Remnants in the Promised Land
Scripture: Judges 1:27 – 2:4
27 However, Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its
villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages,
or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and
its villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. 28 And it
came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites under
tribute, but did not completely drive them out.
29 Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; so the
Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.
30 Nor did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of
Nahalol; so the Canaanites dwelt among them, and were put under tribute.
31 Nor did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Acco or the inhabitants of Sidon,
or of Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. 32 So the Asherites dwelt among
the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.
33 Nor did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh or the
inhabitants of Beth Anath; but they dwelt among the Canaanites, the
inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and
Beth Anath were put under tribute to them.
34 And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountains, for they
would not allow them to come down to the valley; 35 and the Amorites were
determined to dwell in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim; yet when the
strength of the house of Joseph became greater, they were put under tribute.
36 Now the boundary of the Amorites was from the Ascent of Akrabbim, from
Sela, and upward.
1 Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led
you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers;
and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you. 2 And you shall make no
covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But
you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? 3 Therefore I also said,
‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and
their gods shall be a snare to you.’” 4 So it was, when the Angel of the LORD
spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their
voices and wept.
This period is the period just before Joshua dies. The Israelites have been in the
‘Promised Land’ for some time now. But they haven’t been handling themselves the
way the LORD had told them to. Flip back to:
Joshua 9:14-16
14 Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask
counsel of the LORD. 15 So Joshua made peace with them, and made a
covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore
to them.
16 And it happened at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant
with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors who dwelt near them.
They made the covenant because they didn’t consult with the LORD first. In the full
story, these ambassadors appeared to be from a land far away. In the natural it
seemed to be a good thing. Many times simple decisions seem like ones we can
make on our own but that’s not biblical. We’ll get back to this concept in a bit.
As we go through the first part of the passage you can see that it mentions six of the
twelve tribes by name and how they’ve fallen short. Half of Israel was still polluted
with these wicked nations God had specific told them to get rid of. It takes the time to
give the boundary lines so if we were looking at a map we’d probably notice that
some areas are larger than others and some might be just a small area. Like if you
look at verse 29. Ephraim had only one town, Gezer, that it had to deal with.
Whereas, the children of Dan seem to have been completely overrun. Verse 34
doesn’t even mention them as having the authority; it mentions the Amorites.
Now the first part of chapter 2 is where God is showing His displeasure. He reminds
them that they were not supposed to make any covenants with the people in the
land. Now, we read about one of these covenants back in Joshua 9 but what about
here in Judges. Let’s read back in Judges 1:28. They couldn’t get them out of the
land so they put them under tribute, basically made this covenant; you give us stuff
and we’ll let you stay here without fighting you any more. There were lots of
covenants then.
So what does this have to do with us on this side of the cross? Good question.
John 4:23-24
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. So
that’s now. He wants us to worship Him in spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 - Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you
completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we’re three part being. We are made in the image of God.
Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints
and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
If you are born again, you were given a brand new perfect spirit at that very moment,
but your flesh will be the same.
Romans 7:18 - For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells;
for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
There’s nothing good in our flesh. Our flesh is like Egypt. Jesus our Passover Lamb
was sacrificed so we could be freed from the slavery of sin. But just because we’re
freed from that bondage don’t mean we can’t walk right back into it. As long as we
live in the flesh, we remain in that bondage. Let’s move over to the soul. The soul is
our feeling, our heart, our emotions; the things that influence us to do the things we
do. Our soul is like the people of the land; the righteous and unrighteous alike, the
murmurers and complainers, the idolators, the adulterers, the murderers etc. This is
why Paul tells us this in Romans 12:2, And do not be conformed to this world, but
be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that
good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Him telling us to renew our mind is
like God telling the Israelites to purge all the other nations from the land. The
promised land, by the way, is the spirit.
So, we’re supposed to renew our mind to the mind of Christ. We’re supposed to get
rid of all the nations that are an abomination to the LORD. So what is an
abomination to the LORD? What things does the LORD have a problem with? That
would be important to know.
Deuteronomy 18:9-12
9 “When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you
shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not
be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through
the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets
omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist,
or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an
abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your
God drives them out from before you.
Proverbs 6:16-19
16 These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
Revelations 21:8 & 15
8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually
immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place
will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. 15 Outside
are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the
murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Unfortunately, I think many wonderful Christians are stuck where the Israelites were.
In the Promised Land but they haven’t cast out all the nations before them. In fact, I
think many have made covenants as well. Kent Hovind makes the point that you don’
t kill rats by giving them 100% poison. No, you give them 99.9% good food and only .
1 % poison. They think they’re just eating good food but they’re really killing
themselves. It works the same way with the enemy. He’s going to present you with
something that looks good with a little bit of abomination mixed in. Just a little bit of
pride, just a hint of deception, a touch of sexual immorality, a pinch of magic or
witchcraft. Look at the television shows, movies, video games, and the internet that
are so prevalent today. It’s hard to find things that don’t fit into one worldly category
or another.
So, what’s the big deal anyway? Well, let’s go back and look at what the Angel of the
LORD said to the Israelites. He said that they will be a snare to you, a thorn in your
side. If you read the rest of Judges you’ll see that they were. Time and time again
Israel did what was right in their own eyes and ended up worshipping at their altars
and bowing down to their gods. All through this they felt they were still worshipping
the LORD Yahweh but they weren’t. It probably happened so gradually that they
never even noticed, like the rat eating the poison. By the time he realizes something
is wrong, it's too late.
I’m, in no way, trying to make myself out to be perfect because I don’t have to tell you
I’m not. I’ve still got some Jebusites and Canaanites to get rid of myself. We have to
be willing to be different, odd, peculiar because that's what God said we would be.
Jesus said we would be persecuted and hated because we choose to follow Him.
Why should we expect anything less? We have to remember that our flesh has
nothing good, our 'born again' spirit has nothing evil, it's our soul that will push us to
one side or the other. James 4:7 Therefore submit to God (your spirit). Resist the
devil (your flesh) and he will flee from you (your soul).
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: March 26, 2006
Revised: April 27, 2008
Scripture: Judges 1:27 – 2:4
27 However, Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its
villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages,
or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and
its villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. 28 And it
came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites under
tribute, but did not completely drive them out.
29 Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; so the
Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.
30 Nor did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of
Nahalol; so the Canaanites dwelt among them, and were put under tribute.
31 Nor did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Acco or the inhabitants of Sidon,
or of Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. 32 So the Asherites dwelt among
the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.
33 Nor did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh or the
inhabitants of Beth Anath; but they dwelt among the Canaanites, the
inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and
Beth Anath were put under tribute to them.
34 And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountains, for they
would not allow them to come down to the valley; 35 and the Amorites were
determined to dwell in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim; yet when the
strength of the house of Joseph became greater, they were put under tribute.
36 Now the boundary of the Amorites was from the Ascent of Akrabbim, from
Sela, and upward.
1 Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led
you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers;
and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you. 2 And you shall make no
covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But
you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? 3 Therefore I also said,
‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and
their gods shall be a snare to you.’” 4 So it was, when the Angel of the LORD
spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their
voices and wept.
This period is the period just before Joshua dies. The Israelites have been in the
‘Promised Land’ for some time now. But they haven’t been handling themselves the
way the LORD had told them to. Flip back to:
Joshua 9:14-16
14 Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask
counsel of the LORD. 15 So Joshua made peace with them, and made a
covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore
to them.
16 And it happened at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant
with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors who dwelt near them.
They made the covenant because they didn’t consult with the LORD first. In the full
story, these ambassadors appeared to be from a land far away. In the natural it
seemed to be a good thing. Many times simple decisions seem like ones we can
make on our own but that’s not biblical. We’ll get back to this concept in a bit.
As we go through the first part of the passage you can see that it mentions six of the
twelve tribes by name and how they’ve fallen short. Half of Israel was still polluted
with these wicked nations God had specific told them to get rid of. It takes the time to
give the boundary lines so if we were looking at a map we’d probably notice that
some areas are larger than others and some might be just a small area. Like if you
look at verse 29. Ephraim had only one town, Gezer, that it had to deal with.
Whereas, the children of Dan seem to have been completely overrun. Verse 34
doesn’t even mention them as having the authority; it mentions the Amorites.
Now the first part of chapter 2 is where God is showing His displeasure. He reminds
them that they were not supposed to make any covenants with the people in the
land. Now, we read about one of these covenants back in Joshua 9 but what about
here in Judges. Let’s read back in Judges 1:28. They couldn’t get them out of the
land so they put them under tribute, basically made this covenant; you give us stuff
and we’ll let you stay here without fighting you any more. There were lots of
covenants then.
So what does this have to do with us on this side of the cross? Good question.
John 4:23-24
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. So
that’s now. He wants us to worship Him in spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 - Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you
completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we’re three part being. We are made in the image of God.
Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints
and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
If you are born again, you were given a brand new perfect spirit at that very moment,
but your flesh will be the same.
Romans 7:18 - For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells;
for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
There’s nothing good in our flesh. Our flesh is like Egypt. Jesus our Passover Lamb
was sacrificed so we could be freed from the slavery of sin. But just because we’re
freed from that bondage don’t mean we can’t walk right back into it. As long as we
live in the flesh, we remain in that bondage. Let’s move over to the soul. The soul is
our feeling, our heart, our emotions; the things that influence us to do the things we
do. Our soul is like the people of the land; the righteous and unrighteous alike, the
murmurers and complainers, the idolators, the adulterers, the murderers etc. This is
why Paul tells us this in Romans 12:2, And do not be conformed to this world, but
be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that
good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Him telling us to renew our mind is
like God telling the Israelites to purge all the other nations from the land. The
promised land, by the way, is the spirit.
So, we’re supposed to renew our mind to the mind of Christ. We’re supposed to get
rid of all the nations that are an abomination to the LORD. So what is an
abomination to the LORD? What things does the LORD have a problem with? That
would be important to know.
Deuteronomy 18:9-12
9 “When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you
shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not
be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through
the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets
omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist,
or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an
abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your
God drives them out from before you.
Proverbs 6:16-19
16 These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
Revelations 21:8 & 15
8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually
immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place
will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. 15 Outside
are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the
murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Unfortunately, I think many wonderful Christians are stuck where the Israelites were.
In the Promised Land but they haven’t cast out all the nations before them. In fact, I
think many have made covenants as well. Kent Hovind makes the point that you don’
t kill rats by giving them 100% poison. No, you give them 99.9% good food and only .
1 % poison. They think they’re just eating good food but they’re really killing
themselves. It works the same way with the enemy. He’s going to present you with
something that looks good with a little bit of abomination mixed in. Just a little bit of
pride, just a hint of deception, a touch of sexual immorality, a pinch of magic or
witchcraft. Look at the television shows, movies, video games, and the internet that
are so prevalent today. It’s hard to find things that don’t fit into one worldly category
or another.
So, what’s the big deal anyway? Well, let’s go back and look at what the Angel of the
LORD said to the Israelites. He said that they will be a snare to you, a thorn in your
side. If you read the rest of Judges you’ll see that they were. Time and time again
Israel did what was right in their own eyes and ended up worshipping at their altars
and bowing down to their gods. All through this they felt they were still worshipping
the LORD Yahweh but they weren’t. It probably happened so gradually that they
never even noticed, like the rat eating the poison. By the time he realizes something
is wrong, it's too late.
I’m, in no way, trying to make myself out to be perfect because I don’t have to tell you
I’m not. I’ve still got some Jebusites and Canaanites to get rid of myself. We have to
be willing to be different, odd, peculiar because that's what God said we would be.
Jesus said we would be persecuted and hated because we choose to follow Him.
Why should we expect anything less? We have to remember that our flesh has
nothing good, our 'born again' spirit has nothing evil, it's our soul that will push us to
one side or the other. James 4:7 Therefore submit to God (your spirit). Resist the
devil (your flesh) and he will flee from you (your soul).
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: March 26, 2006
Revised: April 27, 2008
