Compromise And Disobedience

Transcript

GRS 2-47
11/5/2006
Compromise and Disobedience
Judges 1-2:5
Gil Rugh

We’ve been moving through the Books of the Old Testament in somewhat of an overview fashion not working through all the details but taking them at least a Chapter or two at a time and we are going to look into the book of Judges. We begin that study together today, the Book of Judges and if you have been here you know the natural flow up to this point where Genesis gave us the beginnings of everything, including the beginning of the nation Israel in Genesis Chapter 12 and events of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the 12 sons of Jacob comprising the rest of the Book of Genesis from Chapter 12 on.

And then that period of bondage in Egypt, Book of Genesis closes with the family of Jacob going down into Egypt where Joseph has been given a high position. And there that family of 70 people will grow into a mighty nation of perhaps two million over the next 400 years. And the Book of Exodus opens up with God ready to bring His people out of Egypt.

Then we have the account of Moses and his call and appointment by God to be the leader and so the Book of Exodus, the first part of the Book primarily dealing with the Exodus from Egypt and events surrounding that and then instructions regarding the tabernacle which would be focal point of Israel’s worship, the giving of the law and so on.

We looked at the Book of Joshua. We looked at the Book of Numbers and in the Book of Joshua we have the wilderness wanderings, Israel’s 40 years into wilderness. They left Egypt on the way to the promise land and it ended taking them 40 years because of their disobedience and during that time Moses is their leader. And come to Book of Joshua, Moses life has ended; Israel is on the brink of Canaan. The Book of Joshua recorded Israel moving into the land, taking possession, crushing the major opposition, the united forces of the different peoples of Canaan that would have opposed Israel.

That opposition is been crushed, the land has been divided, parceled out among the 12 tribes of Israel. We come to the Book of Judges; we have a period of time where Israel is somewhat now settled in the land. The title Judges comes from various key individuals during this period of time who are recorded in this Book, who function as the delivers of the people of Israel from their opponents. And what happens is because of sin on the part of Israel, the people of the land are able to rise up and subjugate them. And God in his grace provides the deliver a judge, not a judge in the modern narrow sense as we think of judges but a judge who acts as a deliver, who will break the bondage of their enemies, so you have the Book of Judges.

It’s a Book that covers about 350 years in time, so there is a lot of time covered in the Book of Judges. So we just have a highlight, it really carries us from the death of Joshua all the way to the establishing of the kingdom with the appointment of Saul, the first king of Israel. So it’s a quite a major period in Israel’s history from all 1375, 1350 in their all the way down to about 1050 B.C. You have the period of time of the Judges.

Remember the Exodus was in 1445, 1446 B.C. Now we are moved into 1375 anywhere from 1400 to 1350, various periods marking the beginning of Judges marked as 1350 going down to 1050, a period of 300 years. So you go from Joshua to Saul, that’s the period of the Judges. The death of Joshua to the establishing of Saul in First Samuel, Chapter 12 that will be the period of time of the Judges.

The Book of Joshua was about Israel’s victories, it’s a Book of success. The nation Israel is victories over their enemies. The Book of Judges is about failure, failure of the nation, failure because of apostasy. Failure because of disobedience, so a period of spiritual desolation in many ways and this extended period in Israel’s history.

Turn over to Chapter 17 of Judges, we are going to mark out a key verse, this would probably be it. Judges Chapter 17, verse 6, in those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes. There is no central control in Israel during this time. There is no dominant over arching a leader who passes on his leadership. The Judges rise up and as you will see their period of time of rule sometimes shorter, sometimes a little longer. And even these Judges and the issues involved with them compass the whole nation.

There are overlapping periods with these Judges as we move along. That same statement is the last verse of the Book Judges Chapter 21 verse 25, in those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes. And that can be time of lawlessness in Israel as well as a time of being defeated by their enemies.

Since the Book of Judges is about apostasy, the Book with very pertinent for God’s people to learn from, very pertinent Book for our day as well. You see in the Book of Judges something of the seriousness of compromised with the world, the seriousness of disobedience to the word of God. You see something of the large consequences for what to Israel seemed like not major acts of disobedience, the failure to wipe out their enemies.

But they subjugated them, they put them the slavery, they got good use out them. But that’s not what God told them to do. And the end result of what to them seem like a very workable and may be a better solution because we’ve got slaves out of this ends up being turned against them and they will become the slaves of their enemies.

This all takes place in the kind of text remember the major enemies had been crushed. Now as each tribe gets its portion of land they are responsible to clean out the opposition that remains in that land. But they have the land, they have their portion. They’ve been able to move in each tribe to their allotted section. And one writer has noted its one thing that live for God when there is a blazing frontier at each new day break. It is quite another to follow him when the days are routine and the land is settled.

Compared with the pioneer spirit in Joshua, Judges is a Book of the settlers. Both times we confronted with faith, in one sense it’s more difficult to live victoriously in routine than in eventful days. We’ve all experienced that. There is something about that drive that comes in new opportunities, new challenges and yet after we’ve been a believer for a while, thing settle down, it’s hard to keep the same kind of zeal, the same kind of commitment to unwavering faithfulness. We just want to enjoy the fruits of our labors.

We saw this coming Joshua with the warnings. Now they live out the consequences of not obeying those warnings. The first three Chapters just prepares for the days of the Judges and then Chapters 3 to 16 we will talk about the Judges. And then we will have some of the experiences of life during the days of the Judges in verses 17 to 21.

Chapter 1 and the first five verses of Chapter 2 are something of an introduction and then Chapter 2 verses 6 to 10 are going to remind us of the events associated with death of Joshua, so these matters all preparing us for the time of Judges. Chapter 1 really gives us a summary to help us understand what the problems are.

In the days of the Judges and then the pre-incarnate Christ will come into the picture, the beginning of Chapter 2 to render his verdict of Judgment on Israel for their compromise their apostasy, their unfaithfulness. First seven verses, talk about an alliance between two tribes. First one now came about after the death of Joshua that the sons of Israel inquired of the Lord saying, “Who shall go up first against the Canaanites to fight against them?” The Lord said Judah shall go up; I have given the land into his hand.

So the tribe of Judah large tribe has the central portion of land here where key events will occur is to go out and lead the way in taking possession of their inheritance. Judah said to Simeon his brother, remember these are all brothers, all the tribes are brothers, Simeon, one of his brothers, come up with me into the territory allotted me that we may fight against the Canaanites, then I in turn with you will go into the territory allotted to you. So Simeon went with him. Judah says to Simeon let’s form an alliance and you help me clean out the opposition in my territory then I will help you clean it out in yours. And this is a wise position because Simeon did not get quite as defined a territory as the other tribes did.

The Levites didn’t get a defined territory because of their being scattered as the priestly tribe. It had been prophesized concerning Simeon that he would be scattered among his brothers. And really the portion of Simeon is a section within the boundaries of what belongs to Judah. You can check that on a map that marks out the division of the land. So it’s a natural alliance here because in helping Judah they will be clearing out those of would be potentially enemies around the territory that will be where they will settle and of course Judah helping clean out is removing what could become a problem area within their allotted bounds as well.

So Judah went up, the Lord gave the Canaanites, the Perizzites into their hands and they defeated 10,000 men at Bezek. We say the major opposition is been broken but we don’t to minimize – there are some serious numbers here to oppose like Judah in taking possession of their land, 10,000 here from Bezek, that city. And there is the Lord of Bezek, Adoni-Bezek, Adoni being the Lord. He is the lord of Bezek or the King of Bezek and they found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, they fought against him, they defeated him. Adoni-Bezek fled, they captured him and they cut off his thumbs and his big toes.

There are obvious reasons for that. If they cut off the thumbs in those days, they use spears and swords as there are weapons of warfare this man is incapable now of warfare without the big toes he could not plant himself for any kind of battle or conflict because you have to have secure footing to swing your sword, to plant, to throw your spear and those things. Seems like a cruel punishment but he has gotten eye for eye, tooth for tooth here because Adoni Bezek says in verse 7, seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used together scraps under my table as I have done, so God has repaid me. So here is a man who was quite influential. Seventy kings had been conquered by him. Now I don’t think these as kings of major areas but these have their minor territories.

But they were individuals he had subjugated and what he did to punish them and remove their ability to oppose him in that sense was cut of their thumbs and toes. So they were left just to be like beggars gathering scraps around this table. And he acknowledges the justice that he has received, he has received the kind of justice he needed out. And they bring him to Jerusalem.

Then the sons of Judah fought against Jerusalem, captured it, struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire. Jerusalem is one the oldest cities in the world. It’s been continually occupied for about 5000 years. So here it is the city that they captured, it’s in the region and within the bounds of Judah’s territory. Now this capturing of Jerusalem is not the final subjugation of Jerusalem.

Down in verse 21, we are told the sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites and if you look at the map, Judah has its territory in Benjamin’s territories just above it and so Benjamin almost gets absorbed into Judah. Because it’s so small a tribe in comparison to Judah, if you look on the map they get a little strip of territory running just above Judah that it ends up being called Judah. And we have the southern kingdom when the kingdom will divide later in Israel’s history; we called the southern kingdom Judah really comprised of Benjamin and Judah. But Judah just very small tribe, it maintains its identity but in that sense that was insignificant but in that sense it is compared to Judah.

The sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. Now Jerusalem is been subjugated and set on fire but they don’t drive out the Jebusites. So the Jebusites have lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day that goes all the way down to the days of king, it won’t be until the time of David that he finally drives the Jebusites out of Jerusalem and takes it as his city and thus it becomes the city of David.

Now you have here what’s going to become a pattern, so you have set down for us with becomes a pattern. When God sends the tribes out he purposely allowed certain remnants of the Canaanites to remain in the land. That would require each tribe to depend upon God, recognize their need for him, and demonstrate their obedience in driving out and destroying the Canaanites within their region.

Here you have Judah and Benjamin, Simeon not doing that. They are fighting, they are battling, but they don’t totally drive out the opposition. Pattern will follow down through, just look at these verses, we’ve read verse 21, they did not drive out the Jebusites. The house of Joseph went up against Bethel and they go and put the city to the sword in verse 25.

Now at the end of verse 25, they let the man who let them into the city go which was a reasonable agreement. Manasseh, remember Joseph has divided its two portions so it’s divided between his sons. Manasseh did not have possession of Beth-shean and its villages and some of the other villages so the Canaanites at the verse 27 persisted in living in that land.

Verse 28, it came about when Israel become strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, they did not drive them out completely. There are times when the opposition I certain segment of their land was strong enough they couldn’t overcome it. And they preceded battle in other areas. When they could drive it out they didn’t, they just put them to forced labor.

So you have a serious area of disobedience. Down in verse 30, Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of the cities it was conquering. So at the end of verse 30, the Canaanites lived among them became subject to forced labor. Then in verse 33, Naphtali did the same thing. And instead of destroying the inhabitants of the city, the Canaanites, they just put them to forced labor.

Verse 34, the Amorites forced the sons of Dan into the hill country; they did not allow them to come down to the valley. And the end of verse 35, but when the power of the house of Joseph grew strong they became forced labor. Now that’s when they are too strong for us you will battle, you realize you depended on the Lord when the Lord finally gives you the strengths to defeat them now instead of destroying them as he told you to do you put them into forced labor. And as we noted this seems to be wisdom, I mean, there is a lot of hard work to be done.

Cities to be built, land to be cultivated, all the work that has to go on how what better rather than us doing it, we’ve got slaves to do it for us. That could be bad and think how much more we can do as slaves than if do it ourselves. And that may seem wise but it’s a disaster because God didn’t tell them to make them slaves. He told them destroy them and make no alliances.

Chapter 2, so that summary of Chapter 1 prepares you for what happens in the first five verses in Chapter 2. The pre-incarnate Christ makes an appearance in Israel and it’s not good. He comes to confront them for their disobedience. The Chapter opens up; now the angles of the Lord came up from the Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, I brought you up out of Egypt to led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers and I said I will never break my covenant with you. As for you, you shall make covenant with the inhabitants of this land. You shall tear down their altars.

But you have not obeyed me. What is this you have done? The angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim; the angel of the Lord as you are aware I think is a theophany. Theophany is simply a manifestation of God. In particular these Old Testament theophanies are Christophanies, manifestation of the pre-incarnate Christ. I think why he is called an angel and he is not an angel by nature. Book of Hebrew; Chapter 2 tells us Christ did not become an angel.

I think be an angel in the sense of joining the ranks of angels but he is the angel of the Lord, says the word angel means a messenger. And he is the messenger if you will of the God. The second person of the trio whom God who comes as the messenger of God the father to his people. That the pattern that prepares the Old Testament that prepares us for the coming of Christ in the New Testament.

Go back to Book of Genesis; we will see the angel of the Lord clearly identified as a divine being. Back to Genesis, Chapter 16, just look at some places we’ve already been Genesis and may be Exodus. Genesis 16, and look at verse 7, now this is when Hagar has been send away by Sarai, Abram’s wife, in verse 7, now the angel of the Lord found her Hagar by the spring of water in the wilderness and so he speaks to her remarkable. Here is the woman whose son will become the father of the Arab peoples and she has a special personal appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ to speak to her. And verse 10, in addition the angel of Lord said to her, I will greatly multiply your decedents so that you to will be too many to count. The angel of the Lord said to her further you are with child, you will bear a son and you call his name Ishmael and something of his character describe.

Come down to verse 13, then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees, El Roi.” The angle of the Lord found her, verse 9, the angel of the Lord said to her. Verse 10, the angel of the Lord said to her. Verse 11, the angel of the Lord said to her further and then verse 13, she recognizes. She called the name of the Lord who spoke to her you are God who sees which is that I have even remained live here after seeing him. She recognizes this is a divine personage that addressed her and told her something of her future and in particular the future of her son, so clearly identified as God in this passage.

Turn over to Genesis 48, Genesis 48, and this is where remember we just said that Joseph gets two portions, he has two sons and this is where Jacob whose name is been changed to Israel is preparing in anticipation of his death to bless Joseph. And really the blessing is to be upon Joseph’s two sons and he is going to place the greater blessing on the younger son and that’s the context here in Genesis 48, in verse 15, he blessed Joseph and said, blessing Joseph because that’s the particular head of that tribe and its going to be divided into two tribes because he got his hands on the two sons of Joseph, in verse 14, Ephraim and Manasseh.

But the blessing is on Joseph that comes down through these two sons and Joseph really gets the double portion because the older son has forfeited it because of an immoral relationship. Remember verse 15, he blessed Joseph and said, The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked. The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, you see the connection there. The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked. The God who has been my shepherd, the angel who has redeemed me, the God that he identifies is that messenger, the pre-incarnate Christ who has come to speak to him.

The angel of the Lord, the angel who has redeemed me may he bless the lads. They are just talking about an angel, they are talking about God bring his blessing on the sons of Joseph and it goes on with that blessing, so again that connection identifying this angel as God. And you close, go to Book of Exodus, Chapter 3, here Moses has a confrontation at the burning bush.

Verse 2, Exodus 3, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush, Moses turn aside to see it. Verse 4, when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush. Verse 2, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of the bush. Verse 4, God called to him from the midst of the bush. The angel of the Lord is God. Verse 6, he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. Moses hid his face, he was afraid to look at God.

Same connection that Jacob made in the passage we just read previous to this. So these appearances of the angel of the Lord are appearances of the pre-incarnate Christ, they are theophanies; they are God manifesting himself in a special and visible way, the angel of the Lord is the pre-incarnate Christ. When you come to the Book of John, the New Testament just one passage, Johns Gospel, Chapter 1 verse 14, verse 1 said, in the beginning was the word, the word was with God, the word was God. Verse 14, the word became flesh and lived among us and we saw his glory, glory as he only begotten from the father full of grace and truth. Verse 18, no man has seen God at any time. The only begotten God who is in the bosom of the father he has explained him. So that manifestation of Christ reaching the ultimate culmination with the enfleshment, the incarnation of the second person of the God. The God’s only begotten son, the only begotten God.

Back to Judges, Chapter 2, it’s an awesome and striking time. The angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, what a way to speak. I mean, the angel of the Lord is the pre-incarnate Christ; he comes from the throne room of heaven, doesn’t he? What you say here the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim. The angel of the Lord live in Gilgal?

Obviously there is significance to this. Gilgal was the place of blessing for Israel. When Israel crossed the Jordan, now they are in the Promised Land. They stopped at Gilgal. Here the male children that had been born during the 40 years road as wondering were circumcised. Here they observe the Passover for the first time in the land. Here they ate of the fruit of the land.

Go back to Joshua, Chapter 5, here at the beginning of the conquest of the land, preparation really for the conquest. Judges Chapter 5, I mean, Joshua Chapter 5, Joshua Chapter 5. We are told in verse 10, while the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal they observed the Passover, the preceding verses told you about the circumcision of the male children who had been born during the wilderness, wanderings and had not been circumcised. And so here we are at Gilgal they observe the Passover, while they are there.

Verse 11 on the day after the Passover on that day very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes, parched grain. The manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land. They ate the yield of the land of Canaan. Gilgal was the place of blessing and this was the place; keep your place there where the captain of the Lord of host, the captain of the host of the Lord met Joshua.

Look at verse 13, it came about when Joshua was by Jericho that he lifted up his eyes and looked and behold a man was standing opposite him with a sword drawn his hand. Joshua went to him and said to him, are you for us or adversaries? He said, no, rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord. Joshua fell on his face to the earth and bowed down and said to him, what has my Lord to say to his servant? The captain of Lord host said to Joshua, remove your sandals from your feet, the place where you are standing is holy that led to the instructions given to Moses when the angels of the Lord spoke from the burning bush.

So there at the place of blessing where the angel of the Lord met Joshua told him of the coming victory over Jericho. So that’s the connection the angel of Lord came from Gilgal to Bochim. Doesn’t mean the angel of the Lord lives in Gilgal, but that’s where he saw him or he met him where Joshua confronted him, bowed before him in anticipation of the conquest of the land.

Now come back to Judges. Chapter 2, and you will know the angel of the Lord here speaks as God as Jehovah himself. And the first thing he does is remind them of his convent faithfulness. I have kept my word; I have been faithful to the covenant that I made with you in preparing for his rebuke that they had not been faithful to him. He brought them out of Egypt. He said, I brought you up out of the land, out of Egypt, led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers. I said I will never break my covenant with you, God’s unfailing faithfulness.

Verse 2, as for you, you shall make no convent with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars. Turn to this one passage, go back to Exodus 34, Exodus 34, obviously there are numerous passages we could have looked at that would say basically the same thing. That Exodus 34, verse 12, verse 11 be sure to observe what I am commanding you this day, behold I am going to drive out the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hitite, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, the various people in the land as this we know the land is the land of Canaan often we refer to the Canaanites, not just as one group of people in the land but as a name for encompassing all the people of the land.

Watch yourself that you may covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going or it will become a snare in your midst but rather you were to tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherim, for you shall not worship any other God for the Lord whose name is jealous, is a jealous God. Otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land. They would play the Harlem with their god, sacrifice to their God, someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice. You might take some of his daughters for your sons, his daughters might play the harlem with their gods, cause your son to play, you don’t want intermarry with them, you don’t make covenant with them, you destroy them.

Verse 2 back in Judges, Chapter 2. It is an awesome scene when you think about, we read it. Here is God himself manifested in their presence, reminding them of what he had said and pointing out their disobedience, saw them seen. But you have not obeyed me, what is this you have done? What excuse could there ever be for disobedience? Think about it. What reason would you give?

I brought you out of Egypt; I brought you to the land. I said I never break my covenant, I told you what you should do, make no covenant with these people, destroy them, destroy their altars. Now God has been faithful, they are in the land of Bochim. Probably north of Jerusalem between Bethel and Shiloh. You haven’t obeyed me. What is this you have done? I mean, there is no answer.

So verse 3, therefore I also said, I will not drive them out before you but they will become as thorns in your sides so their gods will be a snare to you. The punishment flicked upon them is they will now continue the path they have chosen for themselves. You decided to disobey me and not drive them out. Now I won’t provide the power to enable you to drive them out. You can have it your way. Similar to the judgment of Romans 1, they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer; therefore God turned them over to do exactly what they wanted them to do which brings destruction upon them.

They wouldn’t drive the Canaanites out, now they cannot drive the Canaanites out. They will be a snare and thorns in your side, their gods will be a snare to you. Verse 4, when the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, you know, we are not told how the Israel was called to assembly here. Some of the details we might have how this come do about are not really necessary for us to understand the seriousness of the issue and what is taking place.

Chapter 1 prepared the way by showing us how the tribes failed to do what they were supposed to do in each of their areas and that’s to drive out the Canaanites, destroy them, annihilate their altars. They didn’t do that, they came up with plan B. Plan B is never obedient. There is only way of obedience that to do what God says. Everything else is disobedient. There is no discussion here, well; you pretty well obeyed me because you did enslave them. So while you didn’t go all the way and killed them, you enslaved them so I want to give you some credit.

Partial obedience is disobedience. Nothing is acceptable but complete obedience. The angel of Lord spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, they are gathered at a place called Bochim, its called Bochim now because that’s what the name is going to given to it in a moment. The people lifted up their voices and wept. You know if we just sit down and think about the consequences of sin, think about the consequences of disobedience before we disobeyed. We have an occasion now in news where visible Christian leader had been exposed for his sin. And what the humiliation, that he sit down and think some day this will be on the news, this will be – my family, people who respected me, the unbelieving world and the believing world it will be a disgrace, it will be disaster beyond - no, no, somehow I just think about the pleasure, the enjoyment.

That Israel sit down and think this is disobedience, not to destroy the Canaanites. I may think it helps me to enjoy life to enslave the Canaanites but that’s disobedience to God. Now they weep, oh, I am weeping, oh, I am so sad, this is so, you know, its tears, don’t do anything. They don’t change a thing. The damage has done, they disobeyed. The tears can wipe away the disobedience. The people lifted up their voices and wept so they named that place Bochim where it means the weepers. The reminder and there they sacrificed to the Lord. They sacrificed to the Lord, the Lord of gracious but and accepts that but remember for Samuel 15 that will come later in Israel’s history and their first king that to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams.

In fact turn to 1 Samuel, Chapter 15, 1 Samuel 15, Saul’s disobedience to what God has told him through Samuel resulted in loosing the kingship. His line is over; he failed to destroy everything of the Amalekites. Well, good intentions and we spared the king, we are going to sacrifice some of the things we saved and that’s where you get verse 22, Samuel says to him of 1 Samuel, 15, has the Lord is much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as the sin of divination and insubordination is as a iniquity and idolatry and then the word dissolved because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king. So Israel, now we are ready for the time of the Judges. Why had such a difficult time? Israel, portions of Israel will be enslaved to the people that God would have them violated before them. But they wouldn’t do it God’s way. So they will suffer.

The next 300 years plus the difficulty and the agony and the slavery themselves because they wouldn’t do it God’s way. We look at and say there is no excuse for that, why? And we think about here we have the word of God and how easily we excused our failure to obey it all of the time. And then sometimes we are like the Israelites, well, may be now I haven’t obeyed it but I am going to really pour myself into it now as the what. Sacrifice would undo disobedience. So it’s sort of a wash, I am not always obedient like I should but I make up for it because when I am obedient I am really obedient. It’s just sometimes I am not obedient.

And we begin to think, well, that really being obedient offsets the disobedience. Does it work that with God? He doesn’t say, well, you were obedient 37% of the time, partially obedient, 21% of the time. So you are obedient or disobedience and disobedience brings discipline. It’s not like God is just waiting to smack us down. But we are far too lenient on ourselves with God said what he means. Well, sometimes it’s difficult to be obedient to be sure. If I was in difficult, would always be obedient.

The challenges provide the opportunity just like God didn’t wipe out all the Canaanites. He could have just sent a plague through the land of Canaan, they could have all died of plague and Israel would had it easy, we just go in sit down, unfold our chairs and enjoy life. God allow these Canaanites to remain, why? To test the Israelites. To require they depend upon the Lord and demonstrate their obedience to him. Why do trials and difficulties coming to our lives? Provide the opportunity for me demonstrate faithfulness to the Lord under hardship.

That I don’t obey the Lord because it’s easy, I obey the Lord because he is the Lord and I belong to him and obedience is the way of my life. And I obey him in good times and I obey him in what we call bad times because he is the Lord. And to say, well, Israel, they’ve got over 300 years of trial ahead of them. I mean, the 40 years of wilderness and wandering was bad enough. Now they are going to just go on this cycle of misery for the next 300 plus years because they wouldn’t obey the Lord.

So lessons for us to learn. They are in the land but that presents its own danger. They’ve got their portion but that presents its own danger. It’s never time to settle down and compromise. It’s never settled down and except the world; we are closed with the passage in the New Testament. Come to 2 Corinthians, Chapter 6, with this passage because it’s an Old Testament passage applied to the church in the New Testament.

2 Corinthians Chapter 6, verse 14, do not be bound together with unbelievers. For what partnership have a righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Beliar? Or what does a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with an idol? For we are the temple of the living God just as God said.

Now he is going to quote from the Old Testament, sounds very similar, doesn’t it? To the instructions given to Israel. You have nothing in common with them. You have nothing to learn from them. And so you had the quotes you can see marked out as quotes from the Old Testament. “I will dwell in them and walk among them, I will be their God, they will be my people. Therefore come out from their midst and be separate says the Lord, touch not what is unclean and I will welcome you, I will be a father to you, you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty”. Therefore having these promises, be loved; let us cleanse ourselves from all the defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

God standard for his people whether they were talking about his people in the Old Testament or his people in the New Testament is people of the nation Israelites or people of the church is the same. You shall be holy for I am holy. There is to be a separation, with that said, oh, I don’t talk to unbelievers, I don’t want to be defiled. No, but I do not become like unbelievers. I do not become joined together with unbelievers. There is to be a distinction, anything else is disobedience. Let’s pray together.

Thank you Lord for the reminder of your faithfulness. You cannot deny yourself, you are always faithful. Lord, our comfort and security is in that faithfulness, but you are God to be feared. A God to be honored, a God who must be obeyed. Lord, our desire is that the example of your people Israel might be taken to heart by us as your people today. It’s easy to look back and see the foolishness of disobedience. But sometimes we are tempted to rationalize our disobedience in the presence. Lord, may we take these lessons to heart that we might enjoy the fullness of what you have promised to those who obey you.

We thank you for the discipline that’s needed out in love. Lord, the desire of our heart is that we would be passionate to obey you, to honor your word that our lives may testify that we are the people of God. Bless us in the days of week ahead of us should Christ hearing may be days of obedience. Lord, in our various activities, the various places you put us, the various responsibilities we carry out, obedience to your truth be the mark of our lives. We pray in Christ’s name, amen.