13/06/2016 - THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN ACTION

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Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal Peor; for the Lord your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor.         Deuteronomy 4.3

Balaam said to Balak, king of Moab, that he could not curse the Israelites, for there is no sorcery against God’s people (Nm 23.23). However, Balaam taught the king how to destroy the people of God.

In the base of the mountain, the Israelites were seduced by the Moabites in such a perverse way, that a plague from the Lord came to the children of Israel and killed more than 24 thousand people (Nm 25.1-9).

Every mistake brings a cruse. With Balaam’s advice, the Moabites seduced many Israelites to worship Baal, which translated means lord. Baal Peor means lord of the breach, where the Israelites committed many wicked acts, prostituting themselves before the Most High. Due to this sin, they were righteously punished. This case served as a warning for all who fall in transgression against the Lord, and are punished by Him. Mercy, Lord!

This idolatry has always been a danger for God’s people. In order to be redeemed from sin, the worshippers of Baal believed that if they had sexual relations with a woman underneath any tree, invoking that idol, they would be clean. Later, the tribes that rebelled in the kingdom of David became a new nation – the kingdom of the North –, and this sin caused them terrible consequences.

Unlike the true God, whose name is JHVH – a Tetragrammaton that became popular as Jehovah –, Baal represented all kinds of spiritual and moral decay. In those days, because of the plague, thousands of people were killed. Phineas executed judgment, throwing his spear in the couple that challenged the Almighty. The spear entered at the woman’s belly and left at the man’s back.

In our days, our struggle is also between the worship of Baal and the Lord. Many that left the Body of Christ seek their satisfaction in things of the flesh. However, when the divine righteousness operates, these poor lives will be lost forever.

The mission of the Church is to preach the Word, leading people to repentance and to amend their ways. The greatest work of the Gospel is to seek and save the lost (Lk 19.10).

Where will the wicked spend all eternity? Those who do not care have no idea that they will have to be accountable for the way that they live. What excuse will they give on judgment day? The message to be preached is: repent and convert from your evil ways, because if you do not leave them, there will be no more hope for you.

Who have you served: Baal or the Lord Jesus? Do not be deceived: just like the plague that came in Baal Peor struck only those contaminated by sin, the heavenly angels will also know how to separate the righteous from the lost.

When Jesus returns, the tares will be bound and thrown in the eternal fire to burn for all centuries. Do not wish to be one of these! Return your eyes to the Most High!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares