Devotional: Get Rid of Anything That Could Lead to Sin

Numbers 34:50-53 “And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; 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.”

When the Israelites came into the land of Canaan, they were instructed by God to do several things:

1. Drive out all the inhabitants of the land before them
2. Destroy all the pictures of the inhabitants of the land
3. Destroy all the molten images of the inhabitants of the land
4. Pluck down all their high places
5. Dispossess the inhabitants of the land

They were to take complete control of the land, to completely drive out all the inhabitants, and to destroy everything that had to do with idol worship.  This was for their own good.

Later on in this passage, God said that if they did not drive them out, those that remained would be pricks in their eyes and thorns in their sides to vex them.

The land of Canaan is a picture of the victorious Christian life.  There will be enemies and obstacles to our getting complete victory, but if we are willing to drive out every enemy and let no sin or sinful desire rest in our live, we will have victory.  If we tolerate sinful thoughts or desires and if we do not give ourselves completely to Christ, we will find that old sins and old idols will slowly creep back into our live and trouble us.

May God expose those things in our live that need surrendered to Christ and drive out of our lives.  May we be willing to deal with them thoroughly and put them to death, so that they do not lead us away from Christ.

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