Willful Irritants

“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.” (Nu 33:55 AV)

One of the ways in which the LORD teaches us truth us through types or examples in the lives of others.  Israel is a study in the nature of the saint.  As Israel reacted to the hand of God, we can also see our spiritual growth in the LORD upon receiving Him as our Savior.  Steps of maturity which the nation of Israel went through are similar to the stepping stones of our own maturity.  If the exodus from Egypt is a type of salvation from the world, then from that event on, the Nation of Israel illustrates that which the believer will have to face.

One of those realities is the pursuit of holiness.  We also call that sanctification or separation.  Holiness is the state.  Sanctification is the motive.  Separation is the process. When Israel was promised the land of Canaan, it did not come without participation on their part.  God was not going to empty the land for them, plant their crops, and build them houses in which to dwell.  These things would have to come by their own hand with the empowering of the Spirit of God.  One of those most important and foundational acts was to cleanse the land of the heathen that dwelt there.  This land had been given to Abraham and was largely uninhabited at that time.  During the 430 years of captivity to Egypt, the godless moved in.  Now, the LORD required they be removed.  However, this removal process mandated the nation take up arms to do so.  Which ever enemy of Israel and the LORD were left because Israel did not fight, would remain to be a curse to the nation of Israel.  If they had a troublesome neighbor, it was their fault for failing to evict them.

What does this type teach us?  We have sins in our lives which we give safe harbor so that we might enjoy its company from time to time.  We indulge in this sin without taking up arms against it.  Like Israel, we believe we can peacefully and mutually co-exist.  As long as one or the other does not try to control the relationship, then a mutual relationship of exploitation can exist.  The problem is, sin never seeks to co-exist.  It seeks to control.  The pleasure we think we are enjoying comes at a cost.  Eventually the sin which we once enjoyed becomes a constant source of irritation.  This is to what the LORD is referring.  Eradicate the enemy or it will be a constant source of trouble.  Wise counsel for the child of God.  We may enjoy it for a moment, but over time, it will begin as an irritant, then evolve into a full-blown infection.