April 12

Numbers 25:1-2 (NIV)
1 While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, 2 who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods.

So the enemy couldn’t get a curse to be called down on Israel (influence toward defeat from the outside), so they caused them to sin before the Lord through immorality (influence toward defeat from the inside). If our enemy can’t get us to deny our faith he will get us to water it down. If he can’t get us to become opposed to Christ, he will try to get us to deny Christ in our lifestyle.

In the OT times, sexual immorality was closely associated with idolatry. Today we have more of a dualistic view. Sexual immorality is bad, but it’s not like you are worshipping another God. However, if we will think about it, we will see that not only is sexual immorality a type of idolatry, but it will lead us down the road to complete ineffectiveness and eventually we will walk away from God. I can think of people who have done it and still do not honor their commitment to God because they are after the opposite sex (or same) through sexual immorality. They have decided that sex is better than relationship with God. We may agree wholeheartedly with that, but let’s not think that sex is the only thing that takes us to that place. There are plenty of other “lesser” sins like gossip, slander, grumbling and cowardice that will lead down that same road toward idolatry – esteeming something more than you esteem God.