Attack from Within

Verse of the day: Numbers 25:1-3 Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. 2 They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel.

What a sad account we read here. Balaam, in all his attempts to curse Israel in exchange for the riches and fame that Balak promised, utterly failed until now. However, his ability to bring a curse upon Israel was of their own doing. God thwarted every attempt Balak made, using Balaam; yet, in the end, Balaam gave him the perfect “in” to get them to curse themselves. This still holds true today. Our enemies, Satan and his demons, will do all they can to bring a curse upon God’s people. He, Satan, will launch attacks from without, to keep us from speaking the Gospel. He will get people to label us narrow-minded, intolerant, and prejudiced haters, but we will, in many cases, band together and do all we can to get the message out there. Unbeknownst to the Israelites, God was shielding them from the attacks of their enemy, just as God protects us from the many dangers that many of us are not even aware of. While we live out our everyday lives, there is a spiritual battle raging around us that we are often oblivious to. In the end, we eventually become our own enemies, and instigate our own defeat. Balaam, knowing that there was no way he could bring a curse upon Israel, as we know from Numbers 24:1, 12-13, gave up his attempts, but says this to Balak in Numbers 24:14, “And now, indeed, I am going to my people. Come, I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the latter days.” What advice did he give Balak? Revelation 2:14 tells us, “But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.” Israel brought a curse upon themselves by falling for the “sin trap”. They allowed themselves to partake in the worship of idols, in eating (as part of that worship) and bowing down to the gods of the Moabites. As if this were not enough, they committed sexual sins with the women of Moab (which was common practice in idol worship). When all else fails, personal sin, and sin within the church, will ruin the testimony and effectiveness of the church. When we become careless in our personal lives, and we allow sin to go unchecked in the local church, Satan accomplishes that which he could not with attacks from the outside. James 4 outlines what often cause strife and division within the body. Worldly behavior, such as pride and pleasure seeking, within the church body, unchecked, will cause strife (James 4:1-6). James warns the church not to be busybodies in the lives of others, judging one another in areas that are not our concern. James 4:11-12 reads, “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?” James was not saying that we were to overlook sinful behavior. We must avoid hurtful gossip, and speaking about things that are to the hurt of our brothers/sisters in Christ. If we are made aware of sin in someone else’s life, the Word of God gives us guidance on how to deal with that individual, in love, with the intent of restoration (Galatians 6:1-5). He was warning against finding pleasure in spreading stories that may not be true, or exposing sin in someone’s life in an unloving manner that does not honor God, but brings about division. Not only does this kind of behavior bring about division within the body, but also it encourages persecution from the world, as they criticize our inability to get along amongst ourselves. God made it clear that He hates that which causes division (Proverbs 6:16-19). Balaam taught Balak that the easiest way for Israel to stumble and bring a curse upon themselves was to cause them to sin against God. Today, it is no different. God’s desire is to see His church advance for the cause of Christ. His desire is to bless us, not curse us, but we so easily bring a curse, persecution, and tribulation upon ourselves when we sin against God. The best way to avoid this is to follow James’ advice in James 4:7-10, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” Let us be vigilant, knowing that the enemy wants us to fail in our relationship and service to the Lord. Let us be careful not to allow sin to creep into our lives, and into the local church. If it does, repent, confess, and help others be reconciled to God and one another with humility.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).