Tag: All Sin Must Be Eradicated Out of our Lives - Numbers 29-32

Numbers 31:13-19

Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp. And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live? Behold, these, on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord. Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves. Encamp outside the camp seven days. Whoever of you has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day.

Tag:  All Sin Must Be Eradicated Out of Our Lives

In the above story we have a picture of how to handle every little sin in our lives.  In the story of the Midianites, the prophet Balaam decided to go against God and gave the kings of Midian a way to avoid being slaughtered by Israel.  He told them to have their women get close to the males in Israel and marry among them.   This would prevent Israel from destroying them.  The strategy worked.   However, not only did Israel not destroy them, they began to worship their gods ... just as the prophet Balaam did, as well.   

Before Moses was to die, God commanded him to make this tragedy right.  So, Moses ordered 12,000 warriors to destroy Midian.  They were successful, except in the above situation.  They destroyed the men of Midian, but not these women.   Yet, it was the women Midian used to deceive and allure the men of Israel.   The above story may seem harsh, but the act of getting sin out of our lives is war.   We have to be willing to do the harsh aspects of fighting off, even the alluring edges of sin.   We all have temptations in our lives that cause us to fall away from God.   We have to be willing to kill off all sin if we want to be holy for God.