Beware Of The Company You Keep! - 100 Days Of Discipleship - Day 82 by Apostle Emmanuel Iren: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The Sons of Korah and What Their Psalm Actually Means

Psalm 84 is attributed to the sons of Korah. The identity of the author matters.

In Numbers 16:1-3, a group rose up to challenge the authority of Moses. First on the list was Korah the son of Izhar. They stood before Moses and said: you take too much upon yourself. The entire congregation is holy. Every one of them. The Lord is amongst them. Why do you exalt yourself above the assembly of the Lord?

They were challenging the God-ordained order of the community. Moses laid prostrate, then replied: by tomorrow the Lord will make clear who is holy and who can approach him. He then issued a warning to everyone else — verse 26: depart now from the tents of these wicked men. Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.

Now read the psalm with that context. The sons of Korah — children of the man who led the rebellion — are writing: "For a day in your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness."

The tent of wickedness they were referring to belonged to their own father.

They were saying: even if it is my own blood towing the path of destruction, I refuse to be a part of it. This is one of the most powerful statements on separation in the entire Psalms, and most people have never understood the weight of it because they didn't know who was writing it.

Guilt by Association Is a Biblical Reality

There is a pattern throughout Scripture where people were not only judged by the sincerity of their own faith, but implicated by the disposition of their environment.

• Psalm 1:1 — blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. Notice the progression: walking, then standing, then sitting. This describes how backsliding happens gradually — increasing entanglement with a pattern of ungodliness.
• Jonathan did not need to die. He knew that Saul was wrong. But out of sentiment, he stayed in Saul's company — and was destroyed alongside him.
• Lot came very close to being destroyed simply by his association with Sodom. It was mercy alone that pulled him out.

Romans 1:32 — who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, not only do the same things, but also approve of those who practice them. There is a way your silence gives approval. That is how God reckons it.

What Separation Looks Like Practically

This is not about becoming a hermit or refusing any contact with the world. Jesus himself said: I am not praying that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them. It is possible to have contact without contamination.

But there is a company in which you should not be found:

• People who are not merely struggling with sin, but who are open and comfortable in it — where it is no longer a fight but a settled lifestyle.
• People who consistently make derogatory remarks about Christ, his church, or the faith. Reaching out to people is different from making that your constant company.
• People who, out of familial loyalty, will pressure you to participate in practices you know are spiritually wrong — even if it comes from a mother, a father, a respected elder. The sons of Korah are your example here.

2 Corinthians 6:17 — come out from among them, you who bear the vessels of the Lord. There must be a clear difference in your life.

Knowing Where to Draw the Line

There is another extreme to avoid: using the concept of spiritual protection to exempt yourself from all accountability and criticism. That is not what this is about. There is a difference between someone saying a man of God should not speak like this and someone saying this is not a man of God. The second is a serious claim that requires certainty. Before you make it, be sure.

But when people cross the line into blatant iniquity — when they begin to mock what is holy, to actively undermine the faith — there is a time to simply not participate. Not a dramatic exit. Not a long argument. Just: I will not be part of this conversation.

1 Corinthians 15:33 — evil communication corrupts good manners. Apart from the corruption of character, entanglement with the wrong company carries grave spiritual consequences. When the judgment falls on the tent of Korah, make sure you are not in it.