THE REALITY IS that sex is everywhere promoted and flaunted and paraded in our homes and streets. But sex is not the problem. Sensuality is. Sex is being exalted by sensuality. Corrupted and offered without restraint, sex is nothing more than something you do - like getting ice cream or a value meal, i.e. there’s a ton of options and they’re all cheap. Yet, sex is created by God. Sex is good. Sex is holy, an act set apart by God for a specific time and purpose. But like all that God has created, sin has distorted the act and purpose of sex. God is clear that when a man and woman are married, sex is not only then permitted, but is to be enjoyed fully. The banks of a river are not just to hold back destruction, like a flood, but to also ensure that the river be a constant source of life and growth. God’s boundaries for sex are both to prevent and to enable, to protect and to nourish. But sensuality promotes sex without boundaries. It’s false advertising of the worse kind. Sensuality erodes away the beauty of sex. It gnaws away at a right understanding of sex. What is left is sex disfigured, twisted and far from God’s design for it. As Christians we rejoice in all that God has made, remembering that when God creates something He also designs how it will live and flourish. In other words, we cannot take away or add to God’s design for sex, otherwise it dies. Today, the danger is that the church, the Christian, can begin to entertain sensuality and as a result give in to it and be shaped by it in understanding and practice.
In Numbers 25:1-3 we see that Israel was enticed by the women of Moab and eventually began to fornicate with them. This also amounted to spiritual adultery since Israel began to worship another god named Baal. But this process of being seduced by sensuality occurred in three phases.
1. Israel entertained an invitation by Moab to the sacrifices of their gods.
2. Israel sat down to eat with them
3. Israel bowed down to their gods
First, Israel began to share in the desires of Moab. (Numbers 25:2) They began to exchange their desires for others. Sin is deceptive, always attempting to get you to think that the pursuit of holiness and righteousness is empty and pointless. For example, there are always new fads, the new thing, that everyone wants to collect. Someone wants this thing in the worst way, diligently saving their money in order to purchase it. But if this desire is a craving or a lust as soon as that thing is held in your hand satisfaction slips from your grasp. All your left with is this thing. You actually dislike it now! You want the next best thing or you want to trade what you have for something that you think is better.
This is also seen in the story of Amnon and Tamar. Amnon is David’s son and loves his sister Tamar. But he doesn’t love her in the sense that he wants what is best for her. He loves her in the sense that he desires her sexually. Amnon ends up being consumed by his lust and after deceiving Tamar he rapes her. Listen to what the Bible says happened next: “Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her.” (2 Samuel 13:15) The object Amnon loved and desired he now hated and could not look at. This is sensuality. It was in the same way that Israel began to love (or desire) the Moabite women. What they were being offered was attractive and was beginning to both satisfy their sinful desires and grow those desires beyond being satisfied.
Second, Israel begin to succumb to the desires of Moab. (Numbers 25:2) The moment sensuality can get you to accept it’s invitation to consider sex outside of the God-given context, that thought has been planted into your mind. It begins to grow toward bearing fruit. Sensuality begins in the dark when one entertains cravings and lusts, fantasies and thoughts. If such feelings and thoughts are welcomed in they begin to spread across the heart and mind. This is similar in my mind to mold. I’m allergic to it. I can tell by my breathing that I am near mold. Most of the time, though, I can’t see it. It’s hidden somewhere dark and damp. Those who begin to succumb and surrender to sensual thoughts begin to show it in their treatment of others, primarily the opposite sex. Their spiritual life suffers as it is choked by sin. Yet, they refuse to bring their sin out of the dark and into the light. Light and heat does wonders for someone allergic to mold! So the light and heat of repentance and confession does wonders for someone battling sensual thoughts.
Practically, it’s usually when you are alone that sensual thoughts come knocking on the door of your heart. When that happens pull open the curtains, let the sunlight in. Walk out into the daylight. Or if it's night, turn on all the lights in the room you're in, and maybe even in the surrounding rooms. Do something that enables light to shine. This helps the mind and heart to chase away the dark thoughts of sensuality. If we don’t keep sensuality away from our hearts, sensuality will keep our hearts away from God and others. It will manifest itself sooner or later. Jesus teaches this in Mark 7:21: sensuality comes from out of the heart. When Israel exchanged desires with Moab, Moab’s desires became Israel’s and began to manifest in Israel's willingness to sit down and eat with the Moabites. This was a step toward outwardly committing a sin that had already been inwardly committed in the heart. At this point the battle was lost. We should not even entertain sensuality’s invitation to think it’s thoughts, because if we do we will next find ourselves sitting at it’s table as it lays out a feast for us. Most Christians think that the battle is lost when they sin, but most don’t realize that the battle is lost when they succumb to sinful desires by choosing to entertain them in a darkened mind. Run towards the light.
Third, Israel was shaped by it’s desires. (Numbers 25:2-3) The desires that were Moab’s became Israel’s desires now. Their lifestyle changed. Bad company corrupts good character and one’s character is seen in everything he or she does. Many want to blame others for their sin and the consequence of their sin. But in reality they’re reaping what they’ve sown into their character. If we go back to the story of Amnon, we find that Amnon was tormented because he did not know what do with his sensual, unstoppable desires. 2 Samuel 13:3 says, “But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab...” From Jonadab, Amnon received counsel outlining how he could get what he wanted. But what kind of friend is this?! The raping of Tamar was the result of Amnon sowing into his character the advice of his friend Jonadab. What friends do you have? Sin is not your friend. Satan is not your friend. Sensuality is not your friend. But yet, do you run to these? Do you let them give you ungodly counsel and do you then receive it?
We see that Israel bowed down to other gods by their own choosing. They were not forced to worship Baal. They did so knowingly and willingly because they had surrendered themselves to sensuality and now sensuality had given birth to sin in their lives. Not only were they committing spiritual adultery, but in their idolatry they were also committing fornication. Throughout the Bible their is a strong connection between idolatry and fornication. Whereas the worship of the true and living God brings holiness, purity, right understanding and right thinking regarding sex, false worship of another god brings the total opposite. Paul makes this clear throughout the first chapter of Romans.
Notice also, that now Israel is parading itself and flaunting itself sexually, for this is what sensuality does - sex becomes the object of uncontrolled lust. They are openly engaged with Moab in joint worship of Baal. For this God judges them by sending a plague and 24,000 die. Sensuality has deceived and killed it’s thousands. Our lifestyles are shaped by our desires. Our desires rule our hearts.
Today, as represented by two men in this story, each of us will respond to sensuality in one of two ways:
1.) While all Israel is weeping for sorrow, a man named Zimri strolls through the Israelite camp with a woman. In plain view of Moses and Israel, before the Tent of Meeting Zimri committs fornication in his tent. This is the epitome of sin: to commit sin before a God we know has commanded us to not sin. I am sure that what Zimri did in broad daylight was a result of what he had been doing in the dark for a long time.
2.) There was another man named Phinehas. He was zealous for God and the glory of God in Israel. As he watched Zimri enter his tent with the woman, Phineas became jealous with God’s jealousy (Numbers 25:10-11). Taking his spear he followed them into the tent, pierced Zimri and the woman and killed them. (Numbers 25:7-8) This is graphic. This is sin. Zimri died joined together with his sin. So it is for many given over to sensuality and it’s insatiable appetite: they will be devoured. They cannot get enough of their sin as Satan cannot get enough of his victims. But Phinehas was blessed by God because of his jealousy. God’s covenant blessing of peace rested not only upon him, but also upon his descendants. (Numbers 25:12-13)
By which man are we represented?
Have we begun to entertain sensuality and share in it’s desires? Are we sitting at it’s table, delighting in the feast before our eyes, succumbing to temptation? Are we shaped by it, bowing and worshipping it’s god, sex? We need to know the story of Israel and Zimri and learn to be like Phinehas. This culture is a Zimri-like culture, therefore we need a Phinehas-like Church. We need to be those who will not entertain or share in sensual desires. We need to be those who will not succumb and surrender to sensual thoughts and images. We need to be those who will not bow down to sensuality or be shaped by “friendly” advice. We will either be cursed like Zimri or be blessed like Phinehas.
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