It seems hardly a week passes by without a new church scandal—some well-respected ministry leader, trusted pastor, or faithful voice in Christian media caught in sin. It’s heartbreaking. Devastating even.

Though some are quick to cast stones with “I knew it” or “I’m not surprised,” countless others are shocked into silence, neither condemning nor protecting these fallen shepherds. However, the wisest and maturest among us aren’t silent. They remind the rest of us, “But for the grace of God go we.” In other words, all of us are susceptible to the temptations of this world, the flaming arrows of the Evil One, and the relentless appetites of our flesh. It’s only because of God’s work within that any of us can stand from day to day.

The Bible itself is riddled with accounts of God’s people falling prey to the seductions of this world’s pleasures. Samson followed after his sizable lusts from early on, only coming to his senses in the final act of his life. King David, a man God lauded as someone “who always pursues my heart” (Acts 13:22 TPT; see also 1 Samuel 13:14), famously committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband murdered to cover his tracks. Even wise Solomon was led astray by his foreign wives and worshiped the false gods of his day.

Perhaps the most flagrant example of God’s people being enticed into sin can be found in the book of Numbers, from the period of Israel’s sojourn in the wilderness under Moses’ leadership:

“While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. So Israel yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor. And the LORD’s anger burned against them.”

Numbers 25:1–3 NIV

This was the generation that crossed the Red Sea on dry ground (see Exodus 14:21–22), ate miraculous manna day after day (see Exodus 16:13–22), and drank water from a rock (see Exodus 17:1–7). They followed the angel of Yahweh in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (see Exodus 13:21). At Sinai, they made a covenant to obey the Lord and be his people. Yet, when beautiful women made themselves sexually available to the men of Israel, the men allowed their own sinful desires to rule over them.

Things were so bad that one of Aaron’s grandsons, a man named Phinehas, followed an Israelite man and his Moabite mistress into a tent and plunged a spear through them both—and God approved (see Numbers 25:6–11)! For generations afterward, mention of the Moabites conjured images of Israel’s gross sin in the wilderness.

The men of Israel proved that it takes more than a connection to the Lord to avoid being enticed by sin. What’s saddest about the Israelites’ entanglement with the Moabite women is that, at the very beginning, when God first called Abram to follow him and become the father of his cherished people, God intended for Israel to influence the nations, not the other way around. God had said to Abram, “Through you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3 TPT). But rather than becoming a blessing and pointing the way to grace and truth, there in the wilderness, God’s people were as sinful and self-indulgent as the nations they were supposed to influence. Rather than displaying the hope they had in Yahweh, the men of Israel dashed their hope against a rock to partake of the passing pleasures of this world. In this way, they showed their professed hope was no hope at all.

But years later, an Israelite would get another chance to show where the nation’s hope was placed, and in a simple act of trust, this Israelite enticed a Moabite to faith, fulfilling God’s good intention for his people. This act was a great reversal of the Israelites’ sin at Shittim.

Naomi wasn’t exactly full of sunshine and joy—not exactly an influencer, as our modern world would define the term. In fact, she told everyone to call her a name meaning “bitter” (see Ruth 1:20) because of all she had endured. When there was a famine in Israel, her husband, Elimelech, had taken Naomi and their two sons to the land of Moab. While there, Elimelech and the two sons died, leaving Naomi to grieve with her two daughters-in-law, Moabite women whom her boys had married. So, to recap, faced with starvation, Naomi was taken far from her home and family to seek refuge in a foreign land, and while she survived the famine, she lost everything. It would be fair to say she was angry with the Lord.

As bitter as she was, there was still something attractive about Naomi’s spirit, for when Naomi decided to return to the land of Israel, one of her daughters-in-law—Ruth—couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her. What was it that enticed Ruth to leave her people, her gods, and her home? It was Naomi’s faith. You see, Ruth didn’t merely pledge herself to Naomi; she pledged herself to Naomi’s God:

“Your people will now be my people, and your God will now be my God.”

Ruth 1:16 TPT

While the Bible doesn’t tell us what the conversations between Naomi and Ruth were like prior to their trek back to Judah, it seems Naomi spoke about Yahweh and the amazing things he had done for Israel. More than that, when Naomi was in desperate need, she turned to the Lord, setting her face toward the land where his presence dwelled, to the nation he promised to bless. Though she was bitter, she had her hope fixed squarely on God. And Ruth was attracted to this hope. She couldn’t get enough of it. She wanted it for herself.

Like Naomi, you may not have it all together. You may be dealing with bitterness and grief. It may have been so long since you’ve heard from the Lord that you’ve started to wonder if your prayers are making it past the ceiling. But if you have an ember of hope in your heart because you know who the Lord is and what he has promised, then you have what it takes to be a light to the nations—to your friends and family, coworkers and neighbors.

For far too long, too many of us have allowed ourselves to be seduced by this world. But it’s time to drive a spear through that nonsense and remember the source of our hope. When we become a people of hope—true and living hope—we’ll shine so brightly that the world will come looking for what we have. We will be like the city on a hilltop that Jesus talked about (see Matthew 5:14), and people won’t be able to stay away.