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Judges 2:1-5
And so in the beginning of chapter 2 God surveys Israel’s progress and asks “What is this you have done?” (2:2). I’m sure Israel thought we’ve done what we could. But had they really, did they follow what God had asked them to do?
Judges 2:1-5 (NIV) The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.’”
When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, and they called that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.
As we look throughout biblical history, we can see that God works in and through people. sometimes He gave specific direction, like through Moses or Joshua. Here God tells them in chapter 1 two things. First was to drive out the people in the land, not kill them or wipe them out but He told them to drive them out of the land. Second, destroy their altars to false gods – and all of this was so they wouldn’t fall into the Canaanite culture, so the Israelites don’t fall into idol worship.
Did they do what God asked them to do, the short answer is no. They did not destroy the altars, they do not drive the people out of the land. And – to top it all off – they enslaved the people. That really gets me, here just a few generations back they were slaves themselves and instead of driving the Canaanites out of the land they enslave them – seriously!
But – I say all this, and now I get to point out, that often times we are not that different from the Israelites. How often do we, just like they did, cry out “I can’t do it.” But from God’s perspective, and in truth it really is a “I won’t do it.” It’s the difference between can’t do it and won’t do it.
What issue are you facing, where your inner voice is saying “I can’t,” and God is saying you mean “You won’t.” Perhaps tithing? Or forgiveness? Fidelity in marriage, purity in singleness? The thought here is that often times we stop God from working in us. We fail to take steps of obedience in our hearts and our “I can’t” truly is “I won’t let You (God) work in me.”
It is so remarkably easy, to compromise our faith and make accommodation for things God has said no to. We justify ourselves with our “I can’t do this” when we encounter resistance.