The old generation that had seen God move in power and glory had died out.
A new generation came of age. They forgot their heritage and they denied God.
Israel began a slow and steady descent down the slope of compromise.
*******
When they entered the land of Canaan, they had been commanded to utterly destroy the people of Canaan (Num. 33:51-56).
They were warned that if they failed to drive out the nations, they themselves would be afflicted and that God Himself would turn against them. This had become a reality in Israel.
*******
The Fear Factor. After some initial success (Joshua 1:4-19a), the men of Judah came up against some people that they feared. They did not drive these people out because of fear.
The Money Factor. Many of the tribes did not drive out the people of the land (1:27-30). They enslaved the people and forced them to work for them.
The Love Factor. Some Israelites dwelt among the Canaanites (Joshua 1:32-33). They became accustomed to the vile and wicked ways of the Canaanites and accepted them for who they were.
*******
We too are busy compromising with the Canaanites of our day.
We cannot seem to deal with drugs, crime, abortion, immorality, sexual perversion and moral decay. We simply adjust to them and accept them as part of our lives.
We legalized gambling, lotteries and alcohol because they bring revenue. We tolerate them because they are working for us!
We live around sin so much that we begin to get desensitized to it. Instead of maintaining our spiritual purity, we begin to adopt the ways of the world. We have adopted the attitude that sin is not all that bad anymore!
We too have become a nation of compromisers!
A new generation came of age. They forgot their heritage and they denied God.
Israel began a slow and steady descent down the slope of compromise.
*******
When they entered the land of Canaan, they had been commanded to utterly destroy the people of Canaan (Num. 33:51-56).
They were warned that if they failed to drive out the nations, they themselves would be afflicted and that God Himself would turn against them. This had become a reality in Israel.
*******
The Fear Factor. After some initial success (Joshua 1:4-19a), the men of Judah came up against some people that they feared. They did not drive these people out because of fear.
The Money Factor. Many of the tribes did not drive out the people of the land (1:27-30). They enslaved the people and forced them to work for them.
The Love Factor. Some Israelites dwelt among the Canaanites (Joshua 1:32-33). They became accustomed to the vile and wicked ways of the Canaanites and accepted them for who they were.
*******
We too are busy compromising with the Canaanites of our day.
We cannot seem to deal with drugs, crime, abortion, immorality, sexual perversion and moral decay. We simply adjust to them and accept them as part of our lives.
We legalized gambling, lotteries and alcohol because they bring revenue. We tolerate them because they are working for us!
We live around sin so much that we begin to get desensitized to it. Instead of maintaining our spiritual purity, we begin to adopt the ways of the world. We have adopted the attitude that sin is not all that bad anymore!
We too have become a nation of compromisers!
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