Chapter 8: The Seduction of Israel
Numbers 25
Q1 - What were the first two of God’s Ten Commandments? What does it mean that God is a jealous God? See Exodus 20:1–6.
A1 - The first of the Ten Commandments which God gave was to have no other gods before Him, and the second was to not create an idol to worship (see Exodus 20:1–6). Together, these two commandments cover other gods of any type, whether a spiritual being, a living person, or a physical object. God wanted His people to worship and follow only Him! So important was this precept that God presented it in two commands and placed them at the top of His list. His being a jealous God follows right along with these commands, meaning He shares the stage with no one.
Q2 - When was another time that the Israelites let their focus be diverted and worshipped a false god? What happened as a result? See Exodus 32.
A2 - Exodus 32 tells of the incident with the golden calf. Moses had gone up on Mount Sinai to receive God’s Law and stayed for forty days. During this time, the people grew impatient. They said they didn’t know what had become of Moses, and they essentially abandoned God. They told Aaron to make a god to go before them and gave him their gold jewelry. From this, Aaron created an idol for them and fashioned it in the shape of a calf.
When Moses came back down the mountain and saw what they had done, he threw down the two stone tablets on which God had inscribed the Ten Commandments, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain (Exodus 32:19). Moses instructed those who were for the Lord to come to him, and the Levites responded. He then had the Levites go throughout the camp and kill with their swords those who had sinned. As a result, about 3,000 people died that day (Exodus 32:26–28). Additionally, God struck the people with a plague because of what they had done (Exodus 32:35). It is unknown whether the people suffered some physical malady or if they died due to this plague.
Because the people had abandoned God, He told them to leave Mount Sinai and go on to the land He had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see Exodus 33). But, He told them, He would not go with them. He would send an angel to drive out the residents of Canaan. The people mourned when they heard that God would not be with going with them. Moses was able to intercede on their behalf, and God then agreed to accompany them.
Q3 - The sins that the Israelites committed in Numbers 25 remind us that we often cause the greatest harm to ourselves. What did Jesus have to say about this in Matthew 15:1–20? (A parallel account is given in Mark 7:1–23.)
A3 - In His teachings, Jesus told the people that whatever they eat does not make them unclean. This offended the Pharisees who did not eat certain things according to teachings in the Old Law. Jesus explained that whatever they put into their mouths would eventually be eliminated by the body. Rather, it was what came out of their mouths that made them unclean. That’s because whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart. Out of the heart comes evil thoughts that lead to sin, such as murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander, and the like.