Dangers of Incomplete Obedience

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. And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit. But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. (Numbers 33:51-55)

Numbers 33:51-55  describes what happened when the people of God prepared to cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan. God told them to conquer the territory, and He added another specific job they were to do. God told them to utterly drive out the inhabitants and eradicate every trace of their idolatry.

His command wasn’t just strategy. He was giving them an opportunity to obey. Destroying altars and images wasn't about territorial dominance; it was about uprooting the seeds of idol worship that could poison God’s people. They were supposed to obey fully what God said. Partial obedience is no obedience at all.

God used the metaphor of a prick in the eye and a thorn in the side to describe the long-term consequences of disobedience in this case. What is a prick in the eye? It’s as if someone poked your eye with a needle. A thorn in the side describes a great discomfort constantly pushing against your side. A little disobedience can have long-lasting and painful consequences.

Practical Application

Incomplete obedience is another name for disobedience and it comes at a cost. When God asks you to do something, don’t bargain with Him with partial obedience. Do everything He says!

Exodus 23:24; Exodus 23:32

God’s Promises are His Plan

Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Deuteronomy 9:5)

When the Israelites got to the promised land, there were people there already. If that's the case, why is God driving out people who had already been there? The reason the children of Israel were given the land had nothing to do with how good they were or how much more deserving they were than their enemies. The reason they got the land had to do with a covenant God had made years ago to their forefather, Abraham.

The land itself is a promise that God said He would fulfill.

When God makes a promise, He always fulfills it.

Therefore, it is important to search the Scriptures and find the promises of God that you can stand on.

God promised He will never leave you or forsake you. So, you can bank on the fact that you will never be alone.

God promised that there will be a return on your giving. So, you can be sure that what you have given will return to you.

God promised that there will always be seed, time, and harvest. So, you can always be confident that God has a plan for every seed you have sown.

In the same way God took care of Israel and fulfilled His plans for them, God has a plan and a purpose to fulfill in your life.

Practical Application

God’s promises are yea and amen in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). God’s promises are His plans for you. What promises of God are you standing on today? Remember that He will make good on all His promises. Always believe God.

Titus 3:5; Genesis 13:15

Giants and Grasshoppers

And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. (Numbers 13:30-33)

As the twelve spies ventured into Canaan, the land of the promise, the land of fulfillment and success, the dichotomy of their perspectives became easily seen. Ten returned with a story full of doubt and impossibility spoken with words of fear and defeat. "We can’t do this!” they exclaimed, overwhelmed by the fortified cities and the giants that inhabited the land. In their eyes, the challenges were too big, and they saw themselves as grasshoppers.But even as this report was being declared, two men stood and spoke faith. Joshua and Caleb, in the spirit of faith, declared, "We are well able to overcome it." 

They saw the same things the other ten saw, but their faith was not clouded by the physical size of the giants or the strength of the cities. Instead, it was rooted in an unshakable belief in the power of God and faith in His promise. God said He would give them this land, and they believed Him! To them, the giants were mere bread; an opportunity for God to showcase His might.

How do you perceive challenges? Do you see them as insurmountable giants or as opportunities for God to work wonders on your behalf? Stop seeing yourself as a grasshopper and see yourself as a giant in Christ!

Practical Application

What challenge or giant are you currently facing? God is bigger than anything you’re facing! Speak words of faith and don’t allow yourself to get sidetracked by the doubts of the enemy.

Numbers 14:37; Amos 2:9