In judges 1 and 2, we see that Israel did not fully drive out the Canaanites from among them. God sends an angel to remind them that they were given the whole land and that these remaining people would cause them to falter in their obedience. Though they wept, nothing was done about it. We know now that this lead to idolatry, child sacrifice, and ultimately the captivity of Israel.
It’s easy to look back and judge the people for not listening but what if it were your own children going to war? What if it were you that had to kill hundreds of people to claim their land? Would you follow, would you trust, or would you simply live and let live. The reality of the situation is that they chose the easy path but they also chose the “friendly” path, the one that made themselves feel better. Now, recall that these people were by no means innocent (archeology today reveals mass graves for infants) but it would be easy to justify that you know better than God, that maybe you heard wrong, or that your faith is strong enough.
We are not called to partial obedience. God puts up guard rails for our sake and when God asks for something it is for the good of all. We must remember to trust Him in all his plans, not just some of them.
Links:
Choose life Obedience Canaanites Child sacrifice children of Israel
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