Peer Pressure, Majority Pressure, and Powerful Influencers
The Jews were a
people who stood out significantly among other peoples and nations. Their very identity was wrapped up on not
being like others in their belief in only one God, not having idols
representing gods, avoiding any religious syncretism, not conforming to their
sexual ethics, limiting themselves to certain foods, being circumcised, and
maintaining certain, identifiably unique practices. Of the last, we might mention Jewish holy
days and festivals, opposition to enslaving fellow Jews, and their own legal
system in general that sometimes reflected Ancient Near Eastern laws and often
did not. They were a unique people.
Being so
different, Jews faced pressure to conform when they found themselves in the
presence of other groups. A polytheistic
theology is far more accommodating than Jewish monotheism. The challenge of having special food laws is
mentioned in Daniel 1. Daniel’s refusal
to discontinue his prayers to God landed him in the lion’s den, and his friends’
refusal to worship the king’s image landed them in the fiery furnace. Not conforming could have consequences.
The pressure to
conform might not carry consequences.
Just being different could be enough pressure on its own. Such pressure could come from a small circle
of peers, or it could come from the majority in a given culture. It could be a pressure others place on the
individual, or it could be a pressure that the individual himself or herself
feels. When the Greek Seleucids ruled Israel
and Jason purchased the high priesthood from the king, the majority of people
abandoned Jewish customs and law for Greek culture. Some young men went about in Greek hats and hid
their circumcision so that they could be comfortable in the new fad of going to
the gymnasia (Josephus, Antiquities 12.240-241;
2 Maccabees 4.11-12). The high priest’s
influence, not just pressure from the majority, was crucial in this abandonment
of Jewish identity.
Israel’s
identity was distinct in the context of other nations, but the righteous of
Israel were typically a minority within the land. This is well illustrated in the case of the 8th
c. BC prophet of the northern kingdom, Elijah.
When Elijah complained to God that he was the only devout person left in
Israel who had not worshipped Baal, God replied that He had reserved for
Himself 7,000 (1 Kings 19.18). The
influence of the foreign Queen Jezebel, a great proponent of Baal worship, on
her husband, King Ahab, and the two together on the majority of Israelites,
brought about the famous encounter between Elijah and God on the one side and
the prophets of Baal and Asherah on the other side on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings
18). Influence and majority pressure go
a long way in turning the hearts of people from the truth and godliness.
In the Southern
Kingdom, King Josiah brought reform to the syncretistic religious practices in Judah. Even the temple was compromised. Baal worship was incorporated into the
worship of Yahwh. Houses for male cult
prostitutes associated with the worship of Baal in the temple itself were
removed (2 Kings 23.7). Yet Israel’s
fate was sealed, and just a few decades later, Judah was conquered by the
Babylonians. In various prophetic
messages, Ezekiel explained God’s rejection of His people over their continuous
defilement with other religions and ethical practices (cf. ch. 16, 20). Jeremiah says, ‘I made the whole house of
Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the LORD, that they
might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not
listen’ (13.11).
One of the great
themes throughout the Old Testament is that of standing against the pressure of
the group to follow God. Whether
pressure from a group of peers, pressure from the majority, pressure from other
peoples, or pressure from a person with power (kings and queens, prophets,
priests, etc.), God’s people are to stand firm and remain true to Him. The lesson learned from the Old Testament is
stated by Jesus, when He said that ‘the gate is wide and the way is easy that
leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many’ (Matthew 7.13). The way leading to life, on the other hand,
is a way that stands against the pressures of others. It’s gate is narrow and its way is hard (v.
14).
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