WE ARE ORDERED TO BE SEPARATE
There is a reason why God has ordered us to be separated from the world in which we live.
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord (harmony) hath Christ with Belial? (Satan) or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 2 Corinthians 6: 14-18
Not only are we are ordered to be separated from things of this world, we are also ordered not to be yoked with them.
The word yoke or yoked has some very interesting meanings:
- A yoke is a fitting that would be placed around the neck of one or more animals like an ox for example. This fitting is placed around the neck of the animal or animals so that together, they could pull loads such as a cart or a plough.
- Sometimes a yoke would be symbolic of being in captivity or under slavery or bondage like in Leviticus 26:13 when God said:
I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.
- In Matthew 11:29-30 – Jesus once used the word yoke in a very special way when He said:
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
What this means is that when we obey our Saviour we can rest assured in the knowledge that our cares and burdens of this life are shared with Him and they become less of a worry to us with Him. Jesus is talking about the fact that only He can give rest from heavy burdens and sorrows.
- Have you heard the expression? A joy shared is doubled but a burden shared is halved.
- This is the idea of us taking the yoke that Jesus provides.
- The opposite of that, is sharing our troubles and burdens with what the world provides.
- We either go to the Lord or we go to the world.
- I know whom I would choose!
Another important word which I have high-lighted in bold and which is repeated 5 times in our verses from 2 Corinthians is the word What….
Make a careful note of this word!
- What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?
- What communion hath light with darkness?
- What concord or harmony hath Christ with *Belial?
- What part hath he that believeth, with an infidel?
- What agreement hath the temple of God with idols
*Belial – is used as a name of Satan. It is translated ‘wicked’ in Deuteronomy 15:9 and also means a worthless, lawless person.
By telling or ordering us to be separated,God does not leave us on our own, to fend for ourselves.He tells us in v16 that we are the temple of the Living God. And then He provides us with the most wonderful assurances and promises we could ever imagine.
Make a note of the following wonderful promises:
- I will dwell in them.
- I will walk in them.
- I will be their God.
- They SHALL be my people.
There are even more wonderful promises, because in v17 we are given the ORDER!
- To come out.
- To be separate.
- To touch not.
And then in v18 we are given the OUTCOME!
- God will receive us.
- He will be a Father to us.
- We shall be His sons and daughters.
Make a note of these two words:
- ORDER – what we must do
- OUTCOME – what God will do
They are wonderful! Obedience to God’s Word leads to an outcome, the likes of which only our Heavenly Father could ensure. Thanks be to God!