The first two chapters of Judges have really convicted me about the sin in my life.
So at the start of Judges the people are entering the promised land, Canaan. God has explicitly, repeatedly told Israel that when they enter a city, they must utterlly destroy the people there.
1v28When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not drive them out completely.
[This pattern is true for Benjamin, Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali.]
2v1Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, "I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you, 2and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.' But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? 3So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you."
The more I've thought about this, the more it's gripped me. Israel are God's people. He tells them to be holy, not to allow any uncleanness in their land, because they belong to a holy God. So the locals must be destroyed. And Israel think, "Ok, so we've conquered these lands now, and we're really strong - we won't kill the locals, we'll keep them as slaves. We know what God said, that these people will lead us astray, but we're strong - we can contain them.". But God says NO - I gave you a specific command to get rid of them. You haven't obeyed it, and don't think I'm going to give you the strength to contain people I told you to detroy!!
What a clear rebuke to me. Why do I keep favourite sins in my life, thinking I'm strong, I can handle it, it won't take over? How ridiculous! God says to get rid of ALL sin in my life. If I think I can keep some little ones for myself, then He isn't going to give me strength to deal with them! God doesn't give us power to manage sins, but to pluck them out! God has redeemed me, made a covenant with me, and called me to live a holy life, because He is holy. So NO sin is acceptable.
Praying that the LORD will continue to deal with the areas where I compromise on holiness!
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Hey.. I followed a link to your blog from Gruffi's.. This entry is really helpful to me right now. It reminded me of something I read a while ago which if I just look it up again.. reads: "I am tempted to think that I am now an established Christian,--that I have overcome this or that lust so long,--that I have got into the habit of the opposite grace,--so that there is no fear; I may venture very near the temptation--nearer than other men. This is a lie of Satan. One might as well speak of gunpowder getting by habit of resisting fire, so as not to catch spark. As long as powder is wet, it resists the spark; but when it becomes dry, it is ready to explode at the first touch. As long as the Spirit dwells in my heart, He deadens me to sin, so that, if lawfully called through temptation, I may reckon upon God carrying me through. But when the Spirit leaves me, I am like dry gunpowder. Oh for a sense of this!"
ROBERT M M'CHEYNE
Thanks for this.. I need to remember this better that I can't compromise on holiness!
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