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0 The Israelites commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab (Num 25)

Episode 66: The Israelites commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab

(Numbers 25)

25 1 While the Israelites were living in Shittim, they began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. 3 And God was angry with them.

God and Moses respond

4 God said to Moses,

Take all the heads of the people and hang them up in front of me, so I won't be mad at the Israelites anymore.

5 Moses said to the judges of Israel,

Kill all the men who committed whoredom with Baalpeor.

Phinehas stops God's plague

6-8 When Aaron's grandson, Phinehas, saw an Israelite man and a Midianite woman having sex, he took his javelin and thrust it through man and the woman through her belly. And that stopped the plague. 9 But not before 24,000 Israelites had died.

10 God said to Moses,

11 Phinehas had made me stop being angry with the Israelites. He was zealous for my sake, so I stopped killing them in my jealousy.

12 So I am giving him my covenant of peace.

13 Phinehas and his seed shall have the covenant of the everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for me and made an atonement for Israel.

14 The name of the Israelite man that was killed by Phinehas was Zimri, and the Midianite woman's name was Cozbi.

Smite the Midianites

16 God said to Moses,

17 Vex the Midianites and smite them.

18 Because they have vexed you in the matter of Cozbi, the Midianite woman.

A few more words about this episode

Phinehas took his javelin and thrust it through man and the woman through her belly. And that stopped the plague (v.6-8)
How many did God kill for committing whoredom with the daughters of Moab?

DWB: Phinehas's double murder - A killing to end God's killing

I give unto him my covenant of peace (v.12)
For impaling the interracial couple, God rewards Phinehas with his "covenant of peace" (God's version of the Nobel Peace Prize) and his sons with the everlasting priesthood.
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