Don’t Give In To Peer Pressure

Have you ever felt outnumbered, in your opinion? That doesn’t mean your opinion is right or wrong; it just means that it is what you believe to be true. Too many times, we can be swayed to change what we think because of others.

If you’ve ever served on a jury, you know that everyone must agree on the verdict. A jury consists of 6 or 12 people, and it can be hard, if not impossible, for that many people to agree on anything. When you see a jury taking days to come to a decision, that means you have a disagreement, and each side is trying to convince the other that they are the ones who are right.

If you have 10 people who are all in agreement and 2 who have a different opinion, there might be some heated exchanges. Everyone wants to go home, and they are tired from days spent in the courtroom. The 10 would be putting a lot of pressure on the 2 holdouts to change their minds. Depending on what the court case is about, the decision made in that room can be disastrous for someone, so it isn’t a decision to take lightly.

There was a time in the Bible when 10 men had an opinion, and 2 had a different one. The outcome of those opinions turned out to be disastrous for thousands, if not millions. In Exodus, the Israelites had been wandering in the desert for many years. They were finally close to the Promised Land, and the Lord told Moses to send out 12 men to report on what they saw.

Numbers 13:2 NIV

² “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.”

These weren’t random men that Moses walked by and tapped on the shoulder. They were leaders for each of the tribes, so they were all thought of highly, and their opinions probably carried a lot of weight with each tribe.

When the 12 men returned from seeing the Promised Land, they came back carrying some grapes. These grapes were sooo big that it took two men to carry them. While the land looked great and the fruit was unbelievable, they also reported on the people who dwelled there. They were huge, and according to 10 of the men, the Israelites looked like grasshoppers next to them.

But Caleb, one of the men who went into the Promised Land, said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” He showed no fear of the giants that he had seen and was willing to go right away to take possession of the land.

Joshua and Caleb tried to reason with the Israelites to no avail. It seams the Israelites had forgotten what the Lord said previously when He said, “which I am giving to the Israelites.” The Lord didn’t say that He might give them the land, He said He was giving it to them.

Numbers 14:6-9 NIV

⁶ Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes ⁷ and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. ⁸ If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. ⁹ Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”

When you go against the flow, you can anger a lot of people. In this case, Caleb and Joshua were threatened with stoning. But, the Lord intervened and cast His judgment on the ones who lacked faith.

Numbers 14:30-35 NIV

³⁰ Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. ³¹ As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. ³² But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. ³³ Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. ³⁴ For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ ³⁵ I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.”

Out of the 12 men who went into the Promised Land, only Caleb and Joshua had the faith to believe the Lord for the promise that He gave them. They were the only two who got to inhabit the Promised Land. Because the 10 other men lacked faith, a whole generation of Israelites missed out on the land that the Lord had for them. Their children had to stay in the desert for 40 years because of their unbelief.

Two men versus ten men, that was the difference. Standing your ground can be hard, but if you know deep down in your heart that you are right, don’t give in to peer pressure. Your decision can make a big difference in your life and those who come after you.

To GOD Goes The Glory!

Have A Blessed Day!