Drive Out the Inhabitants

 Drive Out the Inhabitants by Bill Keller

On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho the LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their idols, and demolish all their high places. Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.

“Distribute the land by lot, according to your clans. To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one. Whatever falls to them by lot will be theirs. Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes. But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.'" - (Numbers 33:50-56)

God's Word is full of His precious promises. They are the words we cling to in our time of need, knowing they are true. God's Word is also full of His warnings. I want to share with you today that the warnings in the Bible are just as true as the promises. We often like to ignore or skip over the warnings, but they are there to alert us to danger, and to protect us.

I want to share with you a warning from the Word today found in the 33rd Chapter of Numbers. It is a warning for believers to drive out the sin in our lives!

This passage of Scripture is a command from God to the children of Israel where He admonished them to drive out the inhabitants from the Promised Land and to destroy all of their carved images, idols, and high places.

Why?

The children of Israel were emerging from the wilderness after 40 years of wandering after leaving Egypt. They were spiritually weak. God knew they were not strong enough to co-exist with the ungodly inhabitants of the land so He commanded His children to drive the godless occupants out.

This is a good lesson for believers. Anyone who comes to the Lord must be discipled, and a good way for that to be achieved is by being accountable to an older man or woman of the faith who can help guide them in their journey of faith.

It is critical for a new believer to read and study the Bible, pray, be part of a solid Bible preaching and teaching church where they can be spiritually fed, and to fellowship with other believers who can help them to grow as followers of Christ.

God also instructed them to destroy the carved images, the idols, and the high places. These represented Israel's past sins. God was telling the children of Israel that the things standing between them and God had to go. The same is true in your life.

The Bible tells us that He is a "jealous God." If you have a lust problem, destroy your pornographic magazines and tapes. If you have a problem with alcohol, pour the booze down the drain. if you have a problem dabbling in the occult, burn your Ouija board, tarot cards, and horoscope books. God has no desire to coexist with the sin in your life!

After the commandment God gives His children the warning. In Verse 55 God says, "But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live." He goes in in verse 56 to say, "And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them."

God was giving the children of Israel a clear warning about getting rid of the sin in their lives. God gives believers today the same warning! The question every professing Christian must answer for himself is, “How badly do I want sin out of my life?

Do you know there are people who really don't want to be healed because it means their disability check each month will stop coming? Do you know there are drug addicts and alcoholics who really don't want to be delivered because that would mean they could no longer get high or go out drinking?

There are people in bondage to gluttony, lust, smoking, gossiping, gambling, and every manner of sin who don't want God to deliver them because they love their sin.

God is warning you today to get rid of the sin in your life. Drive it out! The Bible says, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you!" That doesn't mean you can invite him over once in a while and reminisce about old times! Resist means to have nothing to do this him.

Period!