No Joining

DEVOTION

GENESIS

NO JOINING

Gen 49:5-7

5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers — their swords are weapons of violence. 6 Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. 7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.

NIV

We remember what these two brothers did because their sister Dinah was defiled. We also remember Jacob was extremely displeased because of their revenge upon the entire city of Shechem. He said they had made him a stench to the people in that land. So here again, Jacob does not forgive. Now perhaps as with Reuben, had they ever repented and told their father they were sorry for their actions and asked him to forgive them? We did not know about Reuben, but with these two we know when Jacob expressed his displeasure, they simple excused their behavior using their sister as the excuse. Yes, they well have been defending her honor, but first having all the men get circumcised, then killing them all, every male and taking all the woman and children and flocks. That was a bit of an overkill on the revenge thing. So Jacob’s blessing on them is not to ever take their counsel, not join their assembly. This certainly reminds us of the first Psalm.

Ps 1:1

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

NIV

Certainly our lesson is the same as the truth written about in that Psalm. We should not take the counsel of the ungodly. Simeon and Levi did an ungodly thing, even if it was defending their sister’s honor. They were deceptive, being liars and then killers. We may not know people who are as bad as these two, but if they do not base their lives on the same principles we do, the word of God, then we should not take their counsel. They have nothing to offer us in regard to how we should live. Does that mean we should not learn information from them? Not at all, but they should not be helping us make any decisions for our life. We should not be taking advice from them. Nor should we join their assembly. That is we should not join in the type of life they have. We have our own assembly, as we are the assembly of God, not as a denomination by that name, but as an assembly of believers who belong to God. We do not join in the ways of the world, acting or behavior in the same manner. Sure we have many of the same things as many unbelievers. We have homes, cars, clothes, all the stuff, even some of us have wealth just as the world has. Even though many of them are very nice people, their principles are not based on the same ones we live by. Their ungodliness is based on their refusal to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and therefore we cannot accept their counsel nor can we join their assembly. We should also note that would mean we need to not have anger, fierceness or fury in our personality nor should we exhibit any form of cruelty, as these two brothers were accused of in this blessing. In fact that kind of attitude that led to that behavior was cursed. We need to rid ourselves of any sort of hate, malice, revenge, unforgiveness that might be lingering deep within. We should always be in the frame of mind which we are always asking God to search our heart.

Ps 139:23-24

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

NIV  

We need watch what we join, not just in the natural or physical but in our heart.