Sunday Devotional: Judges 2:11

And the sons of Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord and they served the Ba’als.

When God told Moses that He had set aside the land of Canaan as the dwelling place for His people, He instructed Moses to take the land and cleanse it from all its godless, idolatrous, child-sacrificing, evil-doing people. God was not commanding a random act of genocide; He was, in fact, withholding His mercy from the people of that land, and pronouncing upon them the just punishment for their sin (see Deuteronomy 9:4-5). This was not a special act of God’s vengeance; it was a judicial act, and one that except for God’s grace, we all deserve. The reason He gave Moses was that He did not want His people to be affected by the pagan practices of the people around them (a theme that comes up frequently in Deuteronomy). He wanted his people to be pure in their worship of the Lord, and not be tempted into any of the abominable practices of those that inhabited the land of Canaan.

The book of Joshua recounts Israel’s conquests under Moses’ successor, by the power of God–the land they took, and how they parceled it out to the various tribes of Israel. The opening chapter of the book of Judges describes Judah’s capture of Jerusalem, and the taking of various other cities. All seems to be going well, with Israel gradually laying claim to the Promised Land. However, a disturbing trend starts. We read in 1:28, “And it was, when Israel [became] strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out.” This theme of “not driving out” and of Israel cohabiting with the pagan people continues into chapter 2, culminating in 2:11, where, we should not be surprised to learn, Israel falls to the very temptation the Lord warned them about about back in Deuteronomy (see 7:1-7; 12:29-31). They suffered for their disobedience, being tormented by the nations they allowed to stay.

Like these residing nations, we have remaining sin in our hearts. Every Christian knows the reality that we fail to live up to the perfection of Christ every day, whether by thought, word, or deed. The question is, what is our attitude to our remaining sin? Do we invite it in, give it shelter, feed it, and make it welcome? Or do we fight it, pray for deliverance from it, and do all we can to counter its influence in our lives? Israel refused to obey God and gave a place to the pagans within their land. They probably thought God underestimated them, and their ability to keep themselves pure from their idolatrous neighbors. Yet God was shown to be correct. Do we think, speak, and act in ways that empower sin, thinking we’re strong enough in our faith to handle it? The Lord knows better, which is why we find so many exhortations to purity and holiness in the New Testament (e.g., Ephesians 4:25-32). We are frail, and we need the Lord’s help in the fight.

May we pray against the influence of sin in our lives, and continue to pursue lives that please the Lord.

Have a great week!