“But they did not drive out the Canaanites who live in Gezer, so the Canaanites live in the midst of Ephraim to this day, and they became forced laborers.” (Joshua 16:10)
God told Israel to drive out all the Canaanites, or they would become “thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you” (Judges 2:3). The command was simple to understand but hard to fulfill. Driving out your enemies is hard work, so Israel decided to accept “good enough” by letting them stay as forced laborers.
But moral compromise is never good enough. When we accept sin in our lives by telling ourselves that we have it under control and subdued, we lie to ourselves, and instead of driving out the danger, we lull our souls into accepting the snares. Don’t accept mediocrity. Perfection isn’t the goal, but excellence can be pursued.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites
This Week’s Reading: Joshua 15-24; Psalm 25; Proverbs 25
This year, #Biblebites are looking at lessons from the history of the Old Testament. Each week reads a section of history with a Psalm to meditate on and a dash of Proverbs to dwell upon. If you would like a copy of the reading schedule, you can view it here: https://eastlandchristians.org/news-events/2024-vision