Okay, let’s be honest. Very few people run down to the Courthouse and spend their time reading deed descriptions…so this might be a little dry. But if all Scripture is “God breathed and useful…” then there must be something here to learn, right?
When I read the passages of the Old Testament that describe the entrance into the Promised Land, I do it with a particular filter. That is, I am already comparing what I read to my own spiritual journey. Let me explain: I take this account as a metaphor for the way the Holy Spirit “enters in and takes over” our lives. 1. It doesn’t happen all at once. 2. If we allow any sin (enemy combatants) to survive then it will have consequences. 3. God wants all of the enemy (all sin) out of our lives…He isn’t content that any remain. 4. Okay, you get the idea.
14:10 says it’s been 5 years of fighting. Joshua was in his 60’s at least when he entered the Promised Land, and he’s pushing 70 now. Except for Caleb, he’s the oldest person in the whole community…everyone else died in the desert.
Consider this: for 5 years the Israelites occupied a portion of the Promised Land, and yet they didn’t occupy all of it. They killed the king of Jerusalem, but they failed to drive out the Jebusites who lived in the city. They conquered the giant descendants of Anak, but they didn’t drive the people who lived in Gaza out. Or the people who lived in Maacah. The land was drastically changed, with over 31 kings and kingdoms completely destroyed in a 5 year campaign…but the work wasn’t finished. There were small pockets of people who were left in the land here and there. (Remember the Gibeonites?). These people would cling to their false religions, they would never assimilate and convert, and they would eventually become “thorns in the flesh” for the Israelites. The people of Maacah would later go to war against the king of Israel. The people of Gaza….well, Gaza is still in the news today. The command to “purge out the people of Gaza” doesn’t apply today, but how many lives would have been saved if the Israelite’s had done everything the Lord commanded? Several wars would have been averted, and who knows about what other ways we might have advanced in science and technology and understanding…had the people only been faithful to drive out all of the false worshipers. Again, that ship has sailed, and I am not advocating for it today, because I don’t think that’s God’s will today. But who knows? I could be wrong.
So here’s the lesson: make your best effort to completely rid yourself of any and all sin. The small amount that you overlook, or allow to live will one day come back to haunt you. It may come back to haunt your grandchildren, or great-grandchildren. Don’t allow any seeds of sin to remain, because if they do they might grow into a plant that will suck all the nourishment out of your being, and become harmful to your spiritual life. Also, understand that conversion (when Joshua entered the Promised Land) is not the end of the matter, it is the beginning. There will continue to be battles to fight, wars to win, territory to conquer. God will continue to help you as you fight this battle for the control of your eternal soul. Yes, you became a Christian when you confessed God as your Savior…and now the battle to reacquire all that belongs to the rightful King begins. We call that battle “discipleship” and it goes on for years. Probably for as many years as you are in this body.
As I recently heard at a Pastor’s Conference, there is “more” that God has for you. More land to conquer, more blessings to receive, more victories to celebrate, more stories to tell, more songs to write….there is so much more! Now is not the time for relaxing and waiting for the Second Coming…this is battle, and we are on the winning side!
Faithfully,
PR