While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The nation has made it almost to the Promised Land, and now compromise begins. It starts with relationships. The men marry Moabite women. They're invited to worship at Moabite temples. They begin to assimilate. The boundary between Israel and the surrounding culture gets fuzzy. This is where Phinehas steps in. He sees one of the Israelite leaders brazenly bringing a Moabite woman into the camp and he acts. His action stops the plague that's breaking out. His zealousness saves the nation. I think about how boundaries gradually erode. You don't wake up having abandoned your values. You wake up and realize they've been compromised so gradually you didn't notice. The first time you said yes to something slightly off, you rationalized it. The second time was easier. By the hundredth time, the boundary doesn't exist anymore. Sometimes we need someone to draw a firm line. Not in judgment, but in protection. Sometimes clear boundaries are what save us.
No comments yet. Be the first.