Numbers 5:4
“And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp: as the LORD spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel.”
Profiling seems to be a dirty word in our politically correct society, but if you fly as much as I do, you don’t mind if the security agents profile people. It’s always amazing how granny, who is in a wheelchair and has a hard time standing, is pulled aside to be checked to see if she is carrying a weapon. I certainly understand an older person could be used, but there are other people who are more likely to hurt others than granny.
In the verse above, God used profiling to protect the children of Israel from disease. God commanded Moses to put those who had leprosy outside the camp. This may seem inhumane and cruel, but for the sake of the health of every other Israelite, profiling had to be done. Whenever they saw the signs of leprosy, they were brought to the priest who declared whether they were clean or if they should be put outside the camp. This is nothing short of profiling.
However, we miss a valuable truth that everyone needs to learn if they want to avoid heartache in life. Leprosy is a type of sin. Just as the children of Israel were commanded to profile those who looked like they might have leprosy, we also should profile those who live lives of sin.
Our self preservation is a form of profiling, and God gave us that instinct. For instance, you profile drug addicts to protect your child from drugs. You profile certain places of town to stay away from because of the crime and sin that is rampant in that areas. You even profile dangerous animals. It is part of the self preservation instinct God gives each person so they don’t get hurt. If you are going to keep yourself from heartache, then you must profile your way through life.
Parents, there is nothing wrong with profiling your children’s friends. A good parent will be very involved in choosing their child’s friends. The greatest thing that will lead your child down the wrong pathway of life is wrong friends. As a parent, it is your responsibility to profile those around your children so you can tell them who they should avoid. There is nothing wrong with this, it is simply protecting your children from heartache.
As a Christian, you should profile the preachers to whom you listen. There are some preachers who are taking you a wrong direction, and you should keep yourself and your family away from those who will cause you to compromise. Just because they carry the title of a preacher does not always mean you should follow them. Find out what they believe and with whom they associate, and you will determine whether you should follow that preacher.
Friend, if you are going to avoid sin and heartache in life, then you must learn to profile your way through life. For those who don’t like it when others profile, let me simply say that it wouldn’t bother you if you were doing what you are supposed to do. Profiling is God’s tool given to every person to help us to stay away from that which would hurt us. I encourage you to use it so that you can warn those whom you love, and so that you will know with whom you should and should not spend time.