1 Corinthians 10: 8-10

We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.

You’ve heard of Baalam and the talking donkey, but how many of us know what happened after Baalam returned home? The 25th chapter of Numbers provides the details of Israel’s sexual immorality and the price the people paid for their disobedience. 

When the modern-day person reads this kind of story, the most common response is “What is the big deal, it’s only sex?”, right?

Paul answered the question for us earlier in this same letter –

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).

Even today, sexual immorality has its consequences. We’ve read of pastors and other church leaders who lost their credibility thanks to infidelity. No matter how insignificant we may think we are in the big scheme of things, our poor decisions affect others.