“You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who filled Baal of Peor but all of you who held fast to the Lord are still alive today.” (Deuteronomy 4:3-4 NIV)
Baal Peor was a historically dark day in Israelite history. The men of God had been seduced by Midianite women and had given themselves over to Baal’s ways. Many people died as a result of a plague brought on by their sin. Here, at the border of the Promised Land, the Lord reminded His people of their past choices. He reminded them of His commandments and the consequence of sin against Him: judgement. In fact, the Israelites themselves would be the hammer of justice coming down on the sinful communities of Canaan. God handed His people instructions for safe-keeping – “Hold fast to the Lord your God.”
It feels like judgement is coming for America, doesn’t it? Much like the Baal worship, our nation has murdered unborn babies for decades. We”ve embraced all manner of sexual sin. We’ve long abandoned God’s ten commandments, stripped them down form courthouses all over the country. We’ve replaced the bedrock of morality with the shifting sands of public opinion and from where I sit, it feels like we are about to pay the price.
As believers, what do we do? Moses’ command still stands today: “but all of you who hold fast the Lord are still alive today.” I’m not a prophet, but it seems that it may become tougher and tougher to hold to God’s standard as our nation topples toward total abasement. We must keep in mind, there’s a reality long beyond this one and holding fast to the Lord our God is essential for entrance.
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23 NIV)
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” (Revelation 3:11 NIV)
Lord, please give us the courage to keep hanging on to You, no matter how costly that choice becomes. May eternity be more real than right now. Strengthen us to take a stand in Jesus’ name. Amen.