50. Balaam schemed to harm Jacob and opposed God—what consequences would there be?

“What I have seen has not yet happened; what I have witnessed concerns the future. A star will be exalted from the house of Jacob, and a king will rise from Israel. He will smash Moab’s forehead and shatter the heads of the Shethites. “[ Min 24:17 ]

At the summit, the wind howled and the sky was clear. The prophet Balaam and King Balak of Moab stood side by side, and the Israelite camp at the foot of the mountain was fully visible. The camps crisscrossed like chess pieces embedded in an oasis below, echoing and concealing each other.

Balaam slowly said to Balaam, “This people are chosen and blessed by God, and you have heard with your own ears how God blessed them three times. You may be able to slow their rise, but you absolutely cannot change their ultimate fate. Their fate was entirely in the hands of the gods. ”

Bale replied bitterly, “Although I cannot change their ultimate fate, how could I stand by and do nothing?” Please tell me how to delay their offensive. ”

Balaam said, “When I came here, I saw the terrain and thought about how they took a detour and attacked from the lower ground, actually capturing the lofty Amorite giant. I knew this was absolutely against military strategy.” The only reason they can win is that God is helping them. If God wants to help them, who can stand against them? So the only way to defeat them is to make them enemies of God. ”

Baler’s eyes lit up as he turned to Balaan: “You truly are a wise man.” Please teach me how to make them enemies of God. ”

Balaam pondered for a long time, then sighed softly and said, “Being chosen by God is wonderful like a farmer sowing seeds; being pleasing to God is as difficult as rowing against the current; opposing God is as easy as drifting with the current.” The God of Israel was as evil as an enemy, yet utterly holy.

If you sow discord between Israel and God, you must choose young and beautiful women, bring them out to their camp, invite them into your temple, watch your sacrifices, let them eat offerings, kneel before your gods, and finally let them watch these women have sex and pleasure with your priests. They will surely lose control, their blood surging, and they will compete to have relations with them.

At that time, the God of Israel will surely be angry, and you will not need a single soldier to watch the situation unfold. After hearing this, Bale clapped his hands and laughed heartily: “You truly deserve to be called a prophet and wise elder.” No one in the world could come up with such a brilliant plan.

I immediately followed the plan. Someone, bring the best gold and silver from my palace to Balan. After the matter is settled, allow me to thank you generously. ”

A few days later, young Moabite women dressed in flamboyant fashion appeared outside the Israeli camp. They waved and smiled at the young soldiers inside the camp. Some bold men came out in groups, curiously following them away. When they returned late at night, although they staggered along, they all smiled silently, as if drunk. The next morning, even more men went out and stayed out all night.

Within days, the entire Israeli camp boiled like a steamer, with soldiers flying like splashes day and night, eagerly running out of the camp. By the time Moses learned the truth, the situation had already escalated. At this point, a terrible plague began to spread throughout the camp. Men who had slept with Moabite women developed red patches all over their bodies, itching unbearably. Because of the heat, they scratched and were left with ulcers and foul-smelling odors, struggling in agony and dying one after another.

Seeing how quickly things were deteriorating, Moses was furious. Knowing that God’s judgment had come, he urgently summoned the leaders of all the camps to the entrance of the tent of meeting to discuss countermeasures, saying: “Israel has worshipped false gods, gathered with foreign women to commit sexual misconduct, committed a great sin, and provoked God’s wrath. God wants us to arrest all the leaders and execute them publicly to appease God’s anger.” ”

One of the chiefs said, “Among the Moabite prostitutes, someone reported that this was a scheme orchestrated by the king of Moab by the Euphrates by the prophet Balaam, with the aim of destroying our generation for our sins by God, forbidding us from entering Canaan just like the previous generation.” Now that the plague has begun, what should we do! ”

Everyone listened and deeply regretted it—some wept, some sighed, and some lamented. It was already noon. Amid the crying, a young Israeli man came in from outside the camp, pulling a half-naked Moabite woman. They said nothing, their eyes vacant, cheeks flushed, and they crossed into a congregation as if no one else was around, walking straight into a tent. Soon, a woman’s moans came from inside the tent. Someone pointed at the tent and said, “Isn’t that man the chief of Simeon, son of Salu? Is he not quick-witted?” ”

When Phinehath, son of the high priest Eleazar heard this, he didn’t say a word, stood up, took up his spear, and rushed straight for the tent. He kicked open the tent entrance and saw Xinli lying on top of the Moabite woman.

Feniha glared angrily, raised her spear with both hands, and thrust it down heavily. The screams of the man and woman rang out almost simultaneously. The spear pierced Xinli’s hind kidney, then pierced the woman’s abdomen, driving it firmly into the ground.

After a few spasms, the man and woman became two corpses, blood gushing out and seeping into the soil. Phinehas turned and went out to the leaders at the entrance of the Tabernacle. God said to Moses, “Phinehath, son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest, has put away my anger against Israel.” Because in the congregation he hates unfaithfulness as much as I do, I did not destroy everyone in my fury. You

Tell him that I will give him a covenant of peace, so that he and his descendants may be priests forever by this covenant, because he has removed the unfaithful for me and atoned for the sins of Israel. Moses stood up, pointed to Phinehas, and said to the assembly, “God approved of Phinehas’s righteous deed, for he has stopped the spread of the plague.” For as the son of a priest, Phinehas had already atoned for all the sinful Israelites who had sinned in the congregation. ”

The entire congregation of Israel bowed before the tabernacle of meeting, giving thanks for God’s forgiveness and forgiveness. Because without Phineha, many more people would have died for their own sins. By the time the plague ended, 24,000 Israelites had died, accounting for 4% of their total strength.