NOTES for Num 25:1-18

Sometimes we are struck by the harshness associated with divine and human judgment in the Old Testament. In considering this, however, we should remember two things. First, the mind of ancient man did not simultaneously accommodate the ideas of “freedom of conscience” and faithfulness to God. Second, this is not merely about “religious traditions” or culture, but about life and death. Living, as we usually do, in an atmosphere of religious tolerance and having received the commandment not to judge others, we often lack an understanding of this contrast between faith and unfaithfulness, which bring us life and death respectively.