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!