14 Jan Sin is complicated

Numbers 25:1-18

 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. And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang[a] them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.” And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand 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.

And the Lord said to Moses, “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.’” The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father’s house belonging to the Simeonites. And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the tribal head of a father’s house in Midian. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Harass the Midianites and strike them down, for they have harassed you with their wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor.”

Discussion questions:

1. What struck you the most from the sermon?
2. Idolatry can be described as giving something or someone the place of God in your life (making them the object or subject of your allegiance, devotion, desires, worship, trust, loves, hopes), or trying to get from something or someone what you can only ultimately get from God (security, significance, joy, meaning and purpose in life). How is Numbers 25.6 an example of idolatry? Consider Numbers 25.14-15.
3. ‘There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.’ (David Foster Wallace) What have you yoked or joined yourself to in worship?
4. How might seeing ourselves as part of a body, not just a body part (see 1 Corinthians 12) help us not to sin?
5. How is Jesus different from Phinehas? Why is Jesus ultimately who we need, rather than only more people who are zealous like Phinehas?