God
commanded Israel to fight the Midianites. They fought and were victorious. But
when Moses went out to meet the returning warriors, he was angry with the
commanders because they had left all the women alive. They were severely
reproved for saving the women alive. It is very probable that Moses had
commanded them to kill the women, at least this was implied in his question to
them: “Have ye saved all the women alive?” (Numbers 31:15). The fact
that they didn’t answer back implied they were guilty of disobeying a command.
Moses reminded them that it was these heathen women that seduced the men of
Israel and and caused them to commit a great trespass which angered Jehovah
resulting in the death of twenty-four thousand men (Numbers 25:1-9). It was
therefore dangerous to let them live or history would repeat itself.
Let’s
recall what had transpired before this event. Balak, king of Moab, was afraid
of Israel because of their victories over other nations. He hired Balaam to
place a curse on Israel, for he knew that if Israel became a curse to God, He
would not be protecting them, then they would no longer be a threat. But however
Balaam tried, he could not curse Israel but bless them. Balak’s method to curse
Israel didn’t work. Well, there must be another way and Balaam knew just how to
make Israel obnoxious in God’s sight. Balaam suggested that Balak sent his
beautiful women to seduce the men of Israel. It worked and Israel became
idolaters (Numbers 25:1-2).
History
has taught us that it will always repeat itself. Men will never learn from
history. Moses was right in rebuking the men from keeping the women alive. Who
knows what damage they may bring to the nation again! The church at Pergamos
suffered the same fake as the nation of Israel. They had been holding fast the
faith for many years. But, then they allowed “some that hold the teaching of
Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of
Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication” to
remain in them. The result was they became unfaithful (Revelations 2:12-17).
Pergamos did not learn from history but repeated it.
We
remember the ancient city of Troy. It was said that the walls of the city were
sixteen feet thick. According to Homer, the Greeks besieged the city for ten
years. They wanted to give up, but the king came up with a plan. They made a
large horse and left it on the beach with many soldiers inside while their
ships left at night. The people of Troy thought they had left the horse as a
gift and took it inside their city. That night the soldiers got out of the
horse and opened the gates. The ships came back and destroyed the city from
within.
The
same thing can happen today: compromise can destroy in one night what couldn’t
be taken in ten years. A congregation can remain faithful for ten, twenty or
fifty years. But it is no guarantee that she will remain the same unless she
guards herself against sin and false teachings. What happened if one day, a
member who is doing spring cleaning in her house decides to throw away her
piano? But she deems it is too good to throw it away and decides to place it in
the church. And, what if the elders decide it is all right to place it at the
corner of the worship hall since there is a space for it. What if one day a
little girl decides to play on the piano? Let me tell you this: that little and
harmless piece of furniture will one day play when the congregation sing. It is
the Trojan horse that is waiting to play when the worship starts.
Moses
was right to worry what the Midianite women could do to the men of Israel. The
church at Pergamos was wrong to allow the teachings of Balaam to continue in
them unchecked. Why play with temptation? Sin will destroy a church. We have
been warned. Let us flee temptations (Proverbs 4:15).
Jimmy Lau
Psa
119:97 Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
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