Richard's Remarks: Dare to be Different
In our Wednesday-evening,
auditorium class we are studying the book of Judges. During this period in the
history of the Israelites, the people repeated a process over and over: they
would turn away from God and live in sin; as an avenue of Divine retribution,
God would allow another nation to oppress His people; the Israelites would
eventually repent and pray to God for deliverance; God would raise up a judge
(deliverer) to liberate His people. There are two important pieces of
information that were extremely influential in this process. First of all, “In
those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in
his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). This final verse in the book of Judges provides a
good summary of the entire period. By doing what was right in their own eyes,
they turned away from God. Secondly, during the conquest of Canaan, the people
failed to completely follow God’s instructions to completely drive out or
destroy the inhabitants of the land. As a result, they became thorns in the
Israelites’ sides and their pagan influences became an ongoing snare (see Judges
2:3). What was the end result of these factors? - God’s people became more and
more like those around them. They failed to be different.
[Interestingly, the period of the Judges came to a close when God’s people
demanded a king, saying, “...now make us a king to judge us like all the
nations” (1 Samuel 8:5, emp. add.).
Of course, there are a number of aspects to Christian living - one of which is to be different. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?...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 Cor 6:14,17-18). “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Eph 5:11). This doesn’t mean that we can have no associations with people in the world “...for then must ye needs go out of the world” (1 Cor 5:10). However, we must be careful of the influence others have on us remembering that “...Bad company ruins good morals” (1 Cor 15:33, ESV). In other words, we must maintain our difference from the ways of the world. We must dare to be different even though some will not understand this and even speak evil of us (see 1 Pet 4:4).
To be different from the world we must keep our focus and desire on doing God’s will. We must firmly believe and subscribe to the words of Jeremiah, “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself, it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jer 10:23). We must humbly submit ourselves (along with our own will) to the will of the Father. After all, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Prov 14:12). So, let’s adopt the attitude and approach of the psalmist, “Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Ps 119:128). Such an attitude and approach (when put into action) will keep us different from the world.
“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole
heart” (Psalm 119:1-2). Let’s be careful of the influences that we subject
ourselves to. Let’s not fall victim to the same things that God’s people fell
to during the period of the Judges. Let’s not blend in more and more with the
world around us by doing what is right in our own eyes. Instead, let’s humbly
and eagerly submit our own will to the will of our Heavenly Father. Let’s
dare to be different!