Meanwhile, Back at the Camp [Numbers 25]

1While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab.

 2For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

 3So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the LORD was angry against Israel.


 

If I was directing a movie on the book of Numbers, most of my shooting before Numbers 22 would have been in the Israelite camp down in the desert wilderness where the people wandered according to God's direction. The main players would have been Moses, Aaron and Marion with regular interruptions by the grumbling masses of Israelites followed each time by God's holy response to the grumbling. There would have been some close up shots on the Levites and their new designation as caretakers of the tabernacle and a short appearance of Korah and others before the were violently swallowed up by the earth. I am sure I would have spent some time with close up shots of the sticks each of the leaders brought to the tabernacle and amazing shots of Aaron's rod that sprouted leaves and bore blossoms and almonds.


Then, beginning with chapter 22, I would have found a good spot on Mt. Peor and used a zoom to capture the orderly arrangement of the camp and the people in their every day routines, like the gathering of manna, the sacrifices at the tabernacle and of course, the curious cloud that stood conspicuously over the tabernacle structure.


For chapters 22-24, I think I would have totally changed my focus from within the camp to some some close up views of King Balak of Moab way up on Mt. Peor and his words and actions and those of Balaam. Therefore, at this point in my movie, the camp of Israel would shrink into the background and be seen through the eyes of an outsider looking down at them.


Now, with chapter 25, my camera people would trek down Mt. Peor and be placed back in the Israelite camp with some glimpses of "chance" encounters of some of the men with some beautiful Moabite women. There would be close ups these gorgeous women using their feminine ways to entice the unsuspecting men into the Moabite camp to feast and worship Baal of Peor. Baal of Peor was one of many cult gods of the pagan people inhabiting the promised land and the surrounding areas. Of course, we would also include some shots of the gleeful Balak who orchestrated the "chance" meetings at the urging of Balaam in the previous chapter. Perhaps we will even include a flashback of a secret meeting between Balak and Balaam in which Balaam introduced this way of deceiving the Israelites into breaking their law.


The movie would then follow a particularly foolish fellow, Zimri, who not only got involved with a Moabitess, Cozbi, but brought her into the Israel camp and into his tent. Now we would see a plague break out and people crying out in pain and the unfaithful man's family weeping at the tent of meeting. This scene would close with a courageous Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand,8and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through the body. So the plague on the sons of Israel was checked.9Those who died by the plague were 24,000.


In the final scene of this portion of the movie, Phinehas would be blessed by God and God would also issue a command to the Israelites.


16Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

 17"Be hostile to the Midianites and strike them;

 18for they have been hostile to you with their tricks, with which they have deceived you in the affair of Peor and in the affair of Cozbi, the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister who was slain on the day of the plague because of Peor."


 

God, Your saga through Numbers is amazingly full of the dynamic between living Your way and living according to flesh including the insidious outside influence by enemies of your people. It is a drama that still goes on today in our lives but we have a better Tabernacle and a better sacrifice in Jesus and all that we need to live well in the face of fleshly temptations. Cause us to choose Your way today, by Your awesome grace!!

Beth Warlick, 8/3/2010