God’s Priorities

Numbers 25; Psalm 68; Isaiah 15; 1 Peter 3

When our grandkids were much younger, they came to visit and we took them to church. On the way home, the boy asked why God killed so many people in the OT. We didn’t answer him right away but he was thinking. He said, “I think I know. It was because these people were so evil.” He understood the holiness of God and His hatred of sin.

Today’s reading in Numbers emphasizes how that hatred of sin particularly applies to His own people. He rescued them from bondage in Egypt and promised them a land. Included in that covenant was His expectation that because they were His people, they would live holy lives. Balaam even said the Israelites were to be “a people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations” (23:9). However, they soon began grumbling about everything, including God’s provisions for them. Other kinds of rebellion soon followed.

While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. (Numbers 25:1–3)

The Bible describes this incident in several other places including how angry God became and their unbelief and complaining. He sent into their midst a deadly plague:

Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise. They murmured in their tents and did not obey the voice of the LORD. Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them that he would make them fall in the wilderness, and would make their offspring fall among the nations, scattering them among the lands. Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead; they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them. Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stayed. (Psalm 106:24–30)

Phinehas acted against the evil that was happening and “went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.” (Numbers 25:8–9)

The behavior of God’s people is more important and powerful than we think. In the NT Peter writes to wives and husbands. To the wives of disobedient men, God says: “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives when they see your respectful and pure conduct.” (1 Peter 3:1–2)

To the husbands He says: “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7)

Godliness is important to winning others and to having prayer answered. God is not merely ‘wielding a big stick’ when He commands holiness. It honors Him but is also good for us. The people of the OT rejected Him when they slept with pagan women and worshiped their idol. The people of the NT rejected Him when the women defied the leadership of their husbands, and the husbands refused to understand or honor them. There are countless other examples.

In the OT, lack of faith and disobedience resulted in God’s wrath and a plague. In the NT lack of faith and disobedience resulted in conflict in marriage, distance between couples and unanswered prayer. What about today? The Bible says:

“Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed . . . .” (1 Peter 3:10–14)

APPLY: Some are saying that this pandemic is God’s response to ungodliness in His people, that He is telling us to wake up and stop our worship of ‘the good life’ and other worldly things and ambitions. Since God is the same yesterday, today and forever and seems to work in patterns, I should not be shocked at that assessment. Instead I must pay close attention to my own life: no complaining, no unbelief, no immoral behavior, no disobedience of any kind. I know that I live by God’s grace and do not earn His favor, yet at the same time ungodliness in me will turn His attention from saving sinners to getting me on the right track. Lack of cooperation is extremely unwise.