It is a sad commentary on the people of Israel. Not long after Joshua died, and after those who had crossed the Jordan River with him and seen the initial conquering of the land had died, that the people of Israel fell into grave sin. They failed to completely drive out the inhabitants of the land, became friends with them, and chose to intermarry. As days past, they began to rationalize that complete victory was not necessary, and that they did not need to be totally free of the land’s inhabitants as long as they ruled. They failed to fully obey God; they chose their faulty wisdom over God’s will. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals. And they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods… and bowed down to them. And they provoked the LORD to anger (Judges 2.11-12). They willingly and knowingly chose sin.
We must intentionally and vigilantly guard our hearts that we do not fall into the trap of the Israelites. They had the rich heritage of God’s working in their presence; they had been called out as a people unique of all the people on the earth; they had record of what God had done in the past and His powerful working among their ancestors. However, they failed to remember; they failed to obey. We too have a rich heritage. We have been called by God as His children, forgiven of all sin through the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ. We have been given God’s Word; we have clear examples of those who walked by faith; we have been given clarity regarding God’s expectations for our lives. We must be ever careful to remember and to never neglect the Lord our God and choose to follow our own deceitful thoughts. The Israelites failed to fully remove the land’s inhabitants. Might we be diligent to rid ourselves of all which represents sin and can so easily and quickly lead us from the righteous path of our Lord.
Having the gift of faith – we have much to be thankful for –
Terry Burlingame
My Morning Desk 