Num 33:50-56 And the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit. But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.”
God had a special role for the nation of Israel regarding the people of Canaan. He used them as a unique instrument of judgment against the Canaanites. Israel was not to tolerate a co-existence with the depraved idolatry and immorality of the Canaanites, which included even human sacrifice. “No false pity or selfish motive was to operate in such fashion as to leave any corrupting influence behind. The unequivocal command to drive out all, was based on the tenderest regard of God for the well-being of the chosen people, and through them, the whole [human] race.” God’s intent was not only to bring judgment on the corrupt culture of the Canaanites but also to give the land to Israel to possess. If Israel failed to drive the Canaanites out of the land, they could still occupy the Promised Land. However, the idolatry and immorality of the Canaanites would find a place among Israel and be a source of constant trouble and irritation.
It shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them: This warning was eventually fulfilled in Israel’s history. Though they possessed the land, they did not fully drive out the Canaanites or destroy their influence. By following the Canaanite idolatry and immorality, eventually God drove Israel out of the land in exile.
The abiding spiritual principle teaches us that it is of no use for the church to succeed in the eyes of man – as Israel had succeeded when they occupied the land and became a legitimate nation, instead of an enslaved people – if it merely allows the corrupt practices and attitudes of the Canaanites to take root among God’s people. If, spiritually speaking, a similar thing happens among God’s people today, they should expect to be eventually driven from their place of apparent success or influence. (Guzik)
Do you ever give thought to cultural influences in the church today in the name of tolerance or co-existence or acceptance? People who live lukewarm to God’s Word and things of God will find it comforting to be a body that embraces cultural acceptance of sins and lifestyles that clearly defy God’s Word and expectations from those whom Jesus died to redeem. Being tolerant of sins and not calling them out as sins, but rather trying to make room in God-honoring lives for those with alternative lifestyles and ideas of what it means to follow and obey God.
When there is no concern or thoughts of the sinfulness of sin in the light of the holiness of God people will become blind to things of God and drift through life on the waves of cultural norms whenever they present themselves. There used to be a time when pastors would call out cultural norms for what they were. There was a time when:
Divorce was considered a bad thing and it was sin
LGBQT was just called homosexuality and it was sin
Abortion was the murder of babies and it was sin
Working on Sunday and not having a day of rest “In the Lord” was sin.
Not working when jobs were available was sin
Pornography was sin
History was studied not abolished
The Church met on Sunday mornings, Sunday nights, Wednesday nights, and numerous home bible studies during the week. It was a community of believers that met, prayed, studied the Word of God, and encouraged holy living.
Movies and TV shows promote of sinful acts were made known and avoided
Home visitation by the elders and pastor was common
Knowing what is either right or wrong in the eyes of God is very good to know and essential for a believer to identify the things of this world that are creeping into the Church. When the Word of God is not cherished, desired, or studied the minds of people will be led by the influences of “Cultural Norms”. Soon the believer is weakened and the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit fall on deaf ears. They are just content with being born-again believers with very little growth or knowledge and understanding of the things of God. They are confused by those who defend sinful life choices and styles and find it easier to be non-committed one way or the other towards them. Clearly, a charismatic speaker can persuade those who are weak and lukewarm in their commitment to honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ to think a sinful act is acceptable.
I find this to be true – social media, news outlets, TV, and the busyness of life have eroded the hearts and minds of believers. These have watered down and diluted if not washed away what it means to be godly, holy, faithful, and committed. I am not saying that spending time on social media, listening to news outlets, or watching TV is all bad. However, when there is a lack of desire for growth and understanding of God’s Word so that you can better live in such a way that honors and glorifies Jesus Christ in all of your thoughts, words, and actions, then the cultural norms will become more and more acceptable. Sin becomes tolerated because right and wrong are allowed to co-mingle.
How is a person to gain understanding and knowledge of the things of God and what is pleasing in His sight if there is only but a weak commitment to it while at the same time, their lives are being filled with whatever is the new cultural norm being proclaimed? How is a person to hear the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit when their time is being occupied and filled with whatever the culture (social media, news outlets, and TV) deems important for the day? It would be far better for a believer to shut these influences out of their lives. I wonder if your TV and internet were broken and you could not afford to get another one for 6 months if anything would really change in your life by not having listened? I am pretty sure life would go on and you might even find time for God’s Word and things of God. You might talk more as a family. You might spend more time attentive to your family. You might spend time with friends. You might get more things done around the house. Children might find time to read.
The lives of believers are being too easily influenced by cultural norms because?????????
