“Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but such as keep the law contend with them.” (Proverbs 28:4 NKJV)
Balak, king of Moab, became sick with dread when the children of Israel camped in the plain of Moab. Therefore, Balak enticed a prominent diviner, Balaam, into placing a curse upon the children of Israel. However, Balaam’s efforts to curse God’s children proved abortive.
When Balak persuaded Balaam further to curse God’s people, he said, “Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it. “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The LORD, his God, is with him, and the shout of a King is among them.” (Num. 23:20-21 NKJV). Hallelujah!
As a born-again believer, you have been blessed in Christ “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”; therefore, no one can curse you (Eph. 1:3 NKJV).
Christ has redeemed you from every curse of the law (Gal. 3:13). Therefore, you don’t have any curse on your head. What you now have on your head is God’s blessings.
Solomon testifies, “Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.” (Prov. 10:6 NKJV).
When Balaam saw that all his attempts to place a curse upon the children of Israel were unsuccessful, he counseled and taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel by enticing them to eat things sacrificed to idols and their men to commit sexual immorality with the women of Moab because of his inordinate desire or lust for the king’s gifts (Rev. 2:14).
According to the counsel of Balaam, while the children of Israel abode in Shittim, the people of Moab invited them to the sacrifices of their gods, and they ate and bowed to their gods and committed harlotry with the women of Moab. Consequently, the fierce anger of God was aroused against Israel (Num. 25:1-5).
While all the congregation of Israel was still weeping at the door of the Tabernacle of meeting before God, Zimri, the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s house among the Simeonites, brought in Cozbi, the daughter of one of the princes of Midiam and presented her to his brethren in the sight of Moses and all the congregation of children of Israel.
What an affront and effrontery!
Seeing this deliberate affront or despicable behavior of Zimri and Cozbi, Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, the high priest, rose in anger to confront and deal decisively with this evil. Phinehas took his spear in his hand, went after them in the tent, and thrust them through her body. Seeing Phinehas’ anger against evil, God’s anger was appeased (Num. 25:6-8).
God highly commended Phinehas’ holy anger against evil and rewarded his great zeal for righteousness with a covenant of peace and everlasting priesthood.
Numbers 25:10-13 – RSV
10 And the LORD said to Moses,
11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy.
12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace;
13 and it shall be to him, and to his descendants after him, the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the people of Israel.'”
The New Testament believers are not expected by God to physically assault or kill any evildoers for the sake of God, just as Phinehas did.
The Scripture warns, “He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” (Rev. 13:10 NKJV).
However, the believers are not expected to stand aloof with arms akimbo, watching evil thrive and spread in their communities or cities.
Evil will always thrive and escalate where and when the righteous do nothing. All it takes for evil to triumph anywhere is for the righteous to stand aloof and watch impotently.
Sadly, many of God’s people today have become accustomed, complacent, and indifferent to injustice, immorality, corruption, and wickedness in our society. No wonder evil is thriving these days!
Beloved, like Phinehas, God expects you to be angry at evil and take your “spiritual spear” and thrust it through the heart of corruption in society.
How do you do this?
First, by shining as light amid the darkness of this world.
When you choose not to conform to the custom or pattern of this evil world but choose to stand out, walking in the footsteps of Jesus, you are piercing the heart of evil in your community (Rom. 12:2, Phil. 2:14-15).
Jesus commands you to “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Mt. 5:16 NKJV).
Paul admonishes, “Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” (Eph. 5:7-8 NKJV).
Second, you pierce the heart of evil by preaching the Gospel of Christ.
While believers are children of God, unbelievers are children of Satan, the author of evil. Every sinner is a tool or agent of evil in the hand of Satan. The unbelievers are under the sway or influence of Satan, the evil one (Eph. 2:1-3, 1 John 3:7-10, 1 John 5:19).
Therefore, your devotion or commitment to winning souls through preaching or teaching the gospel of Christ is thrusting your spiritual spear through the heart of evil in your community.
Through the preaching of the gospel of Christ, you turn men from darkness to light, from sin to righteousness, from evil to good, and from the power of Satan to God (Acts 26:18).
Third, you pierce the heart of evil when you expose or bring evil to light.
Evil thrives and spreads under the covering of darkness. As a light of the world, God expects you to expose evil and not conceal it, speak out against it and not keep silent, reproof evil and not condone it, and take a public stand against it and not be indifferent to it (Eph. 5:11-13).
Lastly, you will begin to pierce the heart of evil in your community when you start to enforce the victory of Christ and proclaim the preeminence of Christ over all the forces of evil in your community.
The devil is behind all the evils we see in our society today. Evil is thriving and escalating in our community today because the believers are not wielding their authority in Christ to bind and resist the devil.
James admonishes, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (Jas. 4:7 NKJV).
Friend, what is your disposition towards the injustice, immorality, corruption, or ungodliness staring at you where you are today?
Evil is thriving and advancing in our society today because you have not been preaching the gospel of Christ and winning souls for Christ, exposing, rebuking, speaking out against, or taking a public stand against evil and resisting the devil behind evil.
The Lord is calling you today to rise with your “spiritual spear” and pierce through the heart of evil in your home, office, school, church, and society, just as Phinehas did. God will surely reward you as He rewarded Phinehas.
Solomon writes, “Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but such as keep the law contend with them.” (Pr. 28:4 NKJV).
Stop praising the wicked; instead, start contending with them!
Prayer:
My Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me for my complacency and indifference to the rise and spread of evil. My Dear Holy Spirit, teach and help me to pierce the heart of evil daily with my spiritual spear, in Jesus’ name. Amen.