“Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal-peor, the for the Lord Your God destroyed from among you all the men who followed the Baal of Peor. But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today.” (Deuteronomy 4:4 ESV)
The surviving Israelites had witnessed God’s wrath against idol-worshipers. They had been passing through the wilderness of Moab when some of them began to be involved with the Moabites. What began as seemingly harmless flirting quickly escalated to fornicating; and then the co-mingling of flesh culminated in idol worship. The ways of Baal-Poor were, according to Talmudic tradition, foul and filthy, quite contrary to the worship of Yahweh, which kept cleanliness essential. As a result of this apostasy, a deadly plague overcame the camp, killing 24,000. Presumably the souls involved in the worship of Baal-Poor.
So when God’s people arrived at the threshold of the Promised Land, God asked them to remember Baal of Peor and the heartache that followed. He reminded them that they were the ones that “held fast to the Lord” and plies them to keep tending to the all-important matter of Yahweh worship.
Just as the Israelites faced a choice, so do we. We either cling to the ways of the world (Baal-Peor) or we hold tight to God. Holding tight to God is the only guarantor of our future. So exactly do we do that?
“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen and lest they depart form your heart all the days of your life.” (Deuteronomy 4:9 ESV)
“Keep your soul diligently.” It’s an instruction to follow God’s law fully. Not just the letter of the law, but the heart of it. Keeping our soul diligently isn’t done out of fear but out of love and honor.
Keeping our soul diligently requires a daily recall of what God has done on our behalf. It requires an eyes-wide-open approach of the world; aware that we have an enemy ever-ready to sneak into our camp. It includes a flat-out rejection of the attitudes, appetites and agendas that so prominently dominates our culture. It is a day by day personal inventory and adjustment back to God values and Kingdom thinking.
Lord, we struggle with soul upkeep. First forgive us and re-ignite our heart’s desire for self-discipline. Supernaturally strengthen our minds and limbs to make choices toward You and away from the world. We see how the Israelites allowed their awe of You to slip out of their hearts. Guard our hearts, Lord. Help us center ourselves on Your glory. May we remember You day in and day out. May that remembrance keep us in Kingdom alliance. Amen.