“Take Heed to Thyself”

It is not necessary to study the Bible to realise that in the sight of God there are two classes of people in the world. This soon becomes evident after a careful reading of that Book: and it has been so from the early days of the Scriptures. Indeed it MUST be so, because our Heavenly Father has given man a free will — there are those who will exercise that will wisely, while others will go the way of least resistance. The record tells of Cain and Abel — the one whose sacrifice was not accepted; the other unto whom and to whose offering “the Lord had respect”. Of Abel it is recorded (Heb. 11:4) that “by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous”. Again, the record tells of two brothers — Ishmael and Isaac — sons of Abraham. God revealed to Abraham that “in Isaac shall thy seed be called” Gen. 21:12) . Isaac had two sons — Jacob and Esau: the latter of whom “despised his birthright” (Gen. 25:34). Jacob’s was the line through whom the promises which God had made to Abraham were to be fulfilled. In each of these cases, God rejected one brother and chose the other. This was necessary for the outworking of His purpose: and it cannot be denied that, in each case, the chosen one showed more faith in God than did the other. This calls to mind the words of Hebrews 11:6 “without faith it is impossible to please God”.

The time came, however, when — instead of choosing an individual — God chose one nation from among the then known nations. The record will be found at Deut. 7:6/8. What a glorious record is this book of Deuteronomy. They were a “holy” people — notice carefully that it is NOT recorded that they were a “righteous” people. They were a “separate” people; a people “set apart” from the surround­ing nations (that is the meaning of the word “holy”) . In choosing them, God placed a responsibility upon them, as will be found at the same chapter and vv 12/14. Perhaps v 11 could be called their charter. How well Moses warned Israel of the temptations which would assail them — see ch. 8:10/14 and 17/20. How well God knew this people to whom He was giving the land is portrayed in ch. 9. Moses had told them of the nations whom God would dispossess of this land — of their power and their might and of their reputation (“Who can stand before them?”) and now read vv 4/6. There is no doubt at all left in their minds regarding their own righteousness. Had they attended to God’s laws, they SHOULD have been more righteous than the dispossessed nations but were they? Why did they fail their God? Because they did not take notice of another commandment which God gave them through Moses (Exodus 34:11/16) . Notice par­ticularly v 12 “TAKE HEED TO THYSELF”. Is it by chance, do you think, that this warning is written in the singular — “thou”, “thyself”? You know that there is NOTHING of chance in the Scriptures of Truth. Was it written, do you think, that each individual of the nation should realise the responsibility placed on his or her shoulders by God? After all, individual responsibility is taught throughout the Scrip­tures — each one of us is responsible for his or her own salvation today. Israel failed God as a nation and they also largely failed Him as individuals. Despite the warning — “Take heed to thyself” — they forgot the laws of their God, the mighty One who had brought them out of the slavery of Egypt, and lusted after the idols of the nations about them. 1st and 2nd Kings graphically portray the gradual falling away of both portions of the nation: of the worship of heathen idols — Baal and Ashtoreth and other gods of the heathen nations. So often it is recorded of the 10 tribe portion that they “follow” the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, “who made them to sin”. The prophet Ezekiel also began to speak the judgments of God against the idolatry of Israel, but it is in his later chapters that the utter depravity of the people — led by the priests, the prophets and the princes — and their abominations in the sight of God are recorded.

Brethren and Sisters, this people amongst whom the presence of God was so evident when they left Egypt: this people who had received the Oracles of God: this people who.had been the subjects of God’s love and His blessings — these are they, says Paul in 1 Cor. 10:11, who are examples to us. But will you note particularly verse 12? Do you remember the message of Moses to Israel — “TAKE HEED TO THYSELF” — again it is given in the singular in this place. It is no accident, — there ARE no accidents in God’s Word — that this same warning was given by Paul to the New Testament brethren and sisters as was given by Moses to Israel in the wilderness. And that same warning is needful to us today, for we too live in a wilderness — a famine of the Word of God.

From the beginnings of Israel as a nation, God through Moses has stressed the need for their separateness from other nations — see Ex. 33:16 and Lev. 20:22/26. Solomon in his prayer at the dedication of the temple recog­nised it — 1 Kings 8:53. BUT Isaiah pin­pointed their great shortcoming — Isa. 59:1/2 — “Your iniquities have SEPARATED between you and your God”. In effect, the prophet was saying “Can you not see what YOU have done? You have separated yourselves from God, but even at this late hour His hand is not shortened. IF YOU WILL, He can STILL save you”, But, Israel would not hear and they went their own way. Then, with the coming of a new dispensation, God demonstrated — and still in these days His hand is not shortened — through the provision of the Lord Jesus Christ, He has provided a way of salvation for man­kind. Now, however, instead of the promise of life being limited to Israel, the gates of salva­tion were opened to the Gentiles (this, of course, being a fulfilment of the promise to Abraham that through him all nations should be blessed) and it is to the Corinthians that Paul wrote — as did Moses and Solomon and Isaiah — (2 Cor. 6:16/18) of the need for sepa­ration. As under the old, so under the new dispensation, it is essential that the children of God be separated from the world. “COME OUT”, said Paul, “and BE YE SEPARATE”. The Greek word here translated “separate” has been differently translated in Matt. 13:49 as “sever”. In this latter verse, use of the word “sever” in connection with the judgment has a dreadful finality. Had Paul’s messagc been rendered “Come out from among them and be ye SEVERED” it would have contained more of urgency and more of the absolute necessity for a complete severance by the believer from the ways of the world. A parallel warning is contained at Rev. 18:4.

Were Paul amongst us today, he would have equal need to utter the same plea, the same warning (and it IS a warning) and to utter it with the same urgency that he did to the Corinthians. The evils of those days were dreadful but so are the evils of today. Israel of old were surrounded by idol-worshippers, as were the people of Paul’s day and it is just the same today. The idols of old were made of wood and stone and could be seen, but today they are unseen and for that reason are much more insidious. The gods of today are gods of materialism. This is the age of materialism and of permissiveness. Yet it is not the first permissive age — do you remember that in the days of the judges of Israel “every man did what was right in his own eyes”? Today, it is an age when men and women of God need to be on their guard against the temptation offered by the advertising media with their suggestions to take of the good things (are they good for us?) of this life. In this regard, may I make a special plea to our young brethren and sisters and to our young people? Not only to our sisters, but also to our brethren. The designers and makers of present day dress are not con­cerned with modesty or decency (and let us be frank — much dress today IS immodest and indecent) — the prime motive of these people is the making of money and they are prepared to go to any lengths to attain their end. Think carefully, young people, do not slavishly follow fashion.

In the Proverbs it is recorded that “There is a way that SEEMETH right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of death”. Think carefully, Brethren and Sisters, upon the ways of the world today — they are the ways that lead to eternal death, are they not? But the way of our Saviour points to LIFE.

“TAKE HEED TO THYSELF” and “BE YE SEPARATE, AND TOUCH NOT THE UNCLEAN (THE IMPURE) THING”.