examples of immediate retribution on God’s part. They are so far from our current experience and challenge our more refined sensibilities. In fact, we are inclined to consider these incidents as wrong on God’s part. We recoil at the idea that God could be so severe in his judgment and extreme in his punishment. The Israelites may have been wrong in their actions, but not so wrong that God should kill them.

To be sure those were different times. The world was a far more severe place. The stakes were much higher. But more importantly, we must understand the grave danger of sin and rebellion against God and his ways. This might well be a time for us to gulp in recognition that disobedience, and grumbling, defiance and sin bring grave consequences. While we know that Jesus has taken on our punishment in his death on the cross, his bitter and brutal suffering ought not be lost on us. The honest recognition of our own rebellion and need for God’s mercy and forgiveness would serve us well. For, “these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12)