What other Scriptures emphasize avoiding the influence of ungodly cultures? A clear warning from Exodus 23:33 “They must not remain in your land, or they will cause you to sin against Me. If you serve their gods, it will surely become a snare to you.” (Exodus 23:33) Parallel calls in the Law • Deuteronomy 7:2–4 — “When the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no favor. Do not intermarry with them… for they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods.” • Deuteronomy 12:30 — “Be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, ‘How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.’” • Leviticus 18:3 — “You are not to practice the ways of the land of Egypt where you dwelt, nor the ways of Canaan to which I am bringing you; you must not follow their statutes.” Historical reminders in Joshua and Judges • Joshua 23:7 — “Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them.” • Judges 2:2–3 — “…you were not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of this land, but you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done? Therefore I now say, I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.” Wisdom literature’s everyday counsel • Psalm 1:1 — “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.” • Proverbs 1:10 — “My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them!” • Proverbs 4:14–15 — “Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it; do not travel on it.” Prophetic wake-up calls • Jeremiah 10:2 — “Thus says the LORD: Do not learn the way of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified by them.” • Ezekiel 11:12 — “You will know that I am the LORD, for you have not walked in My statutes or carried out My judgments, but have conformed to the customs of the nations around you.” New-Testament continuity • Romans 12:2 — “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” • 1 Corinthians 15:33 — “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” • 2 Corinthians 6:14–17 — “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers… ‘Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord.’” • Colossians 2:8 — “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition…” • James 4:4 — “Friendship with the world is hostility toward God.” • 1 John 2:15–16 — “Do not love the world or anything in the world… the world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” Putting it together • God’s people have always faced cultural pull; Scripture repeatedly says, “Guard your heart and distance your life from whatever entices you away from wholehearted obedience.” • From Sinai to the New Jerusalem, the pattern is consistent: separation from idolatry, refusal to adopt pagan values, and deliberate pursuit of holiness. • The call is not isolation from people but insulation from practices that compete with loyalty to Christ. When His Word shapes our minds, the snares of ungodly culture lose their power. |
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