Why did 23,000 Jews have to be put to death?
Because they were seduced by the prettiest Moabite women, arranged by Balaam after he could not curse Israel, they lost their separated character. God had mandated Israel to remain separate from the Gentiles, so His judgment fell, and 23,000 Jews had to be put to death.
Les explains that Balak, king of Moab, hired Balaam the false prophet to curse Israel because he could not defeat them militarily—they were too many. Balaam could not curse them because God would not allow it. So Balaam devised a satanically inspired plan: the Moabites were to put their prettiest girls out where Jewish young men could be seduced. It worked. God then let judgment fall, and 23,000 Jews had to be put to death because they had lost their separated character. Les emphasizes this was not because the Jew had become bigoted or proud; God had mandated that Israel stay separated from the Gentiles. The same separation issue later appears when Paul’s mention of “Gentile” in Acts 22 caused a riot.