ISRAEL COMMANDED ANIMMIGRATION POLICY -- DRIVE THEM OUT!
This article is a result of my grandson, Curt (Buddy), teaching this at our church during Adult Sunday School in Aliquippa, PA. I have edited it somewhat for brevity and to incorporate it into this written form. B Copied, edited, paraphrased, and amended by Herb Evans.
The Bible Principle and Results Regarding Disobedience
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; -- Gen. 3:17, 18
In the beginning, God created man and woman and gave them new lives and gave them His Word and one commandment - Thou shalt not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They disobeyed and reaped thorns and thistles and worse B death. Read the account of Israel=s command and how that they disobeyed the command and reaped thorns and thistles.
The Inhabitants of the Land B Drive Them Out!
And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; Thenye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it. B Num. 33:50-53
Just as God has given Adam and Eve the opportunity to succeed in their new lives in Christ, God gave the children of Israel (His O.T. people and us) the opportunity to succeed and prosper in the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. He has also given America the same opportunity. What I would like to do is draw a parallel between God=s people, Israel, in Judges, and among Christians today.
The Book of Judges continues where the children of Israel have left the bondage of Egypt, traveled through the wilderness, crossed the Jordan River, and fought the battles with Joshua as their leader. Now, it is time for the 12 tribes of Israel to go in and possess the country and start a Anew life@ that God had promised them. Try and see the parallel between God=s people in Judges and Christians today, our churches, and even our country. God commanded them to drive out the inhabitants of the land. God wants us to drive out some things from among us! Can you see how this applies to us?
The Consequences of Not Driving them Out
But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.BNum. 33:55-56
And the Lord said . . . I have delivered the land into his [Judah] hand . . . and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men . . . and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. . . Now the children of Judah hadfought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. . . and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah. Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof. --Judges 1:1-5, 8, 17,18
They are told the consequences of disobeying the Lord, and things are looking good so far. The Israelites fight against the Canaanites and the Perizzites and slay and whip them and destroy some of their cities as commanded and conquered them. If we, being more than conquerors, like the Israelites, will not hearken to the voice of the Lord, instead of us putting sin out of business, God will allow sin to put us out of business. If we allow sin into our churches and into our country, God will let sin destroy our churches and our country because we willingly brought it in or allowed it or ignored it.
What they did not do B Drive them out
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.B Josh. 1:8
Judges 1:19 And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.
Why could they not Adrive them out? Did God tell them to do something that they couldn=t do? You can always do what you ought to do with God=s help. Was it to difficult for them or were they too lazy. Or were they afraid of the consequential losses in standing up to chariots of iron? Nevertheless, we have only partial obedience here.
And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusitesthat inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day. . . Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute,and did not utterly drive them out. Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanitesthat dwelt in Gezer . . . Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron . . . but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries. Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho . . . Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh . . . But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries.B Judges 1:21 B 35
Note: The commandment was to drive them out and to dispossess them (Num. 33:52); the consequences were to be B thorns/problems and the same treatment as the lost (Num. 33:55, 56)
Because God=s people failed to set themselves up for success, they had problems throughout the 21 chapters of the book of Judges. What did they have trouble with? It was the inhabitants and idolatry and sin that they did not drive out. God=s way is always the successful way! What I am trying to say is that the children of Israel probably thought they were saving themselves some work and some problems by not driving out the inhabitants. And they could also tax them. God=s people, the Israelites, made the inhabitants tributaries defined as streams or smaller river that flows into a main river. Now, why do you think the people didn’t=t drive out the enemy? They probably thought that since they were a larger nation that they could control them and take advantage of them. That=s what Egypt thought about the children of Israel when they were in bondage in Egypt, but Israel grew. Sometimes, small acts of disobedience toward God don=t seem like a big deal because you are bigger than those sins - you are stronger, but things have a tendency to grow overnight. To make a long story short, the enemy caused many problems throughout the book of judges and beyond. They caused God=s people to sin and get involved with idolatry and Baal worship.
Per the Book of Judges, the wrong inhabitants will:
Judges 3 Mix themselves into all areas of your life and make you a slave
Judges 6 Prevail against you and drive you from peace
Judges 8 Cause you to accept their gods
Judges 9 Cause strife amongst God=s people
Judges 10 make you slaves (again)
Judges 14 Cause your children to be carnal
Judges 16 Cause great men of God to fall
Judges 18 Cause entire families to be eaten up with idolatry
Judges 19 Cause things to be done that were never done before
Judges 20 Cause you to be constantly at war
Judges 21 Cause you to do what is right in your own eyes
Whether you are a garbage man or a President of a company, doing things God=s way will always put you in the best position. Undoubtedly, proper preparation in any type of venture is what insures success. We acknowledge this as the practical side of such things B but how much more should we pay attention to setting ourselves and our children up for spiritual and eternal success. If parents are not the example, they should be, if they don=t set up protective rules and guidelines for their children, according to the Bible, they are setting snare for them. If parents let them handle things, they are assisting their spiritual suicide. Parents have a major responsibility. The attitude of parents and everything in which parents get involved affects their children, whether Alcohol, Fornication and adultery, backbiting and gossip, ungodly music and dress, immaturity. If there is rebellion in their hearts, they should best get rid of it before their children get rebellious. On the positive side, once a parent has laid the right foundation, they have the rest of their lives to enjoy. Once your child knows right from wrong, and you have seen them exercise godly decisions, you are home free with God=s promise that they will not depart from the way they have been trained to go. It=s easy to say AI don=t feel like giving junior a spanking,@ it=s harder to handle, when he=s 21 years old, bigger than you, and can=t be controlled by you. If you take care of things now, as God has commanded you, you won=t be putting snares and stumbling blocks in the way of your family. And one of these days, each of us is going to face a decisive spiritual task. The more snares we have in our way, and the more problems that we created for ourselves B the better the chance that we have of failing! We must not allow obstacles/inhabitants to remain in our own way or our children=s= ways but must walk according to God=s Word. Remember! Our children will, no doubt, serve sin for possibly an entire lifetime, if we do not rid ourselves of the land=s occupants.
The Results of Disobedience
And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. B Judge 2:1-4
Do you know what their disobedience became unto them? Thorns and snares! Do you understand this principle? If you don=t do what God says to do, you are destroying everything good God wants to give you. The question to ask ourselves is BAWhat are the inhabitants of our lives and churches and country that need to be driven out?@ Should they remain? May we compare ourselves with the previous inhabitants of Israel?
Drive them Out While You Still Can!
And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD . . . and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim . . . And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and hedelivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed. Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them . . . And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way . . .I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died: That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD . . . Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua. B Joshua 7, 10, 11, 14 - 16, 19, 21-23
Even in our generation, we may still serve the Lord after our disobedience and do some things, but what about the generation that follows us? What about our children? Will they know the Lord? Will they serve the Lord? Will they do evil in God=s sight? Will they be delivered into the hands of their enemies? Some of the Israelites, after their partial obedience, were still helped by God by judges delivering them. But after the judges were dead, God left them on their own. Israel is on its own now, and is NOT driving the Palestinians out of Gaza. That is why they are having the problems that they have. Of course, it is many time the United States= fault for stopping Israel from doing what they should do. The truth of the matter is that the Palestinians are not even from Palestine. They came from Crete and the surrounding areas
Just like the lost man crosses the Adead line,@ without any more chance to be saved, so even some saved people seem to reach a certain point in sin, where they can=t go back from their addiction; they cannot seem to get straightened out; they become reprobate and can=t seem to see that they are wrong Then God has to kill them and take them on home. God gives some folks up -- some for a time -- some for good. There is a sin unto death; there is no excuse or escape from it. When God decides to blow someone=s pilot light out B that is it! Nevertheless, no one knows when that point is. You may look at what God has done to Israel and ask AWhy?@ Nevertheless, if a nation or individual has no desire to do what God wants one to do . . . then why not? Hello Baptists! Hello Church! Hello America!
-- Paraphrased by Herb Evans