March 11, 2012 – Judges 1

Here we see that the Israelites did not force all those natives of the land out of the Promised Land.  We have discussed many times why God told them that this was necessary.  If they stayed in the land, Israel would be tempted by their idol worship and would not follow the law of the Lord.  It was to protect them from their ways that the Lord told them that they must be forced out of the land.  It is like someone decides to quit smoking, but keeps their cigarettes handy.  How long do you think that person will last with the temptation right there.  A person wants to stop gambling, but still goes to casinos with his friends.  For any addiction, if you leave yourself vulnerable to the addiction, chances are you will relapse.  Israel was, for lack of a better term, addicted to idolatry.  By keeping those that believed in idols in the land, they were leaving themselves open to relapsing, which we will see over and over again, they do fall into.