THE CHOICE BETWEEN COMPROMISE AND CONVICTION

“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal.”  (Numbers 25:11)

I have had a few flat tires in my lifetime.  Progress comes to a halt, and if you are traveling at a high speed can be dangerous—even deadly.  It may be the result of hitting a big pothole or sharp object, but not typically.  What usually occurred is that the tire had been losing air almost imperceptibly, and I had failed to be vigilant.  The result was a horrible noise, difficult steering, and finding myself beside the highway with a flat tire. 

I still remember the warning given by the man who once pastored my home church, Dr. Thad Dowdle.  He said, “Most spiritual failures are not the result of a blowout, but a slow leak!”  How true!  We see someone who has wrecked their marriage, totaled their testimony, and are sitting on the side of the road of life, and wonder what happened.  We may conclude it was a sudden event—and it can be—but not usually.  It was the little compromises—the neglect of the spiritual life—failing to be vigilant and diligent in maintaining Biblical convictions that brought the catastrophe.

This is the way the Devil operates.  We observe it in the twenty-fifth chapter of Numbers.  Balak, the King of Moab, had tried to hire Balaam to curse Israel, but each time the false prophet opened his mouth, God cause a blessing rather than a curse to be spoken.  Balaam’s plan then became to send beautiful Moabite women into the camp to seduce the gullible Israeli men, leading them to worship Baal.  Since Balaam couldn’t get God to turn from Israel, he decided to get Israel to turn from God.  Then he knew that God would bring His wrath upon the idolatry.  He knew there was more than one way to skin a cat!

The plan worked perfectly.  Their compromise in their relationship with heathen people—being “unequally yoked,”—led to contamination of their morals, and what we would call “backsliding.”  The wages of sin is death—and we see the high price of low-living.  24,000 died in a plague sent as a punishment from God.

What saved the day?  The zeal of Phineas stopped the plague.  This godly man was stirred to action.  A man named Zimri had given his heart to a pagan woman, who in turn had led him to give his heart to idolatry.  What magnified his sin was that he was a leader in Israel, and so Zimri not only hurt himself, he led others astray.  Phineas took radical action and stuck a javelin through the two compromisers—surgically removing the moral malignancy threatening to kill the nation.  Phineas is commended by God for his zeal—a zeal for holiness like his Lord—and blessing is promised to him and his descendants.

Today you will likely face a temptation—will you respond with compromise or conviction?  Satan whispers, “It is such a little thing.”  It might be—the little compromise added to the little one from yesterday, and the day before—and you may be closer to ruin than you imagine.  May we seek the zeal of Phineas and kill the compromise!  The great old Puritan, John Owen, said, “be killing sin or it will be killing you.”  Click on the link for more from Owen on this vital matter.

https://youtu.be/qU5b3uzqZMc

LIFE LESSONS

And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:  (Genesis 49:1)

If you are taking a trip somewhere that I have been, you are wise to listen to me before you travel.  I can tell you the best road to take, good places to eat, where to stay, and what to see.  If there are places to avoid, I can warn you.  We have the experiences of spiritual pilgrims recorded in Scripture.  “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”  (1 Cor.10:11)  There are life lessons from Jacob’s prophetic blessing in Genesis 49.

Reuben was commended for his strength (v.3), but condemned for his lack of stability (v.4), which led to immoral sensuality.  We are warned of being, “a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8)  Such are bound to trip and fall.

If Reuben’s problem was instability then Simeon and Levi’s was cruelty (v.5-7).  Rather than controlling their anger, it dominated them.  “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”  (James 1:19-20)

Judah would rise to sovereignty (v.8-12).  His would be the line from which the kings would come—and ultimately the King of kings, the Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ.  Since we are heirs with Christ, then we shall reign with Him also (read Rom.8:17; Rev.22:5).

Zebulun and Issachar teach us about opportunity (v.13-15).  Zebulun would seize it, and Issachar would shun it.  Dwelling by the sea, Zebulun’s heirs would master commerce.  Issachar’s strength gave great potential, but indifference led to enslavement.  God gives us such wisdom in His Word about financial matters, but too often, “the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.” (Luke 16:8b)

Dan warns us of duplicity (v.16-18).  He is pictured as a serpent lying in wait, striking the unsuspecting.  In this he is like his spiritual father—the Devil.  Our only hope to escape the same sin and sentence is to cry out to God for salvation (v.18).

Gad, Asher and Naphtali will experience victory and exhibit prosperity (v.19-21).  So should we: “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” (2 Cor.2:14). ‎

Joseph’s life lesson instructs us in purity (v.22-26).  His painful experiences were God’s pruning to prepare him for fruitfulness.  They had a refining quality that molded his character into a vessel God could us.  A sanctified life is one God delights to bless.

Benjamin teaches us about activity (v.27).  Morning and evening would find him on the move.  His productivity would lead to prosperity.  God never blesses laziness!  Do we, like Benjamin, have an appetite to achieve?

As you look into the mirror of God’s Word here, what do you see about your life?