1 Corinthians 10:8, Neither Let Us Commit Fornication

1 Corinthians 10:8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

Balaam could not curse Israel. How to defeat the Israelites? The evil scheme to sent in Moabite women to entice the Israelite men to commit whoredom and worship the Baal-peor, god of the Moabites. The women had to be removed from the Israelite camp and the men who were involved in the worship of Baal-peor were severely dealt with by the sword.

Numbers 25:1-9 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel. And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor. And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.

May God be gracious to keep His people pure from the pollutions of sexual sins leading them to depart from God and embrace idolatry! Amen.