Numbers 25-26

God’s message to me: Political correctness would tell us that we should be tolerant. It even claims to be a biblical principle. The fact is, that you can not tolerate sin. It’s one thing to be a witness and to even be friends with unbelievers. It is something entirely different to tolerate what you know to be wrong.

Promises: Obedience to God and a willingness to stand up for His principles will lead to His grace, mercy and blessing.

Commands: Do not tolerate sin and do not remain with those who promote it. People often think that, because Christ had dinner with sinners, they can be friends with and hang around unrepentant sinners. This is not the case. Christ came among sinners in order to witness to them and bring them out. Those he kept company with for extended periods were the people who abandoned their old ways and followed Him. Remaining among sin places undo temptation on you and makes it easier to fall into sin.

When Israelites began to join in the sins of the Midianites God sent a plague and killed 24,000 of them. Some left the camp and The son of the High priest killed an Israelite who was openly taking a harlot to his tent along with the harlot. His zeal in putting a stop to this open rebellion against God convinced God to stop the plague. God ordered that they attack the Midianites and drive them off so the temptation would be gone.

Timeless principles: Tolerance leads to acceptance. Whenever the righteous spent time close to those who were not it was not long before they turned against God’s law. Being near Idolaters they began to spend time with them, they accepted invitations to dinner where meat of a sacrifice to Idols was the main course, they followed by worshiping with the idolaters and become idolaters themselves. Prostitution was common among the neighbors so they tolerated it and eventually joined in it.

The old saying says, “if you lie down with dogs you get up with fleas”. This story shows that principle and reminds us why we cannot be tolerant of sin. “hate the sin and love the sinner”. I always get a kick out of people who call me a “homophobe” and then try to accuse me of hypocrisy because I associate with some gay people. I don’t fear homosexuals I just accept that they are directly and unrepentantly violating God’s law. I make no secret of how I feel about their lifestyle. I don’t hang out with them but, inasmuch as our paths cross(one is a neighbor, others I have worked with) I act in a civil and even friendly manner. I am willing to help them when they need it. I do as God would have me do in acting out of Christian love and condemning the sinful lifestyle. This is not phobia and it is not hypocrisy. The same goes for drug addicts and alcoholics and the “dogs” that think sex is a recreational sport with no boundaries.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: Do not hang around when others are doing wrong. Don’t tolerate their sin. Call them on it. If they don’t stop walk away from the situation. If they encourage you to join their sin they are not friends they are evil and will bring you down. Get away from them.

more to learn for in-depth study: After their years in the wilderness, a new census was taken. Except for Moses, Caleb and Joshua, all of the people who had been counted in the first census were dead. Only their children remained. Their numbers had grown a little despite the plagues and disasters that had fallen as a result of their rebellions against God.

tomorrow: Numbers 27-30