To make clean and create a free environment for the spiritual development of our souls is the reason God commanded His people to be separated from sin, and to make a difference from those who embrace ungodliness as a way of life.
In obeying this commandment we possess the kingdom and dwell safely under his wings.
When we turn away from this injunctions, we face fears and indignation, as a direct consequence of our disobedience.
There is and always a distinction between God’s people and others. It is not farfetched why that is. “Ye are the light of the world, a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid,” Mathew 5:13. As a light, darkness(sin and devils) is dispelled and every eye can see what is present. As a city on a hill, we stand above all to show and demonstrate God’s glory and power for all to see. All this is brought to reality by the word of God active in us.
But the people of God, as history records, have always been influenced to walk away from God by either evil association, or failure to fully separate themselves from profanity.
In Judges 2:1-4, God commanded through Moses: “When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;
“And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
“For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.”
Today people may say God was harsh in his judgment of the heathens, but if you consider the evil consequences of turning away the heart of the people from God, you will understand why the commandment came. If you also consider that the consequence of disobedience resulted in hundreds of years of captivity, plus the decimation of the tribes you will think differently.
As we look at their condition after the lands were allotted to the tribes, we see a people too tired to fight. Too contented with their achievements and as they thought they had achieved enough, they relaxed and failed to reach the perfect purge that God commanded them to have.
We read in Judges 1:27-33, “Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
“And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out.
“Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.
“Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries.
“Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob: But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out.
“Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, nor the inhabitants of Bethanath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries unto them.”
While they felt they had arrived and had reasons to rest and rejoice, the Lord God spoke in disapproval and displeasure.
“And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.
“And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?
“Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.
“And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept,” Judges 2:1-4.
In God’s salvation plan, it is provided that we give up all and lay all on the altar, as the purging effect of the blood of Jesus sweeps through the soul, it washes away every filth and sin laid down. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but who so confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy,” Proverbs 17:13.
There is a snare we create for ourselves if we fail to remove all the strange gods in our lives. As we approach the presence of God and declare our allegiance to Jesus Christ, we must examine what we have left standing.
When God called Gideon, he had one thing he needed to deal with first, the idol, Baal, standing right in his father’s house. He first had to pull it down and cut down the groves by it, although at night, to make progress. Judges 6:25-27.
Many good kings of Judah, one of whom was Hezekiah, did a perfect purge of the land to reign in peace and with God.
There is danger in purging partially. Saul lost his throne because he refrained from purging perfectly. Solomon got himself ensnared because he would not separate as God had commanded. The children of Israel were eventually engulfed in the snares they created for themselves as the land became filled with the strange gods of those they left “un-purged.” Then finally they were removed from the land, to the land of the gods they served when they turned away from God.
This is a clear warning to us today, although we are in the world, we are not of the world. “A little leaven, leaveneth the whole lump,” Gal 5:9.
The church must stay pure from the things now spoiling the world.
We must be radical in our rejection of sin and all its forms. We must not allow it in any guise. Even when it comes in the garb of religion, we must discern and reject it with every power.
“Evil communication corrupts good manners,” 1Cor. 15:33. “Come out from among them and be ye separate…” 2Cor. 6:17. Be willing to sell ALL and follow…Luke 18:22
We were told that Caleb “wholly followed the Lord” Numbers 32:12 and he received the bountiful reward of the favour of the Lord.
How many precious ones have lost their way because they had their eyes on something they should have destroyed. While holding on to the word of Christ, they still have that sin they loved, that boyfriend they had, they girlfriend they had, that indulgence of their youth, that should have been crushed under the weight of the cross of Christ.
Then suddenly the faith grows weak, the way becomes boring and then we realise we have something to return to, a very poor alternative to truth and Christ. This happened because we failed to purge completely by giving up all for Jesus.
Are your hands on the plow, you must not look back. It is said, having crossed over, you will need to burn the bridge. There are no “Ifs” it is a total surrender if we must make it to the end successfully.
May the Lord grant each one of us the power and sincerity to lay all on the altar and made the needed sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Amen.