BEWARE of the ‘WORLDLY INFLUENCES’ in YOUR LIFE!
February
17 Bible Reading: Numbers Chapters 25-27
BEWARE of the ‘WORLDLY INFLUENCES’ in YOUR LIFE!
Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the
people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people
to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their
gods. So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was
aroused against Israel." (Numbers 25:1-3)
The
Israelites had now arrived at Acacia Grove (Hebrew: Shittim), which was their last encampment before crossing the
Jordan River into Canaan (Josh. 2:1). At the end of their long wilderness
wanderings for 40 years, the Israelites had their first encounter with the false religion of Canaan.
Although
Balaam’s name is not mentioned in this chapter, we learn in Numbers 31:16 that
he was responsible for the terrible corruption of the children of Israel that
is described here. All of Balak’s rewards could not induce Balaam to curse
Israel, but before he left, Balaam advised Balak how to make the Israelites
stumble (Num 24:14) by getting them “to
eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality” (Rev.
2:14). Balaam could not destroy Israel
with his curses, but he could defile Israel with his counsel!
This
resulted in many Israelites forsaking the godly
way and the commandments taught by Moses
and committed abominable sins following
the counsel of Balaam (2 Peter 2:15). Many Israelite men accepted the
invitations from Moabite women to join in their festivities at Peor (Num 23:28),
and became involved with those women and with the immoral worship of Baal (Psalms
106:28–31). Often when Satan cannot
succeed in a direct attack, he will launch indirect attacks through world
influences that are hard to resist!
What the men of Moab could not do,
the women were able to accomplish! They trapped the Israelite men in sexual immorality and
false worship. We see that God punished the Israelites for breaking the 1st
of the Ten Commandments, and a severe plague broke out killing about 24,000
people (v. 9; Exodus 32:35).
This
incident at the Baal of Peor is a prime
example of the temptations to which the Israelites were exposed by the
surrounding peoples (Deut. 4:3; Josh. 22:17; Hos. 9:10). Moses had commanded
the people to separate themselves from the nations around them in order to
avoid their abominable religious practices (Exodus 34:10–17). However, Israel
abandoned its special position, compromised with sin and disobeyed God.
When the
world cannot eliminate your witness through direct persuasions, it often tries
to neutralize your witness by absorbing you into the worldly entrapment. Here’s
a good lesson for today: Always beware of
the ‘worldly influences’ in your life!
