Psalm 106:24-31 “Yes, they despised the pleasant land. They didn’t believe his word, but murmured in their tents, and didn’t listen to the LORD’s voice. Therefore he swore to them that he would overthrow them in the wilderness, that he would overthrow their offspring amongst the nations, and scatter them in the lands. They joined themselves also to Baal Peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead. Thus they provoked him to anger with their deeds. The plague broke in on them. Then Phinehas stood up and executed judgement, so the plague was stopped. That was credited to him for righteousness, for all generations to come.”

This passage ends with the events in Numbers 25. God was punishing his people for their willingness to marry into idolatry, and Phinehas stopped the plague from spreading. As a result, he and his offspring received a special blessing from God:

Numbers 25:12-13 “Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace. It shall be to him, and to his offspring after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’ ”

We sometimes forget that the sin of individuals can affect the entire community of faith in one way or another. We should want to be holy not only for our own relationship with God, but because of the impact we have on His church!

1 Corinthians 5:6 “Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole lump?”

For additional worship: Build My Life (feat. Chris Tomlin)