The connection between the opening of the Haftarah—“And the remnant of Yaakov shall be among many peoples... who do not place their hope in man nor rely upon human beings”—and the conclusion of Parshas Balak requires explanation.
The Haftarah speaks about the beginning of the future redemption. At that stage, evil will not yet have been entirely eliminated; therefore wars and undesirable conditions will still exist. The preparation for the complete redemption is the quality of bitachon—absolute trust in Hashem—expressed by the words, “who do not place their hope in man.”
The Divine intention is to refine the natural order, not to abolish it. In other words, a person must make use of natural means and channels, but these means should not be regarded as having independent significance. One utilizes them only because this is the will of Hashem.
This is the connection to Baal Peor. Chassidic teachings explain that the spiritual root of Baal Peor—whose worship involved degrading physical behavior—is the attribution of importance to physical pleasures, which are merely the residue of a much higher spiritual delight. When a person grants undue importance to material pleasures, he becomes immersed in physical desires.
The beginning of this entire process is giving independent importance to the workings of nature.
This also explains the connection to the situation of the Jewish people immediately before entering the Land of Israel. During their years in the wilderness, they lived under an openly miraculous system. Upon entering the Land, however, they would begin to live within the framework of nature.
The lesson they needed at that moment was that nature possesses no independent reality whatsoever.
The Lesson
A Jew should live in the state described by the verse, “He does not place his hope in man.” He should not attribute independent importance to natural means or circumstances. His trust should be directed solely to Hashem.
When a person lives with such bitachon, he is redeemed from anxiety, worry, and fear. Through this personal redemption, one advances toward the ultimate and general redemption—the complete Geulah.