the Rev. Henry Huenemann
Depart ye, depart ye; go ye out from thence; touch no unclean thing. Go ye out of the midst of her. Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord (Isa. 52:11).
Bible Reading
Isaiah 52:Devotional
There has always been great danger that the children of God would be enticed by the allurements of the world. Satan, that old serpent, is always intent upon deceiving people and leading them astray. It seems that in our time especially the church people conform to the ways of the world. And what is worse, the seriousness of this conformity is not recognized. The real danger is that people will lose their own souls, and their children and children's children will not learn to know the true God.
The Lord always warned his people against idolatry. "Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are around about you .... Thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations." And when his people had forsaken him, and were associating with his enemies, the Lord urged them to come out from there; yes, He commanded them to flee from them to save their souls. "Go ye forth from Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans." "Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul. Be not cut off in her iniquity." "Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon." The apostle Paul gives the same admonition, and surely his admonition applies to us: "Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing." John heard a voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." To those who obey, God has given a very precious promise, "I will be their God, and they shall be my people .... I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
Prayer
O Lord, have mercy on Thy children. Bring back those who have gone astray. May Thy people worship Thee, the only true God, in spirit and in truth, and may they by their godly walk win others to Christ. Thus may Thy kingdom come, Thy grace be magnified, and Thy name glorified. Amen.
Scripture in Devotional: Deut. 6:14; 18:9; Isa. 48:20; Jer. 5:6; Zech. 2:7; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; Rev. 18:4; 2 Cor. 6:16-18.
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