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| 1 And Israel abode in Shittim; and the people began to commit fornication with the daughters of Moab. |
Whoredom – Guided by Balaam, Balak had Midianite women seduce Israelites so they would be cursed by God's Law. R5323:3
Spiritual fornication is any illicit fellowship with the world by those betrothed to Christ; friendship in spirit with those who have not the Lord's spirit. R2300:1
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| 2 And they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods; and the people ate, and bowed down to their gods. |
Sacrifices of their gods – "Balaam taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication." (Rev. 2:14) R5323:3
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| 3 And Israel joined himself to Baal-Peor; and the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel. |
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| 4 And Jehovah said to Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up to Jehovah before the sun, that the fierce anger of Jehovah may be turned away from Israel. |
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| 5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, Slay every one his men that have joined themselves to Baal-Peor. |
Slay – The death of thousands of Israelites on such occasions was the whole penalty for their sin. They did not drop into a hell of torment. R5323:4
God also punished the Midianites and Balaam. (Num. 31:2, 8) R5323:5
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| 6 And behold, a man of the children of Israel came and brought a Midianitish woman to his brethren, in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of the whole assembly of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the entrance of the tent of meeting. |
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| 7 And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, and rose up from among the assembly, and took a javelin in his hand, |
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| 8 and he went after the man of Israel into the tent-chamber, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. And the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. |
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| 9 And those that died in the plague were twenty-four thousand. |
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| 10 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, |
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| 11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. |
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| 12 Therefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace! |
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| 13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel. |
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| 14 And the name of the man of Israel that was slain, who was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, the prince of a father's house of the Simeonites. |
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| 15 And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was tribal head of a father's house in Midian. |
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| 16 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, |
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| 17 Harass the Midianites, and smite them, |
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| 18 for they have harassed you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague because of the matter of Peor. |
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