Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it. And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man’s inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit. But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them(Num. 33:52-56).
As God prepared His people to enter the land He was giving them for their inheritance, He bluntly stated his expectations, leaving no room for confusion or misinterpretation. >Ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places. This was to be their fresh start—a clean slate upon which they could build their lives in fellowship with Him. Nothing of the outside world could be permitted to remain lest it contaminate the purity of the fellowship.
Their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had all dwelt amongst the inhabitants of the land as strangers in a strange land (Gen. 23:3-4; Heb. 11:8-10). God had turned their hearts and eyes toward the future, working within them in preparation for the day when they (through their descendants) would be strangers no longer, but instead full possessors of the promise. Now that time had come, and God was calling on His people to trust in His promise, >Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite (Ex. 34:11), step forward, and follow Him in faith and total obedience, just as Abraham had done.
God’s directive to those of us who have entered into the body of Christ is equally clear. >That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness (Eph. 4:22-24). We too have been given a fresh start at life—the opportunity to live wholly in Christ without excuse or compromise. But in order to fully take advantage of this opportunity, we have to >drive out and >destroy all remnants of our former worldly selves. Only then will we be able to appreciate the peace that comes from perfect fellowship with Him. >Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost (Rom. 15:13).
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty(II Cor. 6:17-18).
Thought for Today: Finding peace in the body of Christ is only possible if we relinquish the vices that strive to pull us away.
Christ Revealed:Through the promised land -- filled with abundance, as well as protection, for those who live in harmony with His Word (Num. 33:50- 54). >I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
Word Studies:32:4 smote = conquered; 32:11 followed = obeyed; 32:14 an increase = a brood; augment = increase, add to; 32:17 fenced = fortified, walled; 32:19 forward = beyond; 32:22 guiltless = free of obligation
Pray For Staff:Kevin Jennings • Government Officials: Sen, Maggie Hassan (NH),Rep.Nick Langworthy (NY),Glenn Ivey(MD) • Country: South Sudan (11,562,695) East Central Africa • Major Languages: English, Arabic • Religious Freedom • Christian (Majority), Animist, Muslim • Prayer Suggestion: Praise God for godly men of old who were faithful to record His Word of Truth (Hab. 2:1-2).
Optional Reading Luke 14