Judges 2 -- The Root Of The Problem

Imagine hearing God say, “But you did not obey Me.  How could you do this?  Now I tell you, ‘I will not force out the people in this land.  They will be your enemies, and their gods will be a trap for you.’”

 

God had kept His hand of protection over the Israelites all through their wilderness wonderings and as they took the Promised Land.  God knew what those people in Canaan were like, and how they sinned to the max, and He didn’t want His children corrupted by them.

 

It’s still happening today.  We face pluralism with so many differing beliefs and lifestyles.  My commentary says, “It’s easy to get confused and start thinking that tolerance is the same as approval.”  Of course, Christians don’t eliminate people who disagree with the Christian faith.  “But we do have an obligation before God to maintain a separate walk so we won’t become defiled by those who disagree with us,” my commentary added.  “The Jews eventually became so accustomed to the sinful ways of their pagan neighbors that those ways didn’t seem sinful anymore.”  It also listed the steps in that process:

1)      Friendship with the world

2)      Being spotted by the world

3)      Loving the world

4)      Conforming to the world

 

God isn’t being mean when He disciplines us for our disobedience.  “God is always faithful to His Word, whether in blessing us or chastening us, for in both, He displays His integrity and His love.  God would prefer to bestow the positive blessings of life that bring us enjoyment, but He doesn’t hesitate to remove those blessings if our suffering will motivate us to return to Him in repentance.”

 

Perhaps the most profound word I read this morning came from my commentary:  “The sin in our lives that we fail to conquer will eventually conquer us.”  That’s what happened with the Israelites, and we’re no better.

 

Father, it does no good for us to pray that You remove the weakness within us that gives sin its root if we don’t also agree with You to fight it tooth-and-toenail ourselves.  You’d told the Israelites to remove the source of their temptation – the Baal altars and idols – yet they tolerated them.  Help me not to tolerate in my life the things You want removed from it.  Help me to defeat sin rather than giving it a foothold.

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford