Sunday
Evening Bible Study
July 2, 2000
Introduction
Paul has been talking about how we have been given the privilege of
reconciling people to God. We have the
message of reconciliation, the message that says that God offers forgiveness
freely.
Since this is what “ministry” is all about, Paul then went on to talk about
ministry, describing what it’s been like for him to serve the Lord.
(2 Cor 6:4-10 NIV) Rather, as servants of God we commend
ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and
distresses; {5} in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless
nights and hunger; {6} in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the
Holy Spirit and in sincere love; {7} in truthful speech and in the power of
God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; {8}
through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded
as impostors; {9} known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on;
beaten, and yet not killed; {10} sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet
making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
Now Paul gets back to an issue he’s been struggling with, how the
Corinthians feel about him.
:11 O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.
open – anoigo – to open
Paul is saying that he’s being open with what he says to the
Corinthians. He’s not holding back with
them. In comparison –
2Co 4:2 …we do not use deception, nor do we distort
the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend
ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
enlarged – platuno – to
make broad, enlarge; be enlarged in heart, i.e. to welcome and embrace you in
love
(2 Cor 6:11 NIV) We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians,
and opened wide our hearts to you.
(2 Cor 6:11 NLT) Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken
honestly with you. Our hearts are open to you.
:12 Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.
straitened – stenochoreo –
to be in a narrow place; to straiten, compress, cramp, reduce to straits; to be
sorely straitened in spirit
straiten (Webster) – to make narrow; to hem in; to restrict in
freedom or scope; to subject to distress, privation or deficiency. Straitjacket – what the guys in the white
coats put on you when you’re crazy or might hurt yourself.
bowels – splagchnon –
bowels, intestines, (the heart, lungs, liver, etc.); the bowels were regarded
as the seat of the more violent passions, such as anger and love; but by the
Hebrews as the seat of the tenderer affections, esp. kindness, benevolence,
compassion; hence our heart (tender mercies, affections, etc.); a heart in
which mercy resides
(2 Cor 6:12 NLT) If there is a problem between us, it is not
because of a lack of love on our part, but because you have withheld your love
from us.
(2 Cor 6:12 NASB) You are not restrained by us, but you are
restrained in your own affections.
:13 Now for a recompense in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye
also enlarged.
recompense – antimisthia –
a reward given in compensation, requital, recompense, “fair payback”.
enlarged – platuno – to
make broad, enlarge; be enlarged in heart, i.e. to welcome and embrace you in
love
(2 Cor 6:13 NLT) I am talking now as I would to my own
children. Open your hearts to us!
(2 Cor 6:13 NIV) As a fair exchange--I speak as to my
children--open wide your hearts also.
Warren Wiersbe: Why were
they withholding their love? Because they had divided hearts. The false
teachers had stolen their hearts, and now they were cool toward Paul.
Charles Ryrie: Because the
Corinthians’ refusal to reciprocate love was making them miserable, Paul pleads
with them to open their hearts to him.
Sometimes the problems you will have with people have nothing to do with
you.
You can be as open and sincere and loving as possible and you are still
going to have problems with some people.
That’s because the problem isn’t in you.
The problem is in the heart of the other person.
Don’t let it catch you off guard when people surprise you by saying unkind
things, or by not loving you back.
Don’t let it sour you on serving the Lord. Don’t stop loving people.
:14-18 Unequally yoked
:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:
unequally yoked together – heterozugeo
– to come under an unequal or different yoke, to be unequally yoked
Lit. - “stop becoming
unequally yoked with unconverted people”.
In other words, some were already guilty of doing it.
To be “yoked” with
another person means to get under a yoke and plow with them. To be “unequally yoked” means to be matched
up with somebody different from you, making it difficult to plow.
Deuteronomy 22:10 Thou
shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.
Among other things,
you'll have a tough time plowing straight furrows. The ox will want to keep going, the ass will probably stop a lot.
Paul elaborates on this
with five examples of what it's like to be unequally yoked.
:14 for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness?
fellowship – metoche – (from metecho,
to partake of, share in, either by having things in common, or partaking by
eating, as in communion) sharing, fellowship.
righteousness and
unrightouesness – dikaiosune
– righteousness, conformity to the Divine will in purpose, thought, and
action. anomia - lit. without
law; lawlessness, iniquity.
Righteousness and
lawlessness have totally nothing in common.
They are opposites. They share
nothing. When you become “yoked” to an unbeliever, you are trying to make
righteousness have something in common with lawlessness.
:14 and what communion hath light
with darkness?
fellowship – koinonia – communion, a
sharing of something in common. Light
and darkness have nothing in common.
light with darkness – photi – light. skotos – darkness.
Light and darkness are
also symbolic in scripture of Good and Evil.
They have NOTHING in common.
But when you become yoked
with an unbeliever, you are trying to make light have something in common with
darkness.
:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial?
harmony – sumphonesis – symphony;
concord, agreement; (from sumphoneo, to agree in sound, be in
harmony)
Belial – Beliar – (either from
Heb. word {beliyaal} meaning "worthlessness", or Heb. word {beyl yaar}
meaning "lord of the forest") Satan.
Occurs 16 times in OT, only here in NT.
Try to imagine Jesus
sitting down and trying to play a duet with Satan...it's like trying to play a
duet with two instruments, one playing in the key of C, the other playing in
the key of F#, yeccch!
But that’s what we
“attempt” to do when we become unequally yoked to an unbeliever.
Illustration
The Hollywood branch of
the American Cancer Society decided to hold a benefit night in conjunction with
a professional tennis tournament. It turned out to be embarrassing for them,
however, when they learned that a major tobacco company was sponsoring the
competition. Officials of the society found out too late that they had
committed themselves to selling 500 tickets to an event that was named after a
well-known brand of cigarettes. The
publicity sent out by the Hollywood chapter portrayed a young woman with a
tennis racket in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
:15 or what part hath he that
believeth with an infidel?
part – meris – a part, portion.
believer...unbeliever – pisto; apistou –
disbeliever, not just someone who is unconverted yet interested in Christ.
The answer: They have nothing in common.
:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the
temple of the living God;
agreement – sugkatathesis – approved
by putting together the votes. The
temple of God and the temple of idols will never vote for the same person....
You are the temple of
God, an unbeliever is the temple of idols.
Unequally yoked relationships
(1Cor.5:9-13)
Paul has given us five
more words describing what kind of relationships he's talking about:
partnership,
fellowship, harmony, part, agreement
When your relationship
with an unbeliever begins to be described by these six words (along with
unequally yoked), you're headed for trouble.
Example of being
unequally yoked.
Jehoshaphat
Jehoshaphat was a good
king. He loved the Lord.
(2 Chr 18:1 KJV) Now
Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab.
(2 Chr 18:1 NASB) Now
Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; and he allied himself by marriage
with Ahab.
For some reason,
Jehoshaphat decided he needed to make an alliance with the northern kingdom,
which was ruled by Ahab. He made the
alliance by having his son marry the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel.
Because of this alliance,
Jehoshaphat ended up going to war with Ahab against Ramoth Gilead, and almost
lost his own life.
(2 Chr 19:2 KJV) And Jehu
the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat,
Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is
wrath upon thee from before the LORD.
Jehoshaphat responded to
this warning by cleaning up the kingdom and following God. He had this great victory where the people
praised the Lord and God brought their deliverance (2Chr. 20). But he wasn’t finished being “unequally
yoked”.
(2 Chr 20:35-37 KJV) And
after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of
Israel, who did very wickedly: {36} And he joined himself with him to make
ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Eziongaber. {37} Then
Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying,
Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works.
And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.
It didn’t end there.
(2 Chr 21 KJV) Now
Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city
of David. And Jehoram his son reigned in his stead. {2} And he had brethren the
sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and
Michael, and Shephatiah: all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
{3} And their father gave them great gifts of silver, and of gold, and of
precious things, with fenced cities in Judah: but the kingdom gave he to
Jehoram; because he was the firstborn. {4} Now when Jehoram was risen up to the
kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself, and slew all his brethren with
the sword, and divers also of the princes of Israel. {5} Jehoram was thirty and
two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
{6} And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of
Ahab: for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife: and he wrought that which was
evil in the eyes of the LORD.
How did Jehoram get
married to the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel?
Because Daddy Jehoshaphat arranged it.
Because of Jehoshaphat’s “alliance”, his sons are all killed.
Jehoram has troubles as
king, including a time when a band of Arabians came and took and killed all but
one of his sons. Jehoram eventually
dies of a horrible intestinal disease…
(2 Chr 22 KJV) And the
inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his stead: for
the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the
eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned. {2} Forty and two
years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in
Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri. {3} He
also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his counsellor
to do wickedly. {4} Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the LORD like the
house of Ahab: for they were his counsellors after the death of his father to
his destruction.
Ahaziah is killed after a
year …
{10} But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was
dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah. {11}
But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and
stole him from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse
in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of
Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from
Athaliah, so that she slew him not. {12} And he was with them hid in the house
of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.
Who is Athaliah? The daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, married to
Jehoram because of Jehoshaphat’s alliance.
Don’t be unequally yoked.
Q. What kinds of relationships does this apply
to?
Marriage? Business partners? Dating?
How about going out to
lunch?
The balance:
I Corinthians 5:9-13 I wrote unto you in an
epistle not to company with
fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the
covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of
the world. But now I have written unto
you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator,
or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner;
with such an one no not to eat. For
what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them
that are within? But them that are
without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked
person.
We can't limit our
association with non-believers, otherwise, how would they come to know the
Lord, and we would have to all join a commune.
But deep, commitment type
of relationships should be limited.
:16 as God hath said, I will dwell
in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my
people.
: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,
:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty.
Paul now throws together
a bunch of quotes to support his point.
Leviticus 26:11,12 And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my
soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your
God, and ye shall be my people.
Isaiah 52:11 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.
Ezekiel 20:34 And I will bring you out from the people, and will
gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand,
and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.
Ezekiel 37:27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be
their God, and they shall be my people.
II Samuel 7:8 Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant
David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from
following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:
II Samuel 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he
commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes
of the children of men: