"And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land."-Gen. 34:1.
An action simple enough, one might say; and no very great moral evil in that; but what awful consequences followed!
A daughter of Israel humbled; two sons of Israel lie and deceive in the name of their religion; murder of innocent people, and robbery and spoiling of those who had not injured them (vers. 2, 13, 25, 29). Surely an awful harvest to reap from the turning aside of one of a separated people to associate with those in the world!
When Eve left her place of dependence, and stopped to listen to the serpent, she never realized the flood of misery, and sin and wickedness which would overwhelm her posterity as a result of her accepting Satan's overtures. When Peter stopped to warm himself with the enemies of Jesus, he knew not of the oaths and cursing with which he would deny his beloved Lord. When Dinah "went out to see the daughters of the land," little did she think it would end in her defilement; in her brothers' deceiving Shechem and Hamor and the men of the land so they could murder them; or in the spoliation of the houses and families of the innocent. Little do the Lord's people realize, when they associate with worldly people, or have part in their enjoyments, or meet them on a social and friendly basis, that it means a denial, so far, of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the betrayal of His cause into the hands of the enemy of our souls.
But so it is. The Hivites were characterized by their abominations and idolatry; they were descendants of Canaan, and, as such, under the curse of God (Gen. 9:25 and 10:17); and association with them meant not only a turning aside from the path of separation in which God always desired His people to be (Lev. 20:24), but would eventually lead to intermarriage and serving their gods, as we see actually occurred later in the history of the children of Israel and these same people (Judges 3:5-7).
And has it not been so in the history of the Church ? When persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword, confronted the chosen people of God, their very sufferings but served to separate them from the evil and sin all about them, and turn them for refuge to their Head in heaven-turn them, indeed, from all that was opposed to God. But when the world grew friendly and companionable, and no longer persecuted the Lord's people, then were they overcome by Satan's device, and fell into his snares.
Friendship with the world is enmity with God:we cannot be friends with the world and at the same time walk in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. This world cast out the Son of God, and put Him to death. This world hates and despises the Lord Jesus Christ as firmly as it did on the day it crucified Him. This world will have nothing to do with those who are His, except that it may wean them from love to Him and draw them to itself. What fellowship, then, hath light with darkness, or he that believeth with an unbeliever ?
Dearly beloved :for a little time, before Satan shall reveal himself in his true character as god of this world and the unrelenting, hating, bitter foe of God and His Christ, he is seeking by every device, and by soft, fair speeches, to draw the Lord's people into entangling alliances with his followers. The cry of this day is for liberality; that we should not judge too harshly, no matter how it differs from the word of God; that a man is all right, no matter what he believes, if only he be in earnest; that all mankind are brethren, and that we should therefore associate and affiliate with each other. The idea seems to be that Christians and worldlings can go on together, provided a bloody cross and a thorn-crowned Jesus are not brought too prominently forward by His followers. And alas! many are caught by the bait, and the professing Church is leavened by its association with an evil world, not realizing the awful consequences of such association. The end we find in Rev. 3 :16:"I will spew thee out of My mouth."
What, then, should be our course in it all ? "Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ" (i John 1:3); and such being the case, we must absolutely reject any association which is not in keeping with such fellowship. " What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness ? and what communion hath light with darkness ? And what concord hath Christ with Belial ? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel ? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols ?" (2 Cor. 6:14-16). Searching questions these for our hearts to ponder, and see that we have no fellowship, communion, concord, part or agreement with that which is opposed to the despised and rejected Son of God.
Our course is to "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove " (Eph. 5:11). We cannot reprove that with which we are going on in association and friendly intercourse. So that, knowing of the judgment of God soon to fall on this Christ-rejecting world, our only right path is to stand aside from its pleasures, its fashions, its ambitions and hopes, its society, its friendship and all its interests, warning it of judgment drawing near and of eternal perdition; while we walk in happy fellowship and communion with God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May such be our portion till He come! F.