SERIES F --- WILDERNESS WANDERINGS --- LESSON 04

ISRAEL SINS

ZIMRI AND COZBI

From Numbers 25

While the people of Israel were camped at Acacia, some their men became involved with the women of Moab. These women invited the men to the sacrifices of their gods. Not only did the men attend the feasts, but they even bowed down to the idols that were honoured at those feasts. This practice spread rapidly among the Israelites until a great many of them were worshiping Baal of Peor, the god of Moab. Adonai became very angry and gave this order to Moses: take all the tribal leaders and hang them in broad daylight for everyone to see, He Commanded. Then My fierce anger will turn from the people. Moses relayed Adonai’s Command to the judges of Israel, ordering them to execute all who had worshiped Baal of Peor. While Moses and many other Israelites were weeping at the doorway to the tabernacle, one Israelite man boldly brought a Midianite woman to his tent, passing by where all could see him. When Phinehas, Eleazar’s son and Aaron’s grandson saw this, he arose and went after the man with a spear in his hand. He followed him into his tent and pierced him and the woman with the spear. Then the plague which YHVH had sent ceased, but not before twenty-four thousand people had died. Then Adonai told Moses, Phinehas has turned My wrath away from the people, for he was concerned about My anger. Therefore, I have stopped My destruction. Because Phinehas did something about this evil and atoned for the people of Israel, I make My Covenant of peace with him. It shall remain with him and his descendants and be a Covenant making him and his descendants, priests forever. The name of the slain man was Zimri the son of Salu, one of the leaders of the tribe of Simeon. The name of the woman was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, a Midianite leader. Then Adonai Commanded Moses: smite the Midianites, for they have led you astray, causing your people to worship Baal of Peor. And they lead you astray with people like Cozbi, who was killed when the plague came because of Baal of Peor.

COMMENTARY

LIFE THEY LEFT BEHIND: THE YHVHS OF ANCIENT EGYPT

The number of gods the ancient Egyptians worshiped is hard to believe. One of their religious books, called The Book of the Dead, mentions four hundred and eighty. As years passed, new gods appeared and were added to the number or were combined with already existing gods. The Egyptians did not hesitate to take gods from other religions either and mould them to fit their own. Ancient Egyptians thought their gods had the same needs and desires as human beings. Some of them were represented as people, as was the sun god Amon-Ra. They were like humans in some ways, but they had much more power. Ptah, usually shown as a person, was thought to have created the world and all its parts by speaking the name of each thing! Very often the gods were pictured as animals or combinations of animals. One goddess had the body of a lion and a horse, the head of a hawk; and a tail that ended in a flower. Certain gods were believed to live inside animals. The ibis; a long-legged wading bird with a downward-curved bill; was thought sacred because Thoth, the god of wisdom, had the head of an ibis. Another god, called Sobek, had the head of a crocodile and was worshiped in places built near water. A city named Crocodilopolis {CROK-a-dil-AH-po-lis} not only had {crocodile} in its name, but also kept crocodiles in special pools and adorned them with jewellery. The Egyptians worshiped nature spirits, too. The spirit present in mists, darkness and storms was called Apep and was pictured as an evil serpent. Anpu, a dog-headed ape, was the spirit in the dawn, time and mathematics. Other deities were involved with life after death in the next world. A few examples are Khym, the ram-headed god and Kheper, a beetle that stood for the resurrection of the body.