Read chapter 25
Right after the chapters of the King of Moab, Balak, wanting curses to fall on Israel but they kept getting blessed, the Israelites then commit harlotry with the Moabites. It's like if you can't blatantly get others to sin you deceive them to. Sexual relations was more than just meeting their fleshly desires but in turn caused them to bow down to the Moabite gods.
No matter how hard they tried, Balak and Balaam... they could not weaken, defeat, or destroy Israel by cursing them. So they set out to do it more subtly, through compromise, assimilation, accommodation, tolerance of evil. And somehow the Israelites had to become convinced that it was okay to do it. They didn't just jump up from being holy people who loved God and served Him with pure hearts and all of a sudden, "Oh, we're going jump in bed with these Moabite women. We're going to worship these false gods." No. Evil doesn't happen just in a moment like that. It's a process of a slippery slide, of accommodation and assimilation into the people of this world. (Nancy Leigh DeMoss)So the Lord's anger burns and judgement is happening, apparently through a plague (v.9), and the people are weeping in repentance. Then all of the sudden we see an Israelite man flaunting his sin blatantly come in before his family with a Midianite woman. How often do you see this among Christians today, who've made light of sin and make it normal or ok while in Christian community, gatherings, in church?
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