Thoughts on Separation

From: The Christian Shepherd: 2002 By: L. Douglas Nicolet

• 1 min. read • grade level: 8

“Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord” (2 Cor. 6:17¹⁷Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, (2 Corinthians 6:17)).

“What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Mark 10:9⁹What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. (Mark 10:9)).

Good Separation

In Genesis 1:4⁴And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:4), we find the first mention of separation: “God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.” This gives a vital moral principle seen throughout Scripture—separation from evil. This is the path of happiness for those in Christ, and it is the only path of joy and communion. May our hearts be exercised to walk in separation from all that is of this “present evil world.”

Bad Separation

But the enemy of our souls would seek to bring in separation where God has never intended it to be—marriage, home, family and assembly.

Pharaoh wanted to destroy the strength of God’s people (Ex. 1:16, 22¹⁶And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. (Exodus 1:16)
²²And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive. (Exodus 1:22)). Even after experiencing some of the awful plagues, he only consented to let the men leave (Ex. 10:9-11⁹And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the Lord. ¹⁰And he said unto them, Let the Lord be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you. ¹¹Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the Lord; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence. (Exodus 10:9‑11)). Pharaoh wanted to separate the children from the influence of their fathers—to separate the wives from the love of their husbands—to separate families from fathers’ guidance.

Dear dads and moms! Let nothing take away those precious times you have now with your spouses, your children, and your home. While we do have work responsibilities in life, we too often allow frivolous things to steal precious free time—separating us from our families and brethren. May it not be so!

Ed.

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