Choosing Our Companions
4-17-11

All that we are in life, we learned. Our characteristics are largely due to the environment in which we were reared. The cliché, "The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree" is indicative of the influence parents have on their children. Being a "chip off the ol’ block" could be either positive or negative. As we grow to maturity, various situations and events surround us. Our likes and dislikes are formed. We learn to love certain things while we hate others. When God created man he gave him laws to live by. The first written law, given by God to the Hebrew nation, indicated that the statutes commanded by Jehovah were given "for our good always" (Deuteronomy 6:24). In order to preserve Israel alive, God revealed laws to govern them. When Jehovah brought the Hebrews out of Egypt He told Moses, "Assemble me the people, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children" (Deuteronomy 4:10). Jehovah was concerned about the influence the nations round about Israel would have on them. Jehovah told Israel, "When thou art come into the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found with thee any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, one that practiseth augury, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto Jehovah and because of these abominations Jehovah thy God doth drive them out from before thee" (Deuteronomy 18:9-12). The scriptures tell us, "Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals" (1 Corinthians 15:33).

The truth of this manifested itself even in the life of the wisest of men. Solomon, of whom God said, "I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there hath been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee" (1 Kings 3:12), "loved many foreign women…of the nations concerning which Jehovah said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go among them neither shall they come among you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love" and "it came to pass when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods" (1 Kings 11:1-2, 4). As it was with Solomon, Israel continued to toy with evil companionship. Hundreds of years after the time of Solomon, the Jews returned from the Babylonian captivity and "married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab" (Nehemiah 13:23), the same nations that Jehovah warned them not to form covenants with. As a result of these unions, their "children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language, but according to the language of each people" (Nehemiah 13:23). In response to this, Nehemiah said, "Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things…nevertheless even him did foreign women cause to sin" (Nehemiah 13:26). The companionships we choose in life will either lead us to, or away from God. If they are evil companionships, the direction will be away from God because we learn the evil. The proverbs of Solomon set forth this fact when he said, "Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger; And with a wrathful man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, And get a snare to thy soul" (Proverbs 22:24-25). Rather than foster evil companionships, Jehovah says to those who have developed evil practices, "Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well…" (Isaiah 1:16-17).

Jesus taught his disciples to "Take heed what ye hear" (Mark 4:24). With what do we surround ourselves? What do we allow to enter our minds? Are we learning things carnal or things spiritual? Do we approach our lives carefully or carelessly? The Lord tells us that as we measure attention unto Him and things spiritual, He will measure back to us knowledge. If we give our time and attention to the physical, then we will perish. Parents want the best for their children, and Jehovah wants the best for His children, as well. Jehovah would have us to be free from sin that devastates so many lives. But in order to be free from sin, we must become "dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:11). We have choices to make in life. God tells us, "Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness" (Romans 6:16-17). Just as we learn to do evil, we must learn to do good, that we can join with the Psalmist, that said, "With my whole heart have I sought thee: Oh let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I laid up in my heart, That I might not sin against thee" (Psalms 119:10-11). Are your companions drawing you closer to God?

Ross Triplett