You must purge the evil from among you. – (Deuteronomy 21.21b)
On March 28, 1979, America experienced its worst ever nuclear accident – a partial meltdown of the reactor core at the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant near Middletown, Pennsylvania. I was attending college in Philadelphia at the time and was advised to stay as far away from the Middletown
Government and TMI officials did not know for days the full extent of the risks to the public and the government had gone into emergency production of Potassium Iodide (abbreviated "KI") solution to help protect the public. Here’s a quote from the book "Nuclear War Survival Skills", regarding the serious nature of the TMI nuclear meltdown:
“When the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor accident was worsening and it appeared that the reactor's containment structure might rupture and release dangerous amounts of radioactive iodines and other radioactive material into the atmosphere, the Government rushed preparation of small bottles of a saturated solution of potassium iodide. The reactor's containment structure did not rupture. The 237,013 bottles of saturated KI solution that were delivered to Harrisburg , Pennsylvania – mostly too late to have been effective if the Three Mile Island had become an uncontained meltdown – were stored in secret in a warehouse, and were never used.”[1]
Only later did facts of the TMI incident reveal the near catastrophic degree of the TMI meltdown that actually occurred…
According to National Geographic magazine, “more than half the unit's core melted.”
– National Geographic, April, 1989.
“It flowed like hot olive oil,” said the vice president of the company operating Three Mile Island , in reference to TMI's uranium fuel.
– Edward Kintner, executive vice president of GPU Nuclear.
Now imagine if Three Mile Island and government officials had not taken the nuclear reactor accident seriously and suppose the TMI containment vessel had, in fact, ruptured, as it well could have done… and what if corrective actions had been slower… why hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people could have been exposed to the dangerous levels of radioactive iodine and other poisonous radioactive materials within the first week or two. The death and sickness tolls would have been massive.
Like radioactive iodines and other hazardous materials that can be released into the atmosphere during a nuclear meltdown, sin poses risk, but of a far greater magnitude – eternal death and destruction. You see it is a dangerous and costly mistake not to take temptation to sin seriously. The sad testimony of many who have succumbed to sin's enticements is that they thought they were strong enough to remain in the midst of temptation to withstand and resist it. We find in our key Scripture text in Deuteronomy 21.21b that God requires that His people remove evil from their midst. One way to do this is to remove anything in your “atmosphere” or environment that may tempt you to sin.
When wickedness surrounds you, you are in danger of becoming desensitized and anesthetized to its destructive potential – that’s the deceptive nature of sin. Never assume that you are immune to succumbing to temptation. Do not underestimate the craftiness of the Evil One – he is by nature a deceiver and “the father of lies” – (John 8.44; see also 2 Corinthians 11.3-4; 2 Thessalonians 2.9-10; Revelation 12.9-10). Sin can be so seductive – that is obviously why there is “temptation”! (See James 1.13-15) Even Jesus, though God incarnate, was tempted in every way – just like us – (Hebrews 2.14-18; 4.14-16).
God does not tolerate evil, for sin even cost the death of His Son Jesus. Like radioactive poisons, sin causes untold pain and destruction to everyone it touches. And, like uncontained toxic, hazardous radioactive materials, so sin spreads, infiltrates, grows and destroys. That’s why the apostle Paul charges the church in Corinth to deal with sin straightaway – “You must remove the old yeast of sin so that you will be entirely pure. Then you will be like a new batch of dough without any yeast, as indeed I know you actually are. For our Passover Festival is ready, now that Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us celebrate our Passover, then, not with bread having the old yeast of sin and wickedness, but with the bread that has no yeast, the bread of purity and truth” – (1 Corinthians 5.7-8, GNT). Treating evil lightly shows foolish disregard for God's righteous character, redemptive work, holy wrath, and ignorance regarding the true nature and consequence of sin – it is absolutely hurtful, injurious, insidious, ruinous, pernicious, deadly (Romans 6.23a; Galatians 6.7-8).
An honest evaluation and inventory of your life will reveal temptations that you should remove, such as some forms of entertainment or ungodly relationships. As the apostle Paul clearly warns – “Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character” – (1 Corinthians 15.33, AMP). When God convicts you of evil in your midst, remove it immediately – don’t mess around! Here’s what Paul wrote to the Christians in Colossae
There are times, however, when you are powerless to remove ungodly influences, so you must remove yourself from the temptation. Paul urges us to avoid every kind of evil (I Thessalonians 5.22), and to flee from sexual immorality, idolatry, materialism, and youthful lusts (1 Corinthians 6.18; 10.14; 1 Timothy 6.11; 2 Timothy 2.22). When Joseph was enticed to commit adultery by his master's wife, he fled immediately! – (Genesis 39.12)
Do not lose your abhorrence of sin. Like the threat of contaminating radioactive materials that can prove fatal, take whatever measures necessary to avoid temptation and sin that can prove so destructive. Be diligent to keep any form of temptation out of your home, out of your relationships, out of your mind. You can do this only by maintaining preeminently your love relationship with God, recognizing that you are powerless to resist temptation in your own strength. And remember – God is faithful, He will provide a way of escape – but it is up to us to take it with all haste (1 Corinthians 10.12-13).
You will not be able to walk closely with God unless you see sin as He sees it. “For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” – (2 Corinthians 6.14) You see, “If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.” – (1 John 1.6) Darkness and light cannot coexist… run from the darkness to the light!
“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a man is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ
In a nutshell – in Him,
Web Shepherd
[1] Cresson H. Kearny, Nuclear War Survival Skills, published by Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, Cave Junction, Oregon, 1987. Original Edition published September 1979 by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a facility of the United States Department of Energy.
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