Numbers 33:40-35:34
Luke 5:12-28
Psalm 65:1-13
Proverbs 11:23
Numbers 33:52 drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places.
God gives these words of instruction for the good of the people. God doesn't give instructions for the fun of it. His laws are always to protect His people and provide something better. We need to stay under that protection in obedience. Humans have a tendency to reason out all kinds of ideas on how not doing something that God has told us to do is not really a big deal.
Driving out ALL the people is hard work and if we don't drive them all out we can keep some of them to be our slaves/workers. Why go to all the work of destroying all their idols and high places? We aren't going to use them and if we keep some of the people around they should have a place to worship.
But God knows better. He knows the depravity of man and how weak we can be at times of trials and stress. Even the strongest believer has times of weakness when under pressure. Those are the times that the enemy will pour on the lies even heavier. That is why when God tells us to tear down the high places and remove the people in our lives that would lead us away from Him, we need to do it! Not later but now. If we are at a place spiritually that we are hearing God's voice telling us to do that then that is the time we need to act because if we delay and ignore Him we step out from under His protection. His voice can be clouded by the distractions of the world and the lies of the enemy. When we are living in His arms of protection and provision we will hear His voice better and experience Him more.
Numbers 33:55 “‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. 56 And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.’”
God not only told the Israelites what they should do but He also gave them the why. I remember when I was a teenager and asked my mom to be able to spend the night at a friends house. She said no and when I asked why she said, "Because I said so". Maybe if she had given me a reason I would not have been so angry and looked for ways around it. Then again maybe not. God does give His children the reason why and it is a pretty good reason but we will see that it doesn't stop them from disobeying. Over and over again they disobey and God who never lies and is always faithful and true ends up being right and they still don't learn. Demonstrating to us over and over again that we in our flesh cannot live a righteous live that is worthy of God's presence.
Luke 5:24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”
But Jesus has the authority to forgive our sins and makes us worthy to be in the presence of the Father. His righteousness becomes ours when we put our faith in Him.
Proverbs 11:23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.
I struggled through the verses of numbers, and as I stated in Yesterdays commentary, it is a beautiful thing that you were able to find something to share.