“These are the nations the LORD left to TEST ALL OF THOSE ISRAELITES who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (HE DID THIS TO TEACH WARFARE TO THE DESCENDANTS OF THE ISRAELITES who had not had previous battle experience): the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. THEY WERE LEFT TO TEST THE ISRAELITES TO SEE WHETHER THEY WOULD OBEY THE LORD’S COMMANDS, which he had given their forefathers through Moses.” (Jdg 3:1-4, emphasis added.)
The book of Joshua is an exciting book that keeps you on the edge of your physical and spiritual seat from chapter 1 to chapter 24. Walls fall down, waters stop flowing, kings and kingdoms crumble, Canaan is taken for Israel. All a result of God’s miraculous power!
But when you finish Joshua and start Judges, the next book in Israel’s chronological history, the climate suddenly changes. There is reference to defeat as early as chapter one! Jdg 1:19—“ . . . They were UNABLE TO DRIVE OUT THE PEOPLE FROM THE PLAINS, because they had iron chariots.”
The same kind of scenario is repeated in chapters 2 and 3 and 4 and—well you get the picture! After Joshua’s death, things became so bad so quickly that God is forced to say as early as the first verses of chapter 2: “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I swore to give to your forefathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ YET YOU HAVE DISOBEYED ME. Why have you done this? Now therefore I tell you that I WILL NOT DRIVE THEM OUT BEFORE YOU; they will be [thorns] in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.” (Jdg 2:1-3)
In God’s original plan, the people living in Canaan would have all been ousted. But it didn’t take long after Joshua’s death for the children of Israel to forget what God had already done for them. They lost faith in Him, and they allowed things like “iron chariots” to intimidate them. And the longer they co-existed with the people, the more they began to “enjoy” their ways. As a result, God is forced to say: “I will NOT drive them out before you” (2:3) Though originally some of Israel’s enemies were removed through miraculous signs and wonders, when they lost interest and faith, He stopped moving on their behalf, and the job was never completed!
But all things work together for good, and even though the original plan for utmost happiness had to be abandoned, God was still able to use this new scenario to accomplish His purposes. In fact, He lists two distinct advantages to the new plan: 1) TO TEACH WARFARE TO THE DESCENDANTS OF THE ISRAELITES; and 2) TO SEE WHETHER THEY WOULD OBEY THE LORD’S COMMANDS (See Judges 3:4)!
It would be pretty easy for me to come down hard on Israel, but in reality, they are no different than I am! For most of my life, I struggled with two serious addictions. On the day I received the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, one of them was miraculously lifted from me, and since this day, I have not had even the slightest temptation to reindulge in this sin. But the other one was not removed, and I continue to be tempted by it daily. Why? Why was the one lifted and not the other? Why couldn’t He have taken BOTH of them?
Unfortunately, I know the answer to this question. The one that was removed was one I had been anxiously trying to overcome on my own for years, without success. But to my shame, the other was a bit of a “pet” sin. God didn’t remove it because I wasn’t ready to let it go, and for the past six years, He has been using this “enemy” to test my obedience and to teach me spiritual warfare.
Sounds like Israel’s story, doesn’t it?
What about YOU, my friend? Can YOU relate to Israel? Is there an addiction in your life, or perhaps a sin of some kind that you struggle with? Remember, God will deliver you from it, just as He delivered Israel in Joshua’s day. But first you have to trust Him, and then you have to be willing to let it go. If you don’t have enough faith, or if part of you still clings to this problem, then just like Israel in the book of Judges, God may allow the problem to persist. He may use it to teach you spiritual warfare, or He may be testing you to see if you will remain faithful to His commands. In either case, God WILL give you victory. Your job is 3-fold: a) to trust Him; b) to be willing to fight the spiritual battle; and c) to remain obedient to Him!
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Moderator, The Nugget, Scriptural Nuggets (www.scripturalnuggets.org ), Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org