By Kevin Harris, pastor of the Illawarra Community Baptist Church in Wollongong, NSW
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.
Judges 2:1-3
Here the Lord says He would be loyal to Israel, and they must be loyal to Him by separating from the Canaanites and destroying their immoral religious altars. This command was contained in Deuteronomy 7:2-5.
But they had failed to obey. Now their own sins would be their punishment. The Canaanites would be like thorns in the Israelites’ sides, and idolatry would be a temptation. History records that Israelites were idol worshippers off and on for the next 700 years.
Like a natural ‘barbed wire,’ thorns are sharp and painful. Who of us hasn’t experienced this firsthand?
The Lord commands us in order to bless us. When we disobey God’s commands, we are the losers. Refusal to obey the Lord brings down sharp pain and heartache on ourselves.
Father, Your Word is crystal clear about what kind of man I am to be. In it You tell me how to be a husband, father and employee. You teach me what You expect of those whom You save. You lay out what kind of church member I am to be. Help me to get on board with You, doing what You require, knowing that it is for my good. Help me to avoid close friendships with those who defy You, lest they be thorns in my side and of those I love. I ask this in the Name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
This article was written by Kevin Harris Dapto pastor of Illawarra Community Baptist Church.