Free group study handout
Numbers 25: Group Study Handout
How to use: read Numbers 25 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.
Overview
Israel stayed in Shittim and began to play the prostitute with the daughters of Moab, eating and bowing down to their gods (vv. 1-2). This provoked Yahweh's anger against Israel.
Key verse
“Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I didn’t consume the children of Israel in my jealousy.”
Numbers 25:11 (WEB)
Outline
- Numbers 25:1–2 Israel's Idolatry Begins
- Numbers 25:3–5 God's Anger and Command
- Numbers 25:6–8 Phinehas' Zeal
- Numbers 25:9–11 The Plague and Its End
- Numbers 25:12–15 Covenant of Peace
- Numbers 25:16–18 Judgment Against the Midianites
Discussion questions
- What act does Moses command in v5 regarding those who joined Baal Peor?
- In v8, who does Phinehas kill with his spear?
- Why does Yahweh commend Phinehas in v11 for his jealousy?
- What does the covenant of peace in v12 imply about Phinehas' actions?
- When have you felt compelled to act against wrongdoing like Phinehas in v7?
Go deeper
Passages that echo Numbers 25: 1 Corinthians 10, Psalm 106, Numbers 31.
Before next time: read Numbers 26.