DAILY HOPE DEVOTIONAL: SEPTEMBER 15 BEING UNEQUALLY YOKED (1) SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 6: 14 – 17
There was this time I was watching wrestling when a very tall and huge wrestler was paired with another wrestler completely opposite of each other. The bigger man so much dealt with the other partner so mercilessly that my reaction through anger forced me to shut down the screen.
I never knew when I started pouring unremarkable words on the organizers of the wrestling. My judgment was that the two people were grossly mismatched or paired. These two persons were inappropriately matched up. This is what the Bible referred to as “unequally yoked together”, going by the Jewish usage in Deut. 22: 10. For the three days from today, our devotional will be talking on the “Issue of unequally yoked together”.
Over the years, teachings in the churches have used “unequally yoked together” more distinctly on marriages between a Christian and non-Christian. But in broad application, this phrase covers more areas.
The phrase “Yoke Together” is agrarian phrase for farmers. To yoke means to pair-up two animals for pulling a load along or plowing. Two animals or oxen that have similar capacity are paired, to work together. A yoke is a wooden crosspiece device that is fastened over the necks of two animals, usually oxen, and attached to the plow or cart for the animals to pull. Main principle behind this is that the two animals yoked together must have corresponding capacity to work with equal strength. Where the two animals paired have different capacity, for example, if one of the animals is ox and the other is goat, the principle is termed wrong, and interpreted as “unequally yoked”. It thus came as a law for the Jews that: “Thou shall not plow with an ox and an ass together” (Deut. 22: 10 KJV). This devotional is dwelling on the context of 2 Corinthians 6: 14-18 to include other areas of relationships between Christians and non-Christians as Apostle Paul instructed against inappropriate matching together in relationships.
This devotional subscribes to John Calvin’s view that Paul’s primary application for 2 Cor. 6: 14 might not be pertaining strictly to marriage. The interpretation is based on Apostle Paul touching areas such as “…what righteousness and wickedness have in common or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever”? Belial here is a symbol of a demon or the devil himself. Belial also means someone who is self-sufficient, truly independent who has no master. It talks of one who neither has regard for God nor fear anyone.
Apostle Paul went further to ask: “What agreement is there between the Temple of God and idols?” Apostle Paul would say in 2 Cor. 6: 17 “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (KJV). Based on this, the devotional believes unequally yoke between Christians and non-Christians covers marriages, religious worships, businesses and friendships.
You will be blessed as you follow us through.
PRAYER:
Blessed Holy Spirit, show me the danger of who I am mismatching my faith, belief and my hope with; and show me how to cut off from that individual in Jesus name.
bishopubaudenyi@hopealivechurch