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Exodus 20:5
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy Godam a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourthgeneration of them that hate me;

Exodus 23:24
Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.

Joshua 23:7,16
That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swearby them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them: …

the men began to indulge in sexual immorality
The phrase indicates a moral and spiritual decline among the Israelites. The Hebrew term used here suggests not just a physical act but a turning away from covenant faithfulness to God. This immorality was not merely a personal failing but a communal sin that threatened the holiness and distinctiveness of the Israelite community. The act of indulging in sexual immorality is often linked in Scripture to idolatry, as seen in other passages likeExodus 32 with the golden calf incident. This behavior reflects a broader pattern of rebellion and disobedience that plagued Israel throughout their wilderness journey.

with the daughters of Moab
The Moabites were descendants of Lot, Abraham's nephew, and had a complicated relationship with Israel. The interaction with the Moabite women was not just a matter of personal relationships but had significant religious implications. The Moabites worshiped the god Chemosh, and their religious practices often included ritual prostitution and other forms of sexual immorality. By engaging with the Moabite women, the Israelite men were not only breaking God's commandments regarding sexual purity but were also at risk of being drawn into idolatry. This incident foreshadows later events where Israel's alliances with foreign nations lead to spiritual compromise, as seen in the accounts of Solomon and the divided kingdom. The narrative serves as a warning against the dangers of syncretism and the importance of maintaining covenant faithfulness to God.

Shittim was Israel’s final campsite east of the Jordan before entering the Promised Land (Joshua 3:1). This location matters:

• It signals how close the nation was to fulfillment—yet how vulnerable it still was to failure (Deuteronomy 1:26-32).

• Past victories (Numbers 21:21-35) had not removed the need for vigilance. Temptation often strikes hardest on the threshold of blessing.

• The people had already heard Balaam bless them (Numbers 24:9-10), so any lapse now would be unmistakably disobedient.

The verse marks a conscious choice, not a momentary slip:

• “Began” hints at a progressive surrender of will, echoing how Eve “saw that the tree was good…and took” (Genesis 3:6).

• Scripture warns believers to “make no provision for the flesh” (Romans 13:14). Israel did the opposite—opening the door to sin rather than fleeing it (2 Timothy 2:22).

This was not merely private misconduct; it struck at the covenant itself:

• God had clearly forbidden such unions (Exodus 34:15-16).

•1 Corinthians 10:8 looks back: “We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.” Paul cites the episode to warn the church about the seriousness of sexual sin.

• Sexual immorality in Scripture often pairs with idolatry (Revelation 2:14). The body becomes an altar to a false god (Romans 1:24-25).

The Moabite women were instruments of a larger scheme (Numbers 31:16):

• Their invitation was strategic—“Come, sacrifice to our gods” (v. 2). Sin rarely advertises its full price upfront.

•Deuteronomy 23:3-4 records the long-term fallout: Moabites were barred from Israel’s assembly “because they hired Balaam…and did not meet you with bread and water.”

• Marrying foreign women later threatened Israel again under Ezra (Ezra 9-10) and Nehemiah (Nehemiah 13:23-27), proving how persistent this temptation would be.

Numbers 25:1 shows Israel, camped at Shittim on the edge of promise, knowingly stepping into sexual immorality with Moabite women. The verse warns that proximity to blessing does not shield us from temptation; deliberate indulgence in sin undermines covenant faithfulness; and moral compromise often begins with small, seemingly harmless invitations that carry idolatrous consequences.

(1)Abode in Shittim--i.e.,Abel-Shittim(Numbers 33:49). (See Note onNumbers 22:1.)