“Thus says the Lord, ‘You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you”
Judges 1:27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33,
Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants
When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not drive them out completely
And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites
Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants
Asher did not drive out the inhabitants
Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants
Judges 2:1
Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars. ’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”
Deuteronomy 31:16
And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them. Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them.
The plan of God was known and understood. The covenant with God’s chosen people was sure and true. Why is it that the people chose to abandon what God had clearly told them to do? It is easy to look back and say why did they not listen to what God told them. I have to think it has to do with not staying in His word, not remembering what He has done and promised to do, and living life with Him in the back ground. Do we think we are any different? We have God’s word at our finger tips every second of the day. We have recorded history of what He has done. We have testimonies of people who declare what God has done and is doing. Yet we chose to live two separate lives. One full time for us and very little part time for God. Do we think for a second we are different and what God has done in the past will not be done in the present or future? He wants our whole heart, mind, and soul. He wants our desire to be for Him alone. Are we afraid that this will not be enough to fulfill us? God will give us the desire of our heart. If it is without Him we will surely get that and along with it much frustration, no lasting satisfaction and eternity in Hell. If it is with Him, He has promised to guide our path, that He will never leave or forsake us, He will be our power, strength, hope, and joy, He will continue to give us more understanding, He will give us peace that passes all understanding and most importantly eternal life with Him in heaven.
