Principle Simeon and Levi is the principle of separation. Both Simeon and Levi are mentioned together on the same web-page because they forced a separation of the Hebrew family clan of Jacob away from the idol-worshipping Canaanites of Shechem.

It was during later history that the tribe of Levi distinguished themselves by their zeal for God and their separation "To" God in the incident of the golden calf idolatry at Mount Horeb. The tribe of Simeon however separated themselves away from God by engaging in immorality and idol-worship in the incident of Ball Peor.

Principle Simeon

Numbers 25:14-18 (NIV)

¹⁴ The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family.

¹⁵ And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Cozbi daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.

¹⁶ The LORD said to Moses,

¹⁷ "Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them,

¹⁸ because they treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the affair of Peor and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of Peor."

The scriptures above mention Zimri a leader of the Simeonite family who was engaged in the sexual immorality and idol-worship initiated by the Midianite federation which sent Moabite women into the camp of Israel to seduce their men into immorality and idol worship for the purpose of bring a curse upon them.

Numbers 25:1-3 (NIV)

¹ While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women,

² who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods.

³ So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor. And the LORD's anger burned against them.

These Moabite women seduced the Israelite men into sexual immorality and to eat food offered to idols and to bow down before these false gods thus bringing a curse upon them. Balak had already hired Balaam to curse the Israelites but he was not able to do so. It is for this reason that Balaam gave counsel to Balak about how to cause the Israelite men to curse themselves by sending pagan cult prostitutes to seduce the men into engaging in sexual immorality and idolatry.

Revelation 2:14 (NIV)

¹⁴ Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.

Balaam taught Balak how to entice the Israelites into sin by eating food sacrificed to idols (idol worship) and by committing sexual immorality.

Numbers 31:14-16 (NIV)

¹⁴ Moses was angry with the officers of the army--the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds--who returned from the battle.

¹⁵ "Have you allowed all the women to live?" he asked them.

¹⁶ "They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the LORD in what happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the LORD's people.

Under the advice of Balaam, the Israelites were turned away from the Lord when the pagan-women seduced them into sexual immorality and eating food offered to idols. This caused a plague to destroy the people and thus Balak was able to indirectly obtain his objectives of cursing the Israelites by causing them to sin and curse themselves.

Decimation of Tribe of Simeon

Numbers 1:23 (NIV)

²³ The number from the tribe of Simeon was 59,300.

At the time of this census the tribe of Simeon registered 59,300 male heads of households.

Numbers 26:14 (NIV)

¹⁴ These were the clans of Simeon; there were 22,200 men.

The census taken after the incident of Baal of Peor shows that the population of the tribe of Simeon were reduced to only 22,200 male heads of households.

It can be inferred by this reduction in population that the tribe of Simeon was the most active in this sin involving the pagan women. The population figure of the first census was 59,300 but after his incident it was reduced to only 22,200. So that is a loss of 37,100 male heads of households from the tribe of Simeon.

Numbers 25:14 (NIV)

¹⁴ The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family.

Again the fact that a leader of the tribe of the Simeonite family was killed together with a pagan woman indicates that the Simeonites were foremost in participating in this sin against God and it can be understood that the loss of 37,100 male heads of households from this tribe was a result of a plague that wiped out those who engaged in this wickedness and sin against God.

Throw in the Towel Attitude

Genesis 49:5-7 (NIV)

⁵ "Simeon and Levi are brothers-- their swords are weapons of violence.

⁶ Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.

⁷ Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.

Another idea here is that possibly having his father Jacob curse Simeon could have caused a negative effect upon him. Jacob apparently has been embarrassed and afraid of the consequences of the actions of Simeon and Levi against the Canaanites at the city of Shechem. But cursing them could have caused Simeon to have a "throw-in-the-towel" attitude which means he may have given up thinking that if he was already cursed then what was the use of trying anymore? Someone who has no more hope will typically live for the moment and live for self-gratification like an aimless fellow who has no more character than a dog that follows basic instincts. That could have been the reason that the men of Simeon had a bad attitude of "Why try anymore?" and just jumped with both feet into sin without self-restraint. They did not try to resist temptation and fell out from God by committing both sexual immorality with the pagan Midianite women and worshipping idols together with these idolatrous women.

But Levi did not respond in such a bad way but instead turned the proposed curse into a blessing by his zeal to overcome. Again, the principle can be seen here that each man can determine his own future by the decisions which they make. The curse of Jacob had no ill-effect upon Levi who later disproved the curse of Jacob and the Levites instead became more zealous for God.

But Simeon may have just gave up and therefore fell into self-indulgence in aimless manner as if there was no more hope anyway.

Whatever the reason, both Simeon and Levi were cursed by Jacob but the tribe of Levi went closer to God and was redeemed by their zeal for the Lord while the tribe of Simeon fell away from God later and slipped into sin in passive manner without resistance and their tribal clan was decimated by a plague of judgment!

Both groups of people had the same curse from Jacob but one was blessed and the other brought a curse on himself by his own actions. Again, humans make their own destiny and only they can determine if they will go to heaven or hell. No one can send them to hell (except themselves) and their own decisions to ether please God or displease God by their actions.

Simeon and Levi however both started off good and both won a place of blessing on Mount Gerizim when they caused the needed separation from the heathen Shechemites. But later the two groups were divided when the Simeonites fell out and the Levites distinguished themselves for God. It was their own choices that can either make or break them eternally.

This principle also applies to all believers because they may start off good but if they fall away in later years they could still end up in hell. They must remain faithful and be zealous for the Lord for their entire lifetimes like Levi and do not fall away later in life as the Simeonites did.

Principle Levi

This principle deals with separation "To" God and the steps required for humans to be pleasing to God and to obtain eternal life!

Exodus 32:7-8 (NIV)

⁷ Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt.

⁸ They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.'

The Israelites made an idol in the shape of a calf and worshiped this idol and said these are the gods that brought Israel out of Egypt (thus ascribing God's deliverance to a man-made object of worship).

Separation of Levi

Exodus 32:25-29 (NIV)

²⁵ Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies.

²⁶ So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, "Whoever is for the LORD, come to me." And all the Levites rallied to him.

²⁷ Then he said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.'"

²⁸ The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died.

²⁹ Then Moses said, "You have been set apart to the LORD today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day."

It was the tribe of Levi who rallied to Moses and they used the sword to execute those who offended against God regardless if they were brother or friend or neighbor. This means that the tribe of Levi had no regard for human relationships but put God first place.

Deuteronomy 33:8-10 (NASB)

⁸ Of Levi he said, "Let Your Thummim and Your Urim belong to Your godly man, Whom You proved at Massah, With whom You contended at the waters of Meribah;

⁹ Who said of his father and his mother, 'I did not consider them'; And he did not acknowledge his brothers, Nor did he regard his own sons, For they observed Your word, And kept Your covenant.

¹⁰ "They shall teach Your ordinances to Jacob, And Your law to Israel. They shall put incense before You, And whole burnt offerings on Your altar.

The Thummim and Urim represented hearing God's voice and direction for the community and so Levi in their zeal for the Lord were set apart as ministers for the Lord. Their zeal was such that they had no regard for father or mother or brothers or own sons but anyone who sinned against God would be put to death. That means that the Levites distinguished themselves by their zeal for God that was greater than even the closest family relationships on earth! The sons of Levi put God first place over all human relationships and it is this zeal that won them a place of honor with God to minister before him.

Good Separation

Principle Levi represents a good type of separation to God and has application to believers who separate themselves from the world and sin and the carnal church in order to be separated "To" God just as the tribe of Levi which distinguished themselves in their zeal for the Lord.

Separation and Making Choices

Matthew 25:31-33 (NIV)

³¹ "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.

³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Separation is all about humans making choices. If humans choose things that anger God they will be separated "From" God into eternal damnation and if they make choices that please God they will be separated "To" God in righteousness and will experience eternal life. This is similar to how a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. The decisions people make on earth determine if they will be a goat-type or a sheep-type. The goat-types are separated "from" God by their own self-will and independence and these will go to eternal damnation while the sheep-types are separated from the world and joined to God by their submissive and obedient behavior in following the good shepherd who is Jesus the Messiah.

Matthew 11:12 (NASB)

¹² "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.

Principle Simeon and Levi speaks of those who overcome and were violent and made separation by forceful action. This has application to the believer because no one will drift into heaven in passive manner. Every believer has to make a willful choice to resist being assimilated by the world and resist being defiled by all of its wickedness. Believers have to actively (violently) stand against sin and be separated to God in holiness or they will not enter the kingdom of God!

Genesis 49:5 (NIV)

⁵ "Simeon and Levi are brothers-- their swords are weapons of violence.

The swords of Simeon and Levi represent separation. Until a separation is made there will be compromise evident. Jacob was passively headed in the direction of being assimilated by the demon/idol-worship culture of the people of Shechem (among whom he had settled). It was the swords of Simeon and Levi which made a permanent rift between the Hebrew clan of Jacob and the pagan demon/idol-worshiping Shechemite people among whom they dwelt.

The Assimilation of Jacob by Canaanites

The question must be asked, "Why did Jacob purchase land from the Canaanites and begin living among these godless pagan demon/idol-worshiping people? Jacob had already received instruction from God to return father's household (location in Hebron) not to dwell among the Shechemites.

Button Hole Principle

There exists a principle that if the first button is placed into the wrong hole then all of the following buttons will also be placed in the wrong holes as well. This principle has application to someone who makes one bad decision and this results in a series of bad decisions that can lead to their own detriment!

Lying to Esau

Genesis 33:12-14 (NIV)

¹² Then Esau said, "Let us be on our way; I'll accompany you."

¹³ But Jacob said to him, "My lord knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die.

¹⁴ So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the droves before me and that of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir."

Jacob lied to Esau and told him that he would come to him in Mount Seir but in fact Jacob traveled in the other direction and went toward Shechem (a city of Canaanite people).

Together with Esau Again - Long After

Genesis 35:27-29 (NIV)

²⁷ Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.

²⁸ Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years.

²⁹ Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

It was not until much later after the separation occurred at Shechem (under the instigation of Simeon and Levi) did Jacob move his family clan toward Hebron where his father Isaac stayed. Jacob was present at the death of his father Isaac who lived to be 180-years old and Jacob together with his brother Esau buried Isaac at Hebron.

Genesis 36:6-8 (NIV)

⁶ Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan, and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob.

⁷ Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their livestock.

⁸ So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir.

It was at this time that Jacob and Esau were together in one place and the land could not support both family clans together because of their abundance of livestock. So, Esau separated himself some distance from his brother Jacob so that they would have enough grazing fodder to feed the livestock of both family clans.

It should be noted however that although they separated some distance from one another this would imply they were still close enough in proximity that if either clan needed help, they could still join together in time of war for defense. There was security in being close enough to help one another but having sufficient distance between them so as to have enough fodder for grazing to feed the livestock of both family clans.

But this event of Jacob being together with Esau at Hebron happened a long time after the negative events transpired at Shechem with the destruction of these pagans by the swords of Simeon and Levi.

What Jacob Should Have Done!

Genesis 31:11-13 (NKJV)

¹¹ Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, 'Jacob.' And I said, 'Here I am.'

¹² And He said, 'Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.

¹³ I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.' "

God spoke to Jacob while in was in the land of Laban the Syrian and told him to return to the land of his family. This means that Jacob should have gone back to Hebron where his family clan was staying in the home place of his father Isaac.

Genesis 32:9 (NIV)

⁹ Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, 'Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,'

Jacob stated that in fact God had told him to return to his relatives (which would have meant in Hebron where his father was staying).

Genesis 28:20-22 (NASB)

²⁰ Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear,

²¹ and I return to my father's house in safety, then the LORD will be my God.

²² "This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You."

On the journey to go to the land of Laban to find a wife, Jacob vowed that if God would be with him (and bring him safely back to his father's house) then he would serve the Lord and honor God with a tenth of his income. This indicates that Jacob's original vow to God was that he would return again to his father's household (in Hebron).

Genesis 31:17-18 (NIV)

¹⁷ Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels,

¹⁸ and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

When Jacob was preparing to leave the land of Laban in Haran, he originally planned to return to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. So, Jacob should have gone to Hebron where his father Isaac was staying at the time instead of going to the alternate location to live near the Canaanite city of Shechem.

Genesis 33:18-19 (NIV)

¹⁸ After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan and camped within sight of the city.

¹⁹ For a hundred pieces of silver, he bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, the plot of ground where he pitched his tent.

Jacob should have gone to Hebron but instead he went to a place of foreigners and ended up buying land near the city of Shechem. Jacob would have been better off to be near his brother Esau and his father Isaac where their combined forces of their own family clans could have provided some protection for all of them. They could have separated some distance from each other for the care of their livestock while at the same time remaining near enough to offer protection against invaders if the need arose for it.

Jacob found himself in a bad situation when he went off by himself away from his own relatives and lived among the pagans when he stayed near Shechem.

Genesis 34:1-2 (NIV)

¹ Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land.

² When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and violated her.

It was because Jacob was living near Shechem that he put his own family at risk to the dangers of living near these godless pagans. Jacob's own daughter Dinah went out (without a male chaperone or guardian) by herself to see the pagan women of Shechem. But as a vulnerable young woman she was taken and raped by Shechem the ruler of the city.

This is an example of the button-hole principle because if the first button is in the wrong hole then every button after it will also be placed in the wrong hole as well. Jacob should not have lied to Esau and said he was going to meet him in Mount Seir but then never did so. Jacob would have been safer with his family clan living near his brother Esau and Esau's clan (with security forces of 400-armed men) than to go and live among the godless and violent (rapist) people of Shechem.

Genesis 34:24-25 (NIV)

²⁴ All the men who went out of the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.

²⁵ Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male.

When Jacob and his family were staying near Shechem that is when his daughter Dinah went out by herself without male guardian and was raped. This triggered events that resulted in the destruction of that city.

Genesis 35:1 (NIV)

¹ Then God said to Jacob, "Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau."

It should be noted here that God "speaks" after separation has been made and after the events transpired (which resulted in the slaughter of the Shechemites) God spoke to Jacob and told him to return to Bethel and settle there. Bethel was the first place where God met with Jacob and spoke to him when he fled from home away from Esau. God spoke to Jacob to return to his place of consecration (and dwell there). This has application to all believers that they are to have separation from the world unto God and dwell in that separation and remain in separation to the Lord.

Genesis 34:26 (NIV)

²⁶ They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem's house and left.

Jacob had drifted in passive manner and even allowed his own daughter to be taken as a wife into the home of a pagan (rapist) man in Shechem. It is evident that Jacob was in need of some consecration for himself and his entire family clan because his own family members were rapidly drifting toward becoming like the pagans among whom they lived.

Genesis 35:2-4 (NIV)

² So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.

³ Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone."

⁴ So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem.

It is obvious that the pagan idol-worshipping people of Shechem had, had a bad influence on the family clan of Jacob. His sons and their families and hired help and their families were already drifting toward idolatry which brings a curse from God! Jacob commanded that they get rid of the idols which they had come into possession of as they followed the same behavior as the idol-worshiping Shechemites among whom they dwelt. Jacob ordered them to purify themselves from idolatry and they took all of the idols found among them and buried these idols under an oak in Shechem before proceeding toward Bethel.

Going to Bethel represents consecration to God because this was the first place Jacob made a vow to God and consecrated himself to the Lord. Going to Bethel therefore speaks of returning to one's full consecration to God!

Genesis 35:27-29 (NASB)

²⁷ Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre of Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned.

²⁸ Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.

²⁹ Isaac breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, an old man of ripe age; and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Eventually the family clan of Jacob progressed from Bethel and Jacob was again found in Hebron where his father was located. Jacob and his family were present in Hebron at the death and burial of his father Isaac at this time.

The point to make here is that if Jacob had gone to Hebron in the first place where his father was staying (instead of going to Shechem) then his daughter would not have been defiled and his sons would not have destroyed the men of Shechem. All of these problems came because Jacob lost his separation when he went to live among the idol-worshiping pagans and even purchased land from them and dwelt among them.

No Separation Equals Defilement

Genesis 34:1 (NLT2)

¹ One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area.

Dinah was seeking fellowship with the pagan idol-worshiping girls of Shechem. It must be noted here that compromise with the world will always defile those who were previously consecrated to God. This principle can be illustrated by two containers with one container of pure distilled water and another container of some raw sewage. If someone places only one drop of sewage into a glass of pure water then all of that previously pure water is totally defiled. If someone pours a glass of pure water into a container of sewage it does not make that sewage pure. In the same way, if believers (who were once consecrated to God) try to fellowship with the world they will be defiled. Never do the believers have a purifying effect upon the wicked but always the wicked cause them to be defiled and impure. Such defiled believers are called "Carnal-Christians" because they are half-worldly and half-holy and so they are good for nothing! They are too holy to be part of the world but to worldly to be in union with the holy God. Neither do they ever win the unbelievers to the Lord because they are too worldly and too much "like" the unbelievers for anyone to see any difference!

1 Corinthians 15:33 (NASB)

³³ Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."

There must be separation for a believer when they get saved and they are to separate themselves from worldly influence. If a new believer tries to go to a bar to win the lost, he will only be defiled himself and have no effect upon the unbelievers. Before a believer compromises, they are like the pure water but only one drop of sewage from the world is enough to defile them entirely! When someone becomes a believer, they will have to separate from worldly friends and vices of their unsaved past life and dedicate themselves to holy living!

Matthew 10:34-36 (NIV)

³⁴ "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

³⁵ For I have come to turn "'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law--

³⁶ a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'

This scripture speaks about the fact that when some members of a household get saved then they will often be at odds with those relatives who are not saved. This division is pictured by a sword so Jesus said he brings a sword of division to a household so that a man's enemies will be the members of his own household. This can occur if household members are saved and other unsaved relatives of that household come into conflict with them. This happens when the saved members of the family no longer do the things that their unbeliever relatives are doing. The sword is often used to depict division or separation for this reason.

Not Instigating Persecution

A word of wisdom for new believers here is that when they are saved, they should not immediately try to witness to unbelieving relatives. I know of religious people who abused the members of their own family for becoming saved. It is better for a new believer to keep quiet and have time to grow and mature spiritually before they face harsh persecution. Some new believers have brought a lot of unnecessary trouble upon themselves just because they thought it was their duty to witness to unbelieving relatives. If they will wait until they mature and grow spiritually first then they would be in a better position to stand such persecution. But they do not have to bring trouble on their own heads intentionally.

There is nothing wrong with keeping quiet and just growing in the Lord first. If God wants them to witness it should be at a time when the unbelievers ask them how to be saved. They do not have to force this upon unwilling unbelievers who have no ears to listen to the gospel! Typically, this is how new believers can bring great trouble upon themselves. Some were beaten, scalded, locked in rooms, denied food, fired from jobs, demoted, lost retirement savings, disinherited and some tortured and killed for telling relatives they are saved! Saying such things to unbelievers will not typically get anyone saved but only causes the believer a lot of trouble. If the Holy Spirit is dealing with an unbeliever then these unbelievers can ask how to be saved without a new believer assuming it is their duty to witness to everyone they see.

This persecution of believers within a family of religious unbelievers is depicted by a sword of division because light has no fellowship with darkness and typically there will be conflict between those unbelievers who are "religious-zealots" and those family members who are saved and born again.

Lot Dwelt Among the Wicked

Genesis 13:8-12 (NIV)

⁸ So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers.

⁹ Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left."

¹⁰ Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

¹¹ So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company:

¹² Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom.

When Lot separated from Abraham, he went to dwell near the city of Sodom which was a city that was notorious for practicing homosexual-culture.

Genesis 19:9 (NASB)

⁹ But they said, "Stand aside." Furthermore, they said, "This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them." So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door.

Lot ended up living within the wicked city of Sodom and although he was trying to dissuade the homosexual rapists from committing indecent acts, they would have none of Lot's counsel. They said that Lot came as an alien but now he is trying to assume the role of a judge over the homosexuals to tell them what is right and wrong! They had no ears to hear anything that Lot counseled them to do. In fact, it is a complete waste of time to try to counsel or dissuade such men from evil because they are completely given over to wicked living. Lot should have separated himself from them rather than moving near their city and then progressing further to even dwell among these wicked people!

Genesis 19:1 (NIV)

¹ The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.

When the angels of God arrived to destroy the city of Sodom Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. This shows that Lot had been assimilated into this wicked culture of people and was dwelling among them as if he was one of them!

Genesis 19:15-17 (NASB)

¹⁵ When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city."

¹⁶ But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the LORD was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city.

¹⁷ When they had brought them outside, one said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away."

Lot had no separation until the angels forcefully took a hold of him and his family members and pulled them out of the wicked city and commanded them to flee to the mountains so they would not be swept away by the impending judgment of God!

God Speaks After Separation

Genesis 13:14-18 (NIV)

¹⁴ The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west.

¹⁵ All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.

¹⁶ I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.

¹⁷ Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you."

¹⁸ So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.

Lot made a decision to go and live among the wicked sinners in the valley of Sodom. It was after Lot separated from Abram that God spoke to Abram and gave him directions. God typically speaks after separation has been made.

The fact that Lot desired to live among the wicked reveals that his heart was not steadfast before God like Abraham.

Abram lived in tents and the nomadic lifestyle offered Abram and his family clan the separation that they needed to remain pure and undefiled in the sight of God. Abram lived in the open fields in tents and worked as a shepherd with livestock. This kept him from living among the godless so that their idol-worship and even pagan homosexual-culture was not a source of pollution and defilement to his family.

But Lot did not resist assimilation and instead he drifted from going near Sodom to even moving into Sodom and he lived among them. Again, this can be compared to a pure glass of water that will become completely defiled by only one drop of sewage. In the same way, godly people cannot live among and fellowship with the wicked and not be defiled by such an immoral association!

Not Resisting Assimilation

Also, Jacob also was not resisting assimilation and his own daughter was taken as wife into the household of an idol-worshiper just before Simeon and Levi destroyed the wicked men of that place. Without separation his entire family clan was drifting away from God and even harbored idols themselves showing the defilement of pagan influence upon Jacob's family as they dwelt among these heathen idol-worship culture people!

Jacob's family clan had to leave this area of idol-worship culture after the destruction of Shechem but they in fact should never have been there in the first place!

Genesis 35:5 (NIV)

⁵ Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.

This shows that Simeon and Levi did the right thing to force a separation and this pleased the Lord. God was with them and the terror of God fell upon all of the towns of the Canaanites around them so no one dared to pursue them. God's protection (in the form of pagan terror) came after the separation of the sword of Simeon and Levi was implemented!

Genesis 34:25-26 (NIV)

²⁵ Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male.

²⁶ They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem's house and left.

Separation was put into effect by Simeon and Levi who put an end to the passive drifting of their father Jacob toward assimilation! This ended the flirtation of marriage proposals and assimilation of the Hebrews by the Canaanite demon-worship and idol-worship culture people!

Dinah however did not have the protection of God because she was not supposed to be going out and breaking separation to seek fellowship and union with the godless women of that place.

The terror of God fell upon the pagans after separation had been made through Simeon and Levi. This protection from the Lord did not come by compromise or fellowship with the pagans or by trying to join them in their godless lifestyle.

Separation by Destruction

Joshua 10:40 (NIV)

⁴⁰ So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings. He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded.

God commanded Joshua to destroy every pagan idol-worshipping heathen that occupied the Promised Land and God actively aided Joshua in the conquest of the land. Joshua destroyed everyone who breathed in his battles and this was commanded by God for the purpose of separation. There could be no compromise between God's people and those who practiced demon/idol-worship cultures!

Extermination Produces Separation

Deuteronomy 21:10-13 (NIV)

¹⁰ When you go to war against your enemies and the LORD your God delivers them into your hands and you take captives,

¹¹ if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife.

¹² Bring her into your home and have her shave her head, trim her nails

¹³ and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife.

An Israeli man was permitted to marry a young woman survivor from the captives of the pagan people which were destroyed by war. Such a pagan woman however would be allowed to mourn her deceased parents a full month before she become the wife of the Jewish soldier. The reason for this is that all of the family support group (including parents) were all exterminated. This left no pagan influence over this young maiden girl to influence her to continue to practice demon/idol worship culture.

Culling out the evil influence of a pagan family support group allowed a former pagan maiden to be assimilated into Jewish culture and become the wife of a Jewish man. But again, such a girl had no more heathen support group or idol-worshiping parents to instruct her how to follow demon/idol-worship culture!

Nehemiah 13:23-24 (NASB)

²³ In those days I also saw that the Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.

²⁴ As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them was able to speak the language of Judah, but the language of his own people.

In the time of Nehemiah, the Jewish exiles returned from captivity in Babylon to rebuild their nation. But when they arrived, they found that some Jewish men had remained in the land of Israel during the exile and some of these men married heathen women and had children with them! These half-breed children were raised by pagan women who had their heathen support group fully intact. Their pagan mothers had parents and heathen relatives that counseled these women how to appease demons and worship idols and do everything that brings a curse from God! The children raised by these heathen women were half-pagan and could not speak Hebrew but only the language of the heathens. So, they were raised as heathens and for all practical purposes these were heathen children (even if they had a Jewish father)!

This is what happens when separation was not made by exterminating the support group of these heathen women. Such a pagan family support group will counsel them how to preserve their heathen culture!

That is why God wanted his people to have separation and all of the wars carried out by Joshua in the Land of Canaan was related to exterminating the wicked influence of pagans so as to keep God's people holy and pure and undefiled! God's people could not walk with God if they were defiled by heathen culture. This was evident in the family clan of Jacob which began to harbor idols and worship idols under the defiling influence of the Canaanites among whom they dwelt.

Believers Not of the World

John 17:14-17 (NIV)

¹⁴ I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.

¹⁵ My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.

¹⁷ Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Jesus said that the believers were not of the world even though they lived on the earth. This means they were required to keep their separation from the defilement of the world as they walked holy and pleasing in the sight of God.

John 15:18-19 (NIV)

¹⁸ "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

The world hates the believers who are separated to God because the holiness of the believers condemns the unbelievers as being evil. But those who are carnal Christians (drifted into being worldly like Lot) are part of the world and are just like the world because they lost their separation to God! Therefore, the world loves its own (including carnal Christians) who are part of the world's system.

Separation to God

2 Corinthians 6:14-16 (NIV)

¹⁴ Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

¹⁵ What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

¹⁶ What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

The believer is not to be unequally yoked with and unbelievers. This is like a pair of oxen with their necks yoked together. If one tries to go right and the other left, they will have conflict being yoked together. A yoked pair of oxen must go together in unity and travel in the same direction or else they will have conflict. In the same way, a believer is not to fellowship with an unbeliever to try to become like them. They are not to marry an unbeliever or have a joint-business venture together with unbelievers. The believer is called by God to keep separation by being separated to God. Even if the believer is living on earth, they are still to keep their separation from the world and keep separation from its moral defilement.

Yes, the believers often find themselves among unbelievers on the street and in the market or the workplace but they do not have to fellowship with them or become like them or go to the bars with them. Believers are a light for the gospel only to the extent that they show they are different than the unbelievers. Joining the unbelievers in the bar and drinking alcohol with them while trying to witness to them will only bring scoffing from unbelievers. How can a carnal Christian tell them about the Lord when at the same time they are behaving no different than unbelievers? Only through separation can a believer bring an unbeliever out of the world into the knowledge of Christ.

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 (NIV)

¹⁷ "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."

¹⁸ "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

God calls the believer to come out of the world and be separate to the Lord. This means that a salty believer will cause the unbelievers to thirst for righteousness. This salty-effect however is entirely lost when a carnal Christian is just like the world and engages in the same vices as unbelievers just like a dog returning to his own vomit!

Principle of Separation

Simeon and Levi represent separation because the sword speaks of separating between that which is holy and that which is defiled in God's sight.

Deuteronomy 27:12 (7KB)

¹² When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Benjamin, Issachar, and Joseph.

Again, it is Simeon and Levi who are first on the list for those who were placed on Mount Gerizim who represent those blessed by God. Their separation from the defilement of idolatry and forcing the separation of the Hebrews from the idol-worshiping Canaanites was something pleasing to God and caused the family clans of Simeon and Levi to be placed in a position of honor and blessing on Mount Gerizim during the time of Moses.

Separation of Levi

Exodus 32:26-29 (NIV)

²⁶ So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, "Whoever is for the LORD, come to me." And all the Levites rallied to him.

²⁷ Then he said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.'"

²⁸ The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died.

²⁹ Then Moses said, "You have been set apart to the LORD today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day."

Again, it was the sons of Levi who rallied to Moses in the time of the idol-worship incident of the golden calf at Mount Horeb. These Levites won a place of honor in service to God because of their zeal for the Lord.

These were overcomer-types and that is why both Simeon and Levi were included on the mount of blessing. God hates those who are passive with sin and drift into sin without resistance. The tribe of Levi distinguished themselves with God when they displayed their zeal for the Lord.

The Levites being dispersed among Israel was a blessing for everyone because the Levites were teaching God's word to all Israel and it was said that no Israelite town or city was more than 10 KM from a teaching Levite city. This was a blessing to all the nation and Levi was separated to God because of zeal. It was the Levites who taught the word of God to all Israel after they entered the Promised Land.

Zeal of Phinehas Honored by God

Numbers 25:6-13 (NIV)

⁶ Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

⁷ When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand

⁸ and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them--through the Israelite and into the woman's body. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped;

⁹ but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.

¹⁰ The LORD said to Moses,

¹¹ "Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them.

¹² Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him.

¹³ He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites."

Phinehas the grandson of Aaron the Priest saw a Simeonite man take a pagan woman into a tent in full sight of Moses and the people who gathered at the tent of meeting. Phinehas was enraged over the brazen attitude of this Simeonite man who openly brought a pagan woman to a tent within the camp for sexual relations. Phinehas followed them with a spear and pinned both man and woman to the ground in one strike! This act of aggression was honored by God and Phinehas was granted a covenant of peace with God for having been zealous for the Lord.

Instead of being passive with sin the men in that era (who honored God) were zealous against sin. This shows that believers should be zealous about standing against sin and not drift into passivity over fear of what people might say if they are bold in their stand against sin.

Passivity of Jacob

Genesis 34:5 (NIV)

⁵ When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled, his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he kept quiet about it until they came home.

The passivity of Jacob is displayed in how he did nothing at all and kept quiet about the rape of his daughter until his sons came home. This passivity is something that gives a message to the sons that they are free to take action because their father was doing nothing and his silence about the matter was equal to passing the matter off to his sons by default. The same behavior is also displayed by the passive Ahab who threw the decision-making to his wife Jezebel by default.

1 Kings 21:2-10 (NIV)

² Ahab said to Naboth, "Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth."

³ But Naboth replied, "The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers."

⁴ So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat.

⁵ His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, "Why are you so sullen? Why won't you eat?"

⁶ He answered her, "Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, 'Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.' But he said, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'"

⁷ Jezebel his wife said, "Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I'll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."

⁸ So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, placed his seal on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth's city with him.

⁹ In those letters she wrote: "Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people.

¹⁰ But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them testify that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death."

Ahab pouted like a child when he did not get to have his own way. His behavior of not eating and pouting on his bed gave a message to his wife Jezebel that he wanted her to take action on his behalf. Jezebel then used the authority of her husband as king and wrote letters in the name of Ahab and sealed them with Ahab's signet ring giving orders to have Naboth (the owner of the vineyard) put to death. Thus, she killed the Naboth so Ahab could take possession of his vineyard for himself.

In the same way, the passive behavior of Jacob doing nothing until his sons came home was a means of putting the decision in their hands by default. Then Simeon and Levi took the hint given by the passivity of Jacob authorizing them to take action. Thus, they took the matters into their own hands and killed every male in Shechem!

Genesis 34:30 (NIV)

³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed."

It seems that Jacob was not pleased that Simeon and Levi upset his compromise game he had going on with the Shechemites. The action of Simeon and Levi caused a permanent rift between the Canaanites living in the land and the Hebrew family clan of Jacob. Jacob was not displaying faith in God for protection but only thought he would be outnumbered by the heathens in the land if they sought to engage in war with him.

Genesis 49:5-7 (NIV)

⁵ "Simeon and Levi are brothers-- their swords are weapons of violence.

⁶ Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.

⁷ Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.

Jacob pronounced a curse on Simeon and Levi but in fact they saved his Hebrew family clan from being totally assimilated into the idol-worship culture of the pagans at Shechem.

Deuteronomy 27:11-12 (NIV)

¹¹ On the same day Moses commanded the people:

¹² When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin.

Later God instructed Moses that the tribes of Simeon and Levi should be the first to stand on Mount Gerizim to pronounce the blessing. This shows that God honored both the tribes of Simeon and Levi because of the separation they caused using their swords against the idol-worshipers of Shechem. Separation from the wicked was a good thing in the sight of God even if it upset the compromise plan of Jacob and caused him to curse his two sons for disturbing his relations with the heathens in such violent manner!

Abraham and Separation to God

Genesis 12:1-3 (NIV)

¹ The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.

² "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

God told Abram to leave his county and his people and go to the land God would show him. This is an example of separation as Abram separated himself from his idol-worshiping relatives in his native country of Ur of the Chaldeans.

Genesis 15:7 (NIV)

⁷ He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."

God brought Abram out of Ur of the Chaldeans from that idol-worship culture and sent Abram to the land of Promise to live in separation away from idol-worship culture. Abram lived in tents as a nomad which provided the separation, he needed rather than living in the cities of the idol-worshiping people.

Genesis 15:13-14 (NIV)

¹³ Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.

¹⁴ But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.

Abraham was told by God that his descendants would be enslaved for over four hundred years. This occurred when the descendants of Abraham went to Egypt during the famine and lived in separation from the Egyptians in the of Goshen for 430-years. During this time, they multiplied to over 600,000 Jewish families headed by over 600,000 Jewish heads of households. It was this population that was large enough to become a nation and this group (under the leadership of Moses) was led from Egypt during the Exodus.

Throughout the history of Israel God was calling his people to separation from the heathen tribes. God's people even lived in separation while they were slaves in Egypt.

Genesis 46:32-34 (NIV)

³² The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.'

³³ When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, 'What is your occupation?'

³⁴ you should answer, 'Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.' Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians."

Egyptian culture was such that they considered shepherds as detestable and had nothing to do with them. It was for this reason the Hebrews were sent to live separately from the Egyptians in the land of Goshen in Egypt during the famine. God used the Egyptian (anti-shepherd) culture to create a separation between the Hebrews and the Egyptians.

Genesis 43:32 (NIV)

³² They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians.

Even though Joseph was a ruler in Egypt, he was still considered detestable by the Egyptians (whom he ruled over) and they would not even eat with him! This was a good thing because this hostile Egyptian-culture against Hebrew shepherds kept God's people in separation while they lived and multiplied in Goshen so they were not defiled and contaminated by the vile Egyptian idol-worship culture.

Separation Caused by Simeon and Levi

Therefore, Simeon and Levi did a good thing in the sight of God and acted as a force of separation between the Hebrew family clan of Jacob and the Shechemites. The Canaanite people of Shechem were trying to appropriate the blessings of the Hebrews for themselves by intermarriage. Absorption by intermarriage would have totally nullified the godly influence of the Israelites.

The same is also true of a believer who becomes worldly and is just like the world and no different than the world and therefore cannot bring anyone out of the world into separation to God.

God calls all believers into separation and without separation there will be no lordship and no holiness and no heaven for any carnal Christian who has not separated themselves from the world and are worldly just like those who are godless.

Revelation 18:4 (NIV)

⁴ Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;

This scripture can have application to the believer as God in the same way calls all believers to come out of the world and be separate. Believers do live on the earth but they do not have to adapt the ways of unbelievers or follow their idol-worship culture or homosexual-culture or any other activity of the world that is in direct conflict with the moral behavior required by the God of Israel from his children.

Spiritual Application of Separation

John 11:43-44 (NIV)

⁴³ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"

⁴⁴ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

Even the raising of Lazarus from the dead can have spiritual applications because the believer is also raised from the dead in similar manner when they are spiritually regenerated and born again. When they come out of the world it is like a dead man coming to life and walking out of the tomb. The grave clothing (strips of linen soaked in spices) that wrapped the body like a mummy can also illustrate how a believer is now a new person and should remove the old dead ways of sin that once held him in bondage. This means the believer is set free from sin so they can use their human freewill to walk in holiness and produce fruit of righteousness in their lives.

But all of this comes to nothing as soon as a believer fails in the area of separation and becomes just like the world which he once left and as a result becomes a carnal Christian. A carnal Christian is a believer in name only as they profess to know Christ but their own actions deny him.

Titus 1:16 (NIV)

¹⁶ They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

The carnal Christian professes to know Christ (only as fire insurance in a vain hope to escape hell). But in fact, such a person denies that they know the Lord by their own actions being in bondage to sin the same as an unbeliever. They are like a dead man bound up in strips of cloth that dried as hard as concrete so they are a bound like a mummy!

See the link "Christians in Hell" for more details

2 Timothy 2:19 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity."

Those who are believers are to depart from all iniquity and this speaks of separation from all that is defiled within the world's system which keeps unbelievers bound in sin like a mummy in a cast or cocoon.

Without separation to God from the world and sin there will be no salvation for those who only profess with lip-service that they know God when all the while their own actions of living wickedly deny that they are children of the Most High God!

Principle Simeon and Levi

The principle Simeon and Levi speaks of the sword of separation of believers separating themselves from the world and cutting themselves off from all moral contamination. Without holiness no one will see God and so there will be no salvation without separation from that which defiles and is unclean in God's sight.

The defilement of the world comes in many forms. The world pushes feminine equality in entertainment and news and education and all forms of media. This is completely opposite of God's command for women believers to submit to their male authority in the home. The agenda of the world and its evil influence is exactly opposite of what God commands in the scripture. Unless a believer renews their minds to what God says in the bible, they will in fact drift into becoming worldly and adapting worldly ways of thinking. This defilement of the world's system is like sewage which defiles pure water. Unless believer actively and aggressively resists moral defilement, they will be swept away by it and become contaminated in their thinking and this will cause their behavior to become worldly.

Separation from the world and from its defilement must be done in an active and aggressive manner as is represented by the violent swords of Simeon and Levi which enacted a separation of their Hebrew family clan from the defiling influence of the idol-worship culture of the heathen Canaanites.