In Numbers, chapter twenty-five, verse two, the Israelites called upon the people to the sacrifices of their gods: where the people did eat and bowed down to their gods. The Israelites began to commit whoredom with some of the daughters of Moab when they arrived in a place called Shittim. The area is enormous in the plains of Moab directly across from Jericho, immediately east of the Jordan and north of the Dead Sea.
The daughters of Moab and Midian, with whom the children of Israel carried on an unlawful correspondence, invited them, their gallants, to come and partake of the feasts in which, in attendance, they made sacrifices of their idols. The daughter of Moab and Midian made invitations to many people where a feast was kept and observed with all the circumstances of joy and pleasure imaginable, which was very ensnaring, especially to young people. The children of Israel were so much enamored with the beauty of the Moabitish women and so strong were their lusts and passion that they could not refuse the invitation. The Israelites ate the things sacrificed to idols and so became guilty of idolatry, even by so doing, and then when they had eaten and drank and were merry, led on to other acts of idolatry. They bowed to their gods, which was an open act of idolatry, whereby they testified their faith in their divinity, reverence, and homage and obedience to them.
After Balaam failed to separate the Israelites from the Lord, he counseled the Moabites to try separating the people of Israel from their God by enticing them into immorality and the sensual worship of false gods. Since he made them corrupt with the Moabites, Balaam was put to death as punishment by the Israelites. Even though he experienced God’s presence earlier, his nature and practice still were in him. Balaam experienced the Spirit of God three times in Numbers twenty-three, five, twenty-three fifteen, and twenty-five two, and still could not overcome his nature of idolatry by serving many gods.