March 7, 2012

SCRIPTURE
Numbers 33:50-56 - On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho the LORD said to Moses, ⁵¹ “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, ⁵² drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places. ⁵³ Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess. ⁵⁴ Distribute the land by lot, according to your clans. To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one. Whatever falls to them by lot will be theirs. Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes.
⁵⁵ “‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live.

Deuteronomy 7:25 - ²⁵ The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the LORD your God.

OBSERVATION
I chose these two passages in conjunction because they really seemed to me that they could be one thought in the mind of God.  The Israelites were at the end of their 40 year exile in the desert and were told by God to go to the promised land of Canaan and overtake it.  What's key to me in these words is God's stress on the idea of cleansing the area first.  In Numbers 33:52, He says to destroy the carved image and their idols, and that is repeated in Deuteronomy 7:25.  Then, in Numbers 33:55 He gives a strong warning:  "If you do not drive them out, they will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides - they will give you trouble in the land where you live". 

APPLICATION
This speaks to me in the way that we have to change our ways to be a Christ follower.  When we first commit ourselves, there are dangerous inhabitants in the land where we live: our sin patterns and the idols we have surrounded ourselves with.  Even as a more mature follower there are things we allow in our lives that corrupt us and distract us from the ways of God, things that are detestable to Him; things we are ensnared by.  That sentence:  "they will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your side" resonates so clearly when I think about bad habits I have that really are barbs and thorns.  I have never been one to advocate shunning the world around us because of its sin - I think that in order to execute the Great Commission we really need to be foot soldiers on the ground who understand the culture that is enslaving the lost, so I don't think this verse applies to actually weeding out every person in our lives who is a sinner (there would be no one left!).  When I think of its application it seems more that it is a symbol of removing those bad habits and patterns we have that we think are too insignificant to bother with.  Instead, it is saying that if we allow ANY of those to live with us without resistance, we are encouraging their growth and their negative impact on our happiness and our relationship with God.

PRAYER
Father, root out in me all my patterns of sin and my habits that are detestable to you.  Bring them to the light so that I can see the damage that they do.  Help me to clear my soul of the things that ensnare me and keep distance between us - give me strength to overcome the desire to ignore the small details, because all details are important to You.  Give me the courage to face the things I'd rather not think about, the dark places of the soul, so that I can become the Godly woman you created me to be.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

More information about the book of Numbers:
http://www.biblica.com/niv/study-bible/numbers/

More information about the book of Deuteronomy:
http://www.biblica.com/niv/study-bible/deuteronomy/