Defeating the Enemies: Overcoming Societal Influences

In the previous post in this series, we examined the strongholds of sin in our minds and how, like the walls of Jericho, they can be brought down with God’s help. We learned how to commit our lives to God and be courageous in following Him. 

In this post, we’ll look at a human enemy named Balaam, who influenced Israel to sin grievously against God. Likewise, for Christians, the world is an enemy that influences and tempts us to sin. 

The devious influence of Balaam

Balaam was a pagan prophet hired by the king of Moab to curse Israel (Numbers 22:5-6). Although Balaam tried, God would not let him curse Israel (verse 12).

However, Balaam found a way to circumvent God’s constraint on him by advising Moab to try instead to entice Israel with their women and religious practices. The idea was that if the Moabites could tempt Israel to sin, then God Himself would curse and destroy them (Numbers 25:1-2; compare Numbers 31:16).

Balaam’s plan worked, and some of Israel’s men engaged in sinful activities with the Moabite women and became “joined” (bound or attached) to Baal (Numbers 25:3).

The lure of Baal worship was Israel’s constant weakness throughout its history. The prophet Hosea gave a sad indictment of Israel’s going after Baal instead of God: “They went to Baal Peor, and separated themselves to that shame; they became an abomination like the thing they loved” (Hosea 9:10). False worship continually led to abominable conduct. 

What about you and me? Who is our Balaam? 

A world that influences us to sin against God

Balaam was an influencer of his day. Today’s world has many such influencers.

In today’s world, many “Balaams” teach people to sin and commit abominations.

Today’s Balaams promote the theory of evolution, various forms of pagan religion, rebellion against authority, gender confusion and lifestyles that oppose God’s law. These influences come from our politicians, educators, scientists, sports heroes, entertainers, peers and those we follow on social media. 

In other words, individuals everywhere. 

We live in a society that has little regard for God’s Word and the standards it contains. We live in a society that has little regard for God’s Word and the standards it contains. The pressure to engage in abominable practices that God hates is greater than ever, as our society continues to cast off all restraints (Proverbs 29:18).

(To learn more about the dangers in our world, read “5 Ways Our Culture Is Rejecting Biblical Morality.”)

Are there influencers in your life, who, like Balaam, are trying to entice you to do things you would not normally do? To do things God hates? To reject, or neglect, His Word? 

These influences especially target our children and teach them to commit abominations. We must work to combat and counter the impact of society, keeping it not only from affecting ourselves but also from affecting our children. 

We must make wise choices about who and what we allow to influence us and avoid those that practice and model destructive behavior. As well, we must be vigilant on our children’s behalf—on guard against the influences they’re exposed to. This is a war we can’t afford to lose. 

The lesson is simple: Be aware of influences around us and our children, tempting us to sin against God.

Sigh and cry

So, what do we do when we see abominations around us? 

When the ancient Israelites went after Baal, the righteous were “weeping at the door of the tabernacle” (Numbers 25:6). This is the right attitude we must have toward abominations we see—to weep before God, to sigh and cry over them (Ezekiel 9:4). 

(To learn more, read “What Was Ezekiel’s Message for Today?”)

To love God means to hate evil (Psalm 97:10). Christians should hate sin. However, they should not hate the sinner but think like God, who desires all people to repent (2 Peter 3:9).

But back to Israel’s experience. One Israelite showed flagrant disrespect toward God and the congregation of Israel by openly committing fornication with a Moabite woman. This aroused the ire of Phinehas, who struck the Israelite man and the Moabite woman with a spear, killing them both and ending the plague God had sent as punishment (Numbers 25:6-9).

God said Phinehas was “zealous” and executed “My zeal” (Numbers 25:11). This is the first use of the word zeal in the New King James Version of the Bible. God showed us through Phinehas’ actions what zeal is. 

But does God want us to walk around with weapons in hand, striking down anyone we see sinning? 

No, not all! We don’t live in a nation under God’s direct rule. 

But then again, spiritually, yes! 

We are to strike down sin, not in other people—but the sin we see in our lives. Phinehas displayed zeal for God’s way of life. And with the same zeal, we are to remove our own sin. 

The lesson is clear: Be zealous in removing sin.

Jesus used an extreme example to make the same point. In the Sermon on the Mount, He commanded His followers to pluck out their eyes or cut off their hands if either caused them to sin (Matthew 5:29-30). He wasn’t advocating self-dismemberment, but the battle of oneself to forcibly and zealously remove sin from our lives. 

What steps are we willing to take to remove sin from our lives—to cut it out completely? To learn more, read “If Your Right Eye Causes You to Sin, Pluck It Out.”

Overcome the doctrine of Balaam 

The apostle John wrote, “The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). Satan often uses people—people who influence our world as Balaam did—to broadcast his evil ideas and ways. 

Our world has many Balaams, and we must be vigilant and zealous not to allow their teachings, which oppose God and His way of life, to influence us and our children. 

To defeat these influences, we must zealously fight them by avoiding them and actively living God’s way of life.

Date Posted: June 23, 2024