Judges 3: 1- 6 “These are the nations the LORD left to test all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars in Canaan, if only to teach warfare to the subsequent generations of Israel, especially to those who had not known it formerly: the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out whether they would keep the commandments of the LORD, which He had given their fathers through Moses. Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.”
Despite a lot of foot dragging, the Israelites had actually conquered much of Canaan. But the men who conquered Canaan were old and dying off. With no organized military, how were the younger men going to learn to be warriors? The only way to learn to be a warrior is by fighting. So God left the Philistines, the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites to teach the Israelites how to fight. These were the same people the Israelites were supposed to conquer. God had expressly forbidden the Israelites to mingle with these people because He knew that as soon as the Israelites began to intermarry with these people, they would begin to serve their demonic gods.
Unfortunately, the predictable happened. Rather than obeying God and completely wiping out these nations, the Israelites settled down and began intermarrying. Having already compromised by marrying non – Israelites, these men were in no position to exert any spiritual authority in their homes. When those pagan wives demanded to worship their traditional gods, the men went right along. Hey! Idol worship was a lot simpler than worshiping Elohim. No pesky dietary restrictions or restrictions on one’s way of life, no restrictions on sex with anybody, no hassles about the kind of material in clothing – idol worship seemed easy. It didn’t hurt that much of the worship of fertility gods involved mass orgies with indiscriminate sexual couplings. And in a patriarchal society, any Israelite girl who married outside her faith had little or no say in the mode of family worship.
The Israelites stopped fighting and made friends with the very people whom God wanted them to destroy. God had already predicted the results, and His predictions were disastrously fulfilled. Were there faithful people in those days? Yes. It’s quite possible that many of the Levitical priests and some other Israelites remained faithful. But these people formed a minority and when they attempted to speak out, they were probably ridiculed.
APPLICATION: In the decade leading up to World War II, much of the world suffered from economic depression. Times were hard in America and many people who suffered business losses had to take up less prestigious work and to make do. One family I know went from owning several businesses and the local bank to being forced to farm with mules to keep going. But what nobody realized was that the young people coming of age in that decade would soon be going to war and would need to be tough to survive. The tough – mindedness gained during the Depression years prepared those people when they had to become warriors.
Warriors learn war by preparing themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. Video games won’t cut it; you can always pause the game or start it all over again. There are no second chances in a real battle. God wanted the Israelites to remain prepared for war and left them some enemies so they would be forced to fight. But when the going got tough, the Israelites wimped out.
Befriending the enemy in the middle of a war is disastrous. And indiscriminately sharing information about military operations may spell defeat; that was the whole point of the ”Loose lips sink ships” campaigns in America and Great Britain during World War II.
For believers today, the question is this: are you settling or are you waging spiritual war? There is no neutrality in the spirit world. Today there is a flood tide of evil that threatens to engulf the world. If you choose to opt out and remain silent before God and men, you are part of the problem.
How does one wage spiritual war? Ephesians 6:10 – 18 tells us: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.”
PRAYER: Father God, help! We don’t want to wimp out but the idea of spiritual warfare frightens us. At the same time, we are appalled at the evil that is rising throughout the world. Lord, help us to hide Your Word in our hearts. Help us to pray effectively. And help us to remember that You are our Protector. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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