Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with GodSample

PEER PRESSURE Some things cannot be mixed. Oil and water will not mix. Various safety organizations say gasoline and alcohol do not mix. Certainly the world spirit and that of Christ's Kingdom can never become one. Israel reaped their deepest sorrow because they tried to mix two alien forces. Not satisfied with a theocracy, they demanded a king like other countries. Samuel warned them that a king would tax them, send their sons and daughters to war, and take their land. Yet, they would not listen. Thus, the monarchy was born. Some of the most sordid pages of Israel's history are found in the books of history describing the monarchy: 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. When Israel was like other nations, her land was divided and her people were separated from their loved ones. The tiny nation split in two and reeled under the bloody rule of many evil kings. The price people pay to be like the world is steep. This truth is vividly depicted in these Bible books. Paul says: Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come (1 Corinthians10:11). Our peers try to pressure us into being like them. When we yield to that influence, we become bound with habits, are plagued with a guilty conscience, and are haunted by the ghosts of our deeds. Paul calls us to avoid worldly involvement and adds that if we do, God will receive us and will be a Father to us, and we will be His sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:17-18).