Category Archives: Holy / Set Apart

False Prophets / Teachers, Help / Serve Others, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy / Set Apart, Hypocrisy, Jesus (hearing from God), Lying / Deceiving, Obeying God

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Often appearances can be deceiving. We may be impressed by someone’s outer appearance as they say long prayers or receive respectful greetings, but what are they really like? Not everyone who gives the appearance of following God and loving others truly does so. In fact, sometimes, they are complete hypocrites.

Mark 12:38-40

     38In His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, 39and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, 40who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.”

Do not focus too much on the appearance someone may portray that makes them look important. Seek instead to judge them by their actions and motives. A pastor of a large church may seem impressive in his slick suit and big smile, but is he teaching scripture correctly or is he just tickling peoples ears with what they want to hear so he can feel important and popular and respected?

Not only should we pay attention to this scripture as we seek to identify genuine leaders from false ones, but also we must challenge ourselves to focus on what is important to God rather than just putting up good appearances before people… lest we be the ones who receive greater condemnation.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Controlling Thoughts, Holy / Set Apart, Peace / Rest

Dwell On These Things

I have heard it said… “You are what you eat”. To a certain extent, there is some truth to this statement, so long as you don’t take it too literally. What we eat, whether good and nutritious or poisonous or just unhealthy, affects our health and our personal condition physically. So too, one could say… “You are what you think about”. If we focus on temptation and sinful thoughts, we will be drawn toward that behavior. If we focus on what is good and honorable, then that, too, will shape our attitudes and behaviors. Let us make conscious and deliberate effort to control our thoughts as we are instructed by the holy scripture.

Philippians 4:8

8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

When we focus on these things, we can indeed gain much peace from God. We can focus on His blessings rather than our challenges and trials. We focus on His love even in difficult times. Our thoughts affect our whole attitude and even lead to influencing our behaviors. Do not accept that you can not influence or control your thoughts. Instead make a conscious choice to train yourself to focus on what is honorable, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise. It can transform you life!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Church / Body of Christ, Father / Yahweh, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Speaking, Through Prophets

Let Us Not Misuse What God Has Prepared For His Purposes

Jehovah expressed in great detail many practical aspects of how His people were to relate to Him. He was not random. He is intentional. Each detail has a purpose. We should take care to seek to understand His purpose and to apply it in our lives.

In Exodus 30, Jehovah reveals to Moses great detail in preparation of the anointing oil and incense for use in the tent of meeting. The anointing oil and incense were meant to symbolically make holy the tent of meeting. This means it symbolically shows that they are set apart for God’s use. They are special and not common. They have specific purpose. God demonstrated this should be done with excellence and great skill, not just throw together something that “smells nice”. God further insisted that it is not to be used for other common purposes. What He directed to be holy should not become common by being used for other purposes.

Exodus 30:22-38

The Anointing Oil

      22Moreover, the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23“Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane two hundred and fifty, 24and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. 25“You shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26“With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, 27and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand. 29“You shall also consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy. 30“You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me. 31“You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. 32‘It shall not be poured on anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in the same proportions; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33‘Whoever shall mix any like it or whoever puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people.’”

The Incense

      34Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each. 35“With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36“You shall beat some of it very fine, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. 37“The incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the LORD. 38“Whoever shall make any like it, to use as perfume, shall be cut off from his people.”

If God takes that much care in the detail of creating incense and oil, imagine how much more He is interested in how He creates each of us as beings made in His image! Imagine the great care and attention as He knits together our genetic code to make each of us completely unique in all the world.

Psalm 139:13-14

      13For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.

      14I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.

We each have different gifts and abilities and weaknesses. He has specific purpose for each of us. We are to seek it out and live it. We are to develop the skills He has given us and use them for His purposes rather than our own.

If your gift is to sing, then sing to the glory of God. If your gift is in administration, do so to the glory of God. You get the idea. We are to set ourselves apart for His use and His service rather than for our own purposes. Pray that He would help you identify the gifts He has given you and seek wise counsel from those you trust around you as well to understand what you are good at and what you are not.

Then seek to live your life as an offering to our heavenly Father, a sweet smelling aroma like finely crafted incense.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Holy, Holy / Set Apart

Holiness Matters To Jehovah

Holiness matters to Jehovah. To be holy is to be set aside to serve Jehovah. Consecration is a process He laid out by which we are made holy. In Exodus 29, our Father clearly demonstrates that the priesthood is not to be taken lightly. He created a specific ceremonial activity to consecrate Aaron and his sons to His priesthood. They were to take their role seriously, and so were the people they led.

This is a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ as He replaced the earthly priesthood and now serves as our high priest and intercessor with the Father. Jesus was and still remains holy, set aside for service to Jehovah.

Exodus 29

Consecration of the Priests

      1“Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them to minister as priests to Me: take one young bull and two rams without blemish, 2and unleavened bread and unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil; you shall make them of fine wheat flour. 3“You shall put them in one basket, and present them in the basket along with the bull and the two rams. 4“Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 5“You shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the tunic and the robe of the ephod and the ephod and the breastpiece, and gird him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod; 6and you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban. 7“Then you shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. 8“You shall bring his sons and put tunics on them. 9“You shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and bind caps on them, and they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute. So you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.

The Sacrifices

      10“Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. 11“You shall slaughter the bull before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 12“You shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar. 13“You shall take all the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and offer them up in smoke on the altar. 14“But the flesh of the bull and its hide and its refuse, you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.

      15“You shall also take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram; 16and you shall slaughter the ram and shall take its blood and sprinkle it around on the altar. 17“Then you shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head. 18“You shall offer up in smoke the whole ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to the LORD: it is a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.

      19“Then you shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. 20“You shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the lobes of his sons’ right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet, and sprinkle the rest of the blood around on the altar. 21“Then you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments and on his sons and on his sons’ garments with him; so he and his garments shall be consecrated, as well as his sons and his sons’ garments with him.

      22“You shall also take the fat from the ram and the fat tail, and the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them and the right thigh (for it is a ram of ordination), 23and one cake of bread and one cake of bread mixed with oil and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread which is set before the LORD; 24and you shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and shall wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. 25“You shall take them from their hands, and offer them up in smoke on the altar on the burnt offering for a soothing aroma before the LORD; it is an offering by fire to the LORD.

      26“Then you shall take the breast of Aaron’s ram of ordination, and wave it as a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be your portion. 27“You shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering which was waved and which was offered from the ram of ordination, from the one which was for Aaron and from the one which was for his sons. 28“It shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion forever from the sons of Israel, for it is a heave offering; and it shall be a heave offering from the sons of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, even their heave offering to the LORD.

      29“The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, that in them they may be anointed and ordained. 30“For seven days the one of his sons who is priest in his stead shall put them on when he enters the tent of meeting to minister in the holy place.

Food of the Priests

      31“You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place. 32“Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket, at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 33“Thus they shall eat those things by which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration; but a layman shall not eat them, because they are holy. 34“If any of the flesh of ordination or any of the bread remains until morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire; it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

      35“Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; you shall ordain them through seven days. 36“Each day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement, and you shall purify the altar when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to consecrate it. 37“For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it; then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.

      38“Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously. 39“The one lamb you shall offer in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; 40and there shall be one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering with one lamb. 41“The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it the same grain offering and the same drink offering as in the morning, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD. 42“It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. 43“I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be consecrated by My glory. 44“I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to minister as priests to Me. 45“I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God. 46“They shall know that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the LORD their God.

We are to take Jesus seriously as our high priest. It is not to be a casual relationship between ourselves and Him. He is holy and set aside for service to the Father. So too, we should take seriously the role of earthly teachers and ministers who are called to be holy, to be set aside for the service of the Father. In fact, all who disciple themselves after Jesus should set themselves apart to be used by Jehovah rather than just blending in to society “like everyone else”. To be holy is a good thing. We should all strive to be holy in our service to our Father. Seek to do things His way. Set yourself aside to serve Him rather than do things your own way. Pray for His guidance and support.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Creative, Father / Yahweh, Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Obeying God, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Approach Jehovah With Reverance And Respect

Our Father encourages us to approach Him with our thanks, our problems, our desires… just as a good earthly father does for his children. However, we should take note that He also values reverence and respect. While we are welcome to approach Him informally in honest and direct communication, let us not forget with whom we are speaking and listening.  He is the Creator of all things. Let us remember to hold Him in reverence and respect. He is holy and due glory and honor.

Exodus 28

Garments of the Priests

      1“Then bring near to yourself Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the sons of Israel, to minister as priest to Me—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. 2“You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3“You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to Me. 4“These are the garments which they shall make: a breastpiece and an ephod and a robe and a tunic of checkered work, a turban and a sash, and they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister as priest to Me. 5“They shall take the gold and the blue and the purple and the scarlet material and the fine linen.

      6“They shall also make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of the skillful workman. 7“It shall have two shoulder pieces joined to its two ends, that it may be joined. 8“The skillfully woven band, which is on it, shall be like its workmanship, of the same material: of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. 9“You shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, 10six of their names on the one stone and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, according to their birth. 11“As a jeweler engraves a signet, you shall engrave the two stones according to the names of the sons of Israel; you shall set them in filigree settings of gold. 12“You shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for a memorial. 13“You shall make filigree settings of gold, 14and two chains of pure gold; you shall make them of twisted cordage work, and you shall put the corded chains on the filigree settings.

      15“You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skillful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen you shall make it. 16“It shall be square and folded double, a span in length and a span in width. 17“You shall mount on it four rows of stones; the first row shall be a row of ruby, topaz and emerald; 18and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond; 19and the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; 20and the fourth row a beryl and an onyx and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree. 21“The stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel: twelve, according to their names; they shall be like the engravings of a seal, each according to his name for the twelve tribes. 22“You shall make on the breastpiece chains of twisted cordage work in pure gold. 23“You shall make on the breastpiece two rings of gold, and shall put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece. 24“You shall put the two cords of gold on the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece. 25“You shall put the other two ends of the two cords on the two filigree settings, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, at the front of it. 26“You shall make two rings of gold and shall place them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on the edge of it, which is toward the inner side of the ephod. 27“You shall make two rings of gold and put them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it close to the place where it is joined, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. 28“They shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it will be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece will not come loose from the ephod. 29“Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually. 30“You shall put in the breastpiece of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the LORD; and Aaron shall carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually.

      31“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32“There shall be an opening at its top in the middle of it; around its opening there shall be a binding of woven work, like the opening of a coat of mail, so that it will not be torn. 33“You shall make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material, all around on its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: 34a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around on the hem of the robe. 35“It shall be on Aaron when he ministers; and its tinkling shall be heard when he enters and leaves the holy place before the LORD, so that he will not die.

      36“You shall also make a plate of pure gold and shall engrave on it, like the engravings of a seal, ‘Holy to the LORD.’ 37“You shall fasten it on a blue cord, and it shall be on the turban; it shall be at the front of the turban. 38“It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall take away the iniquity of the holy things which the sons of Israel consecrate, with regard to all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.

      39“You shall weave the tunic of checkered work of fine linen, and shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash, the work of a weaver.

      40“For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics; you shall also make sashes for them, and you shall make caps for them, for glory and for beauty. 41“You shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him; and you shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve Me as priests. 42“You shall make for them linen breeches to cover their bare flesh; they shall reach from the loins even to the thighs. 43“They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they enter the tent of meeting, or when they approach the altar to minister in the holy place, so that they do not incur guilt and die. It shall be a statute forever to him and to his descendants after him.

Jehovah clearly values glory and beauty, but I do not believe it is just so He can feel important or appreciated. He cares most about our attitude when we come before Him. He reminds us as His people that we should not become complacent in our relationship with Him. Let us remember He is worthy of honor and respect. We are right to prepare ourselves before approaching His presence when at all practical… especially in our spirit and attitude. The outward appearance, clearly important from today’s scripture, is an outward reflection of our inward attitude toward our Father. Do we take Him so casually we can’t even be bothered to look nice and respectable when we come before Him? Do we always choose time to approach Him when we have nothing else to do or do we set aside planned time to enter into His presence and prepare? God wants us to come to Him even informally at times, but we should also remember to approach Him with consideration for the glory that is due.

Evaluate your attitudes and behaviors in coming into Jehovah’s presence whether it be personal prayer time or going to church to worship with other believers. Pray He would show you areas where you need to make changes to avoid complacency and truly show your love and respect for our heavenly Father through your preparation and attitude as you come into His presence.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Father / Yahweh, Hearing from God, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Prayer, Through Prophets, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Those Who Consecrate Themselves To His Purposes Will Draw Near To Him

Those who come closest to Jehovah are those consecrated to Him… that is to say dedicated and set aside for His use for His purposes. Jehovah reveals to us this truth through scripture as we see examples of those who dedicate themselves fully toward His purposes are often those whom He calls to serve as prophets or missionaries or leaders for His people. In Exodus, Jehovah calls forth Moses and Aaron, who are called to His purpose. He also calls for the priests to consecrate themselves, dedicating themselves to His purposes. The rest of the people remain at a greater distance from Him.

Exodus 19:18-25

The LORD Visits Sinai

      18Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. 19When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. 20The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 21Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. 22“Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, or else the LORD will break out against them.” 23Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds about the mountain and consecrate it.’” 24Then the LORD said to him, “Go down and come up again, you and Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, or He will break forth upon them.” 25So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Whether we discuss priests and prophets in scripture or those who follow Jehovah today, the principle is the same. Those of us who separate ourselves from the world and dedicate ourselves genuinely and wholeheartedly to our Creator will be allowed to see and experience more of Him. Those who refuse to die to their own desires and the ways of the world but claim to follow Him will remain at a distance from Him.

Prayerfully and humbly pray to Jehovah that He would help you to dedicate yourself to His purposes, surrendering your desires and preferences and living out His instead.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Character of God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Family, Hearing from God, Holy / Set Apart, Idols / False Gods, Obeying God, Thankfulness, Traditions / Holidays

Let Your Family Be Set Apart For God’s Purpose

We join Jacob and his family as they follow God’s instruction to move to Bethel in Genesis 35:1-8. Jacob had previously settled and remained among ungodly people. In His daughter, Dinah, was raped and then the man who did so came and asked for her in marriage as if his behavior was normal.  Jacob’s sons responded violently in Genesis 34. Now Jacob feared the people of the land would be hostile to him.

Jacob Moves to Bethel

      1Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; 3and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem.

      5As they journeyed, there was a great terror upon the cities which were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. 7He built an altar there, and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled from his brother. 8Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; it was named Allon-bacuth.

God personally replied to Jacob in his time of distress. God provided specific directions and Jacob, to his credit, obeyed. Jacob built an altar to show he was thankful to God. However we also see evidence of Jacob’s failure as head of his household.

2So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments

Jacob not only settled and remained among the pagans, putting his family at physical risk as we saw in Genesis 34, but he further had allowed his household to blend with the pagans putting them at spiritual risk. He did not keep them set apart for God, or holy. He was aware, or became aware, that they had foreign gods among them and needed purification. Why had he not taken notice and addressed this earlier? Why only now that they were leaving? Why only after Dinah had been raped?

We don’t know for sure, but I suspect that we are all at risk of rationalizing and accepting pagan practices that dishonor God. It starts by making excuses to accept that they are not bad or “not all bad”. Perhaps they seem “fun”. Then we may start to participate in some way. Then our household just starts to accept them. God does not want us to make excuses and rationalize why the pagan practices of the ungodly can be considered acceptable. He wants us to remain holy… set apart for His service and purpose.

We see insight into the character of God in this scripture as well. Despite his mistakes, Jacob was a man of faith and obeyed God’s direct instructions when he heard them. God protected Jacob and delivered his family to Bethel. God does not give up on us because we make mistakes. So long as we wholeheartedly seek Him and submit to Him, He will remain with us. What a merciful and loving God! Praise God for His patience in our weakness. However, as with Jacob’s family, we still face consequences for our mistakes.

Are there any idols or worldly activities that you are accepting in your family? Idols are not always statues, but may be other things like sports, money, fame, traditions, or other things we place in importance before God. Most of us immediately say we don’t do that, but look closely at how you spend our time, money, and talent. Is God really first? or do you just fit Him in once a week for church?

Separate from idols, false gods, and close relationships with ungodly people. Pray God would reveal to you what you need to purge from your family’s life now. Don’t wait until something bad happens as did to Dinah in Genesis 34. The decisions you make today may affect generations in your household to come.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

the way with scripture - for posts, medium 2

Adultery / Sex Outside Marriage, Children, Consequences of Sin, Holy / Set Apart, Parenting, Wickedness / Evil

Living Amongst Ungodly People Carries Great Risk

We continue with Jacob as he has settled his family in Shechem. He has grown in his relationship with God over many years, but the people of the land in which he settled did not know or fear God. Living amongst the ungodly carries risk and requires intentional safeguards to protect your family. We see in Genesis 34:1-31 where Jacob’s family experiences this the hard way.

      1Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land. 2When Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force. 3He was deeply attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her. 4So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this young girl for a wife.” 5Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; but his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob kept silent until they came in. 6Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. 7Now the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved, and they were very angry because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing ought not to be done.

      8But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter; please give her to him in marriage. 9“Intermarry with us; give your daughters to us and take our daughters for yourselves. 10“Thus you shall live with us, and the land shall be open before you; live and trade in it and acquire property in it.” 11Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, “If I find favor in your sight, then I will give whatever you say to me. 12“Ask me ever so much bridal payment and gift, and I will give according as you say to me; but give me the girl in marriage.”

      13But Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor with deceit, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. 14They said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us. 15“Only on this condition will we consent to you: if you will become like us, in that every male of you be circumcised, 16then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters for ourselves, and we will live with you and become one people. 17“But if you will not listen to us to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go.”

      18Now their words seemed reasonable to Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son. 19The young man did not delay to do the thing, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. Now he was more respected than all the household of his father. 20So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, 21“These men are friendly with us; therefore let them live in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters in marriage, and give our daughters to them. 22“Only on this condition will the men consent to us to live with us, to become one people: that every male among us be circumcised as they are circumcised. 23“Will not their livestock and their property and all their animals be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will live with us.” 24All who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and to his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

      25Now it came about on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came upon the city unawares, and killed every male. 26They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and went forth. 27Jacob’s sons came upon the slain and looted the city, because they had defiled their sister. 28They took their flocks and their herds and their donkeys, and that which was in the city and that which was in the field; 29and they captured and looted all their wealth and all their little ones and their wives, even all that was in the houses. 30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me odious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and my men being few in number, they will gather together against me and attack me and I will be destroyed, I and my household.” 31But they said, “Should he treat our sister as a harlot?”

You can clearly have a lively debate around the way in which Jacob’s sons responded. I am not endorsing their response, but they were right that the situation was not acceptable… that marrying Dinah to an ungodly man who remained unrepentant for his actions of raping her… and then intermarrying and blending their family with other ungodly people would be a big mistake. Ultimately we will see in Genesis 35 that Jacob and his family move away from this land to another at God’s instruction.

We are left to wonder… could this whole event have been prevented if Jacob would have shown greater wisdom in choosing where to settle, whether to remain there after he saw what the people were like, or perhaps prepared his children more effectively to recognize the risk and consequences of socializing and blending with these ungodly people. Only after much pain and suffering does Jacob finally determine that he needs to move his family.

We can likely infer from the text that Dinah did not seek permission from her father or brothers before going to “visit the daughters of the land”. Having reviewed several commentaries on this scripture at BibleHub.com, it may be reasonable to assume Dinah was between 12-16 years old. Knowing the land was ungodly, it seems unlikely that Jacob would send her out without guard or escort. We can also clearly see from scripture that her brothers were very protective of her. Likely Dinah sneaked out without permission to go see what the local culture was like and to watch and learn about the women of the land.

Dinah, like most girls or young women, was safest amongst a loving family. Her curiosity to socialize with the pagans around her and learn their ways led her out of safety into harm, ultimately putting her whole family at risk.

Much of the world pushes for multiculturalism, for blending many cultures together as if it is a virtue. It is not. God wants us to be pure and holy, set apart for God, living according to His word and rejecting other wrong ways of living. To invite blending and socializing with those who do not know God… who reject God or worship false gods… is a big mistake and carries great risk. Whether it is a direct violent act that my occur, as with Dinah, or just taking focus away from doing things God’s ways and instead doing things like the ungodly do… the damage can be significant. Often efforts to blend cultures basically teach children that all ways are fine, and they do not need to do things the right way… God’s way. This ultimately separates them from God.

Today in the US and much of Europe, many push for mass immigration of those who reject Judeo-Christian values and come with such a violence in the name of their religion that they refuse to assimilate, but rather commit many acts of violence on others. They have no respect for those who do not share their false religion. God wants us to be separate from them in order to be holy and set apart for God.

The United States of America was founded as a nation with Christian values by Christians seeking to worship the true God freely. Continuous blending with non believers has not been a strength, but rather a source of degradation of the moral character of the nation over hundreds of years. Our nation is more and more unrecognizable for its proper application of Christian values. It is truly a blend of ungodly customs and culture even among many who profess to be Christian. As a nation, we have forgotten what it really means to follow Christ by submitting our lives to Him.

Many cry out for the need to socialize, randomly, your children with others in public schools and other forums. God never wanted us to be so careless with our children. Instead, carefully choose to whom, to what, and in what controlled situations you expose your children to those you do not know well. Most in our nation do not live according to what the Bible teaches and seem to feel compelled to pull others away from Biblical truth toward popular cultural so as to feel comfortable living that way themselves.

Children are a great gift. Take good care of them and protect them. Teach them why you expose them or protect them from certain things. Make sure you have open communication to help them understand more than the rules but also the reasons and possible consequences. Do not keep them in an imaginary world in which you tell them everyone is nice and good and nothing bad happens. It is not true and it sets them up to make poor decisions and to be hurt. We can only speculate, but perhaps Dinah would have made a better decision if she understood more clearly and bluntly what the risks were of seeking to “visit” a pagan culture of people who have no fear of God.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Blessed, Character of God, Family, Hearing from God, Holy / Set Apart, Justice / Judgment, Righteousness / Serving God

Submit To God’s Will And He Will Direct Your Path

Genesis 29 continues while Jacob is on his journey escaping from his brother Esau and seeking his uncle Laban to find a wife from his own people, one that does not practice the detestable worship of the Hittites as did the wives of Esau. God revealed himself to Jacob in a dream in Genesis 28 and Jacob committed to following and serving God.

We see that, with God’s help, Jacob had no trouble finding his uncle immediately upon arriving in the land. God clearly appears to be guiding the events to help Jacob. God keeps His promises, and the blessings of God are real and significant.

29 Then Jacob hurried on, finally arriving in the land of the east. 2 He saw a well in the distance. Three flocks of sheep and goats lay in an open field beside it, waiting to be watered. But a heavy stone covered the mouth of the well.

3 It was the custom there to wait for all the flocks to arrive before removing the stone and watering the animals. Afterward the stone would be placed back over the mouth of the well. 4 Jacob went over to the shepherds and asked, “Where are you from, my friends?”

“We are from Haran,” they answered.

5 “Do you know a man there named Laban, the grandson of Nahor?” he asked.

“Yes, we do,” they replied.

6 “Is he doing well?” Jacob asked.

“Yes, he’s well,” they answered. “Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the flock now.”

7 Jacob said, “Look, it’s still broad daylight—too early to round up the animals. Why don’t you water the sheep and goats so they can get back out to pasture?”

8 “We can’t water the animals until all the flocks have arrived,” they replied. “Then the shepherds move the stone from the mouth of the well, and we water all the sheep and goats.”

9 Jacob was still talking with them when Rachel arrived with her father’s flock, for she was a shepherd. 10 And because Rachel was his cousin—the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother—and because the sheep and goats belonged to his uncle Laban, Jacob went over to the well and moved the stone from its mouth and watered his uncle’s flock. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and he wept aloud. 12 He explained to Rachel that he was her cousin on her father’s side—the son of her aunt Rebekah. So Rachel quickly ran and told her father, Laban.

13 As soon as Laban heard that his nephew Jacob had arrived, he ran out to meet him. He embraced and kissed him and brought him home. When Jacob had told him his story, 14 Laban exclaimed, “You really are my own flesh and blood!”

Jacob submitted to God in Genesis 28. In fact, he gained an appropriate fear of God, recognizing the authority of our Lord. When we submit to God, He will direct our paths and when we seek to live out our lives according to His will and His plan instead of our own, He will enable us to succeed.

Each of us should consider… “Have I truly submitted all of my life to God? Do I trust Him in the outcome, even if it is not what I want or ask for? What areas am I holding on to, insisting it be according to my will instead of His?”

Another aspect we must consider as Christians is that we should, like Jacob, have an appropriate “fear” of God. He is not just a loving “grandfather” with no opinion of right and wrong in our behaviors. He is a just and holy God… a father… who is going to hold us accountable for the right and wrong that we commit through our thoughts, actions, and inactions. He does so because He loves us and He knows what is best for us. We should let that appropriate fear help to guide us in our submission to Him as we would an earthly father.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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