Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
The verse forbids sexual immorality by recalling how Israel fell into licentiousness at the idolatrous feast of Baal-peor, and how twenty-three thousand fell under God's judgment in one day. That ruin was prepared through love of ease and pleasure and indulgence of appetite and corrupt passion, by which Satan overthrew a people who had shared great spiritual privileges under Christ's leading yet displeased God. What happened to them stands as an example written for admonition to those living at the ends of the world, proving that God punishes transgression and requires strict obedience to His commandments. Whoever thinks he stands must take heed lest he fall, refusing boastful self-confidence and watching and praying lest indulgence bring down God's wrath. Yet God is faithful and will not allow temptation beyond what can be borne but will make a way of escape, so believers must flee evil desire and idolatry, remain separate from the world, and imitate only righteousness.
Israel's Sin and Judgment
Neither commit fornication as some of them committed, for after a luxurious feast connected with the worship of Baal-peor many gave themselves to licentiousness and brought judgment on themselves. Love of ease and pleasure prepared the way for that licentiousness. Satan overthrew Israel through gratification of appetite, through indulgence of lustful appetite and corrupt passions, and indulgence of appetite led to grievous sins that provoked God's wrath.
The fall came although they shared great spiritual privileges, being under the cloud and passing through the sea and being baptized unto Moses and eating the same spiritual meat and drinking the same spiritual drink from the spiritual Rock that followed them, which was Christ, yet God was not well pleased with them and they were overthrown in the wilderness. God showed His displeasure in signal vengeance and judgment in which three and twenty thousand fell in one day. The event stands as a warning not to commit sexual sin and not to presume safety from falling.
In the one telling, the twenty-three thousand were slain by the sword at God's command through Moses. In the other telling, when His anger was aroused, at His command three and twenty thousand were slain by the plague in one day. The failure came just before entering Canaan, showing that Satan's snares can confront God's people at the threshold of their promised inheritance, and the same pattern of danger is being repeated. Nearly all who left Egypt died in the wilderness, over which Satan boasted that even the Son of God who was with Moses and Joshua could not resist his power and lead the favored people of choice to Canaan.
Fornication belongs with Israel's other evils and judgments: lusting after evil things and desiring evil, idolatry, tempting Christ, murmuring, rebellious discontent, ingratitude, unbelief and rebellion, with mighty miracles wrought in their favor. The faithful record shows that God punishes transgressors of His law, exacts strict regard for His commandments, and visits disobedience with sure retributive punishment and death. God kept Israel in Egypt until His appointed time to bring them out, then delivered them with a wonderful display of power and led them through the wilderness toward the promised land. Those who murmured and complained and refused to turn from evil perished in the wilderness, while the obedient were sustained and strengthened and were light-bearers to the nations through whose land they passed.
Warning for Last-Day Believers
What befell Israel in the wilderness happened as examples and was written for admonition upon those upon whom the ends of the world are come. The wilderness history, stated in both Old and New Testaments, is a lesson book and school of preparation and benefit for the Israel of God till the close of time, especially for those living near the end in the last days. The command not to commit fornication recalls Israel's sexual sin and the judgment in which three and twenty thousand fell in one day, teaching Christians not to desire evil or repeat Israel's sins rather than presume they are safe from falling.
That record is present truth for this age and proves the unchangeableness of truth, with no ancient defense worn out and no part of the Bible dead from old age. Christian evidence is found in the Bible rather than in men's experience, and all the past history of God's people is to be studied today to benefit from the experiences recorded. The instruction and principles of truth given to Israel were given not for Israelites only but for future generations, to be studied, obeyed, discerned, acknowledged and appreciated in order to gather strength for each successive march.
Believers must not repeat Israel's sins, unbelief, rebellion, and departures from God, and must not lust after evil things or desire evil. They must obey God, imitate only righteousness, discern and shun evil tendencies, remain separate from the world, and so escape wrath. The same injunctions to separation that bound ancient Israel apply to God's people now.
He that thinketh he standeth must take heed lest he fall, rather than presume safety. He must not become boastful and self-confident and neglect to watch and pray, lest he fall into grievous sin and call down God's wrath upon himself. Yet he need not yield to despondency, because God is faithful, will not suffer temptation beyond what can be borne, will make a way of escape, and calls him to flee from idolatry.
The warning leaves God's people today with no excuse for turning from the counsels of His Spirit. After a wicked course genuine conversion is required to continue in His service, for the Lord does not let wicked practices go on without reproof and warning. He will judge those who knew His dealings with the disobedient yet would not humble their hearts and correct their ways. Men favored of God who are overcome by temptation and fall into error can through grace gain fresh vigor to rise above evil nature and renew the conflict, which encourages desponding hearts not to despair.
God's denominated, chosen people journeying heavenward to the heavenly Canaan must be trained line upon line through trials to form character for entrance. They must not become like the world in practice, sell peculiar characteristics for worldly advantage, value the favor of transgressors of God's law, blot out distinguishing points of faith, or acknowledge any power higher than the great I AM. Constant standing in the light of God's countenance is the only safety, with humble teachable review of Israel's marchings to and fro, hunger, thirst, weariness, and God's powerful relief. That varied experience was a school of preparation for the promised home in Canaan, and is to instruct this age in preparation for the heavenly Canaan.
The history is repeated when backsliding from reform leads one to eat and drink as one pleases, bringing growing carelessness about other phases of present truth, so that those who continue will surely reap as they have sown. It also warns against failing to improve precious opportunities to do God's work and meet the requirements of the time. Truly improving such opportunities keeps souls from being lost to the cause and prepares them to stand ready as genuine missionaries.
God designed that there be men to reprove sin and wrong, or His people would become careless and corrupt their ways before Him. Believers must be awake and not stupid or asleep about errors and sins among them, and reproof must exist in the church. There must always be those who stand in defense of right to oppose wrong and repress sin and corruption. Those who reject counsel and act by independent judgment risk departing from the faith and bringing ruin on themselves and others.
The verse forbids sexual immorality by recalling how Israel fell into licentiousness at the idolatrous feast of Baal-peor, and how twenty-three thousand fell under God's judgment in one day. That ruin was prepared through love of ease and pleasure and indulgence of appetite and corrupt passion, by which Satan overthrew a people who had shared great spiritual privileges under Christ's leading yet displeased God. What happened to them stands as an example written for admonition to those living at the ends of the world, proving that God punishes transgression and requires strict obedience to His commandments. Whoever thinks he stands must take heed lest he fall, refusing boastful self-confidence and watching and praying lest indulgence bring down God's wrath. Yet God is faithful and will not allow temptation beyond what can be borne but will make a way of escape, so believers must flee evil desire and idolatry, remain separate from the world, and imitate only righteousness.
Israel's Sin and Judgment
Neither commit fornication as some of them committed, for after a luxurious feast connected with the worship of Baal-peor many gave themselves to licentiousness and brought judgment on themselves. Love of ease and pleasure prepared the way for that licentiousness. Satan overthrew Israel through gratification of appetite, through indulgence of lustful appetite and corrupt passions, and indulgence of appetite led to grievous sins that provoked God's wrath.
The fall came although they shared great spiritual privileges, being under the cloud and passing through the sea and being baptized unto Moses and eating the same spiritual meat and drinking the same spiritual drink from the spiritual Rock that followed them, which was Christ, yet God was not well pleased with them and they were overthrown in the wilderness. God showed His displeasure in signal vengeance and judgment in which three and twenty thousand fell in one day. The event stands as a warning not to commit sexual sin and not to presume safety from falling.
In the one telling, the twenty-three thousand were slain by the sword at God's command through Moses. In the other telling, when His anger was aroused, at His command three and twenty thousand were slain by the plague in one day. The failure came just before entering Canaan, showing that Satan's snares can confront God's people at the threshold of their promised inheritance, and the same pattern of danger is being repeated. Nearly all who left Egypt died in the wilderness, over which Satan boasted that even the Son of God who was with Moses and Joshua could not resist his power and lead the favored people of choice to Canaan.
Fornication belongs with Israel's other evils and judgments: lusting after evil things and desiring evil, idolatry, tempting Christ, murmuring, rebellious discontent, ingratitude, unbelief and rebellion, with mighty miracles wrought in their favor. The faithful record shows that God punishes transgressors of His law, exacts strict regard for His commandments, and visits disobedience with sure retributive punishment and death. God kept Israel in Egypt until His appointed time to bring them out, then delivered them with a wonderful display of power and led them through the wilderness toward the promised land. Those who murmured and complained and refused to turn from evil perished in the wilderness, while the obedient were sustained and strengthened and were light-bearers to the nations through whose land they passed.
Warning for Last-Day Believers
What befell Israel in the wilderness happened as examples and was written for admonition upon those upon whom the ends of the world are come. The wilderness history, stated in both Old and New Testaments, is a lesson book and school of preparation and benefit for the Israel of God till the close of time, especially for those living near the end in the last days. The command not to commit fornication recalls Israel's sexual sin and the judgment in which three and twenty thousand fell in one day, teaching Christians not to desire evil or repeat Israel's sins rather than presume they are safe from falling.
That record is present truth for this age and proves the unchangeableness of truth, with no ancient defense worn out and no part of the Bible dead from old age. Christian evidence is found in the Bible rather than in men's experience, and all the past history of God's people is to be studied today to benefit from the experiences recorded. The instruction and principles of truth given to Israel were given not for Israelites only but for future generations, to be studied, obeyed, discerned, acknowledged and appreciated in order to gather strength for each successive march.
Believers must not repeat Israel's sins, unbelief, rebellion, and departures from God, and must not lust after evil things or desire evil. They must obey God, imitate only righteousness, discern and shun evil tendencies, remain separate from the world, and so escape wrath. The same injunctions to separation that bound ancient Israel apply to God's people now.
He that thinketh he standeth must take heed lest he fall, rather than presume safety. He must not become boastful and self-confident and neglect to watch and pray, lest he fall into grievous sin and call down God's wrath upon himself. Yet he need not yield to despondency, because God is faithful, will not suffer temptation beyond what can be borne, will make a way of escape, and calls him to flee from idolatry.
The warning leaves God's people today with no excuse for turning from the counsels of His Spirit. After a wicked course genuine conversion is required to continue in His service, for the Lord does not let wicked practices go on without reproof and warning. He will judge those who knew His dealings with the disobedient yet would not humble their hearts and correct their ways. Men favored of God who are overcome by temptation and fall into error can through grace gain fresh vigor to rise above evil nature and renew the conflict, which encourages desponding hearts not to despair.
God's denominated, chosen people journeying heavenward to the heavenly Canaan must be trained line upon line through trials to form character for entrance. They must not become like the world in practice, sell peculiar characteristics for worldly advantage, value the favor of transgressors of God's law, blot out distinguishing points of faith, or acknowledge any power higher than the great I AM. Constant standing in the light of God's countenance is the only safety, with humble teachable review of Israel's marchings to and fro, hunger, thirst, weariness, and God's powerful relief. That varied experience was a school of preparation for the promised home in Canaan, and is to instruct this age in preparation for the heavenly Canaan.
The history is repeated when backsliding from reform leads one to eat and drink as one pleases, bringing growing carelessness about other phases of present truth, so that those who continue will surely reap as they have sown. It also warns against failing to improve precious opportunities to do God's work and meet the requirements of the time. Truly improving such opportunities keeps souls from being lost to the cause and prepares them to stand ready as genuine missionaries.
God designed that there be men to reprove sin and wrong, or His people would become careless and corrupt their ways before Him. Believers must be awake and not stupid or asleep about errors and sins among them, and reproof must exist in the church. There must always be those who stand in defense of right to oppose wrong and repress sin and corruption. Those who reject counsel and act by independent judgment risk departing from the faith and bringing ruin on themselves and others.