They Did Not Destroy the Peoples | Psalm 106:34-39
If we make peace with our sin, no matter how insignificant it appears, we fall into the same corruption that Israel did. Christ summons us to fight a holy war against our own sinful flesh. While the decisive battle of this war was won upon the cross, making our victory secure, the conflict will not end until Christ returns or summons us to Him via death. So, put on the whole armor of God, call upon the strength of the Lord, and stand firm against your sin.
They did not destroy the peoples,
as the LORD commanded them,
but they mixed with the nations
and learned to do as they did.
They served their idols,
which became a snare to them.
They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to the demons;
they poured out innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was polluted with blood.
Thus they became unclean by their acts,
and played the whore in their deeds.Psalm 106:34-39 ESV
The majority of this psalm is a recounting of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God, especially in the wilderness, but ultimately leading to the exile. These verses particularly recall Israel’s refusal to utterly destroy the Canaanites as the LORD commanded them to do. Instead, they mingled with the Canaanites, marrying them and becoming like them. The likeness continued to the point of the Israelites sacrificing their children to false gods as the peoples of Canaan did.
While so many today are repelled by the conquest of Canaan and by the genocide that God commanded, this was one of the ultimate reasons why it was necessary. The Canaanites were thoroughly wicked and deserved to be annihilated. These were corrupt and barbaric nations that deserved every ounce of judgment that was to come upon them. The prevalence of child sacrifice was the supreme and only necessary evidence of that fact.
Related Posts:
You Might also like
-
Authentic Christian Fellowship
Written by David S. Huffman |
Saturday, October 29, 2022
Authentic Christian fellowship is not about friendly chats over coffee and donuts, but about our shared relationship and communion with God. This should then lead us to a much deeper way of relating to one another. Here I would simply draw attention to our conversations with one another. They should have a more spiritual quality about them. Indeed, this is the very thrust of what we read about the believers in Jerusalem following Pentecost. Those who had received the word through Peter’s preaching of the gospel and were baptized “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers”(Acts 2:41, 42). Jerry Bridges helpfully explains that the fellowship spoken of here was “sharing with one another what God was teaching through the Scriptures.” It was “an important part of true [Christian] community.” It is what distinguished or set apart believers from all other types of associations.Fellowship. It is a word that is common among Christians. Of course, it isn’t a word that is exclusive among believers. The English word itself, according to the Oxford Languages online dictionary, conveys a “friendly association, especially with people who share one’s interests.” Generally, such a friendly association among those who share a common interest entails some type of social activity. It might be meeting up at sporting event to watch their team play or attending a concert of their favorite musical artist. People gather with one another at bars, restaurants, and homes for meals. A service project motivated out of a common concern may also bring people together as well. Whatever has bonded them together, such gatherings may rightly be regarded as a type of fellowship.
To be sure, there is common ground here when we begin to think of Christian fellowship. There is no question that believers share common interests and goals. Yet too often Christians can associate fellowship as primarily limited to gatherings with one another for meals or other social activities. Yet, the biblical idea of fellowship penetrates much deeper. As believers, we share a common identity and a common life in Jesus Christ. Authentic Christian fellowship yields a deeper connectedness to other believers than mere common interests and goals (though it includes these things). It entails a vital union with Christ and communion with God. Out of these two foundational principles flow the kind of character that should typify believer’s relationships with one another.
I should state here that my thoughts on this matter have been greatly influenced by two people, the 15th century Puritan John Owen (1616-1683) and the late Jerry Bridges (1929-2016) who served as a longtime staff member of The Navigators. I commend their works to you, particularly Owen’s Communion with God and Bridges’ True Community. In view of the limited space for this article, I want to draw attention to what genuine Christian fellowship ought to look like in practice as the fruits of our common bond in Christ.
First, genuine Christian fellowship begins with union with Christ. In 1 John 1:3, the apostle wrote, “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” The word for fellowship here is the Greek word koinonia, which can also be translated as partnership, participation, sharing, and contribution. The key point of this text, for our purposes, is that the foundation for fellowship with the apostolic witnesses and, thus, with God the Father and God the Son is believing apostolic witness. And this witness or testimony (cf. 1 John 1:2) concerns the “word of life,” that is the gospel, the good news revealed in the person and work of the Son, Jesus Christ. There is a content of knowledge that must be affirmed as true and embraced by faith if there is to be any true fellowship. In 1 John 4:1-6 we see that denying that Jesus has come in the flesh is a characteristic of everything that is antichrist. It is a tacit denial of the testimony of the apostolic witnesses who heard with their ears, saw with their eyes, and touched with their hands the “word of life” (1 John 1:1). If we would enter into this fellowship, then we begin by believing the word of life as he is proclaimed through his chosen witnesses. Fellowship with God begins, in the apostle Paul‘s words, when we are ”baptized into Christ Jesus.” That is, when we believe the gospel. We are united with him, by faith, in his death and in a resurrection like his (Romans 6:2-5).
Read More
Related Posts: -
The Danger of Evangelical Silence
The false narrative of separation of church and state was never intended to keep the church silent on matters of politics and political policy. The phrase “wall of separation between the church and the state” was originally coined by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptists on January 1, 1802. The idea was originally designed to keep the state out of the church rather than to keep the church out of the state. Therefore, for Christians to speak up, engage, and vote with a commitment to honoring Christ is essential for the good of our country.
Our nation has never been more polarized than it is today on matters of politics. It seems that many politicians are attempting to gain support and grow their base by jumping from one extreme position to the next. This is especially true regarding the issue of abortion. For the Christians, life is a non-debatable issue. For the liberals, the it’s being spun as a matter of “reproductive freedom” and a “private healthcare choice.” Suffice it to say, elections have consequences.
The social justice agenda has left an indelible mark upon our nation. The impact of deconstructionism is being felt in all spheres of our society. We see it in the sphere of the academy where every radical view imaginable is given center stage to indoctrinate the minds of the next generation while orthodox views of marriage, life, and foundational principles regarding the family and capitalism remain under vicious attack. We see this same move in the sphere of evangelicalism. While many religions are experiencing this dreaded threat, it’s the conservative protestant sphere that has in many ways capitulated the most.
What is at stake is massively important to western civilization and Christianity in America—which will have an impact upon the whole world.
The Tragedy of Christian Silence
During the rise of social justice movement (pre-2018), Christian leaders were moving about in the shadows and setting the stage for the social justice deconstructionist agenda. After the release of the Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel, a light came on for many people.
Sadly, many people remain confused and committed to supporting the very men and ministries who were exposed during that time period. During the post-George Floyd era, many Christian leaders have become willing to speak up, march in the streets in Black Lives Matters events, and articulate their positions regarding systemic injustice, critical race theory, and intersectionality.
Today, these same voices are silent. They have moved back into the shadows. At the very hour when the truth should be made known and for the church to vote properly, they refuse to speak up. This lack of clarity results in confusion on the issues at hand and encourages politicians to look beyond the borders of orthodoxy for voices to help them spread the truth regarding the dangers that attack the very fabric of our civilization. Compromising Christian leaders should be ashamed of their commitment to the middle of the road rather than the truth. You can’t be committed to truth while embracing error.
The Tragedy of False Christianity
If the church is to honor Christ, the church certainly does not need false prophets and leaders of false religions to be leading the charge in the fight for freedom. Sadly, within the sphere of evangelical Christianity, far too many Christian leaders have remained silent on the issues. They have gone off the grid. They are unwilling to stand and allow their voices to be heard. Because of this, many politicians have chosen to hitch themselves to false prophets of the highest order such as Kenneth Copeland and Paula White. This is tragic on many levels.
Read More
Related Posts: -
Trials Are Gardens for Lies
When your trials and temptations come, don’t let Satan and his schemes have your ear. Don’t assume that God’s sovereignty over all things means that temptation is from him. Rather, in your suffering, remember that he’s a good and perfect Father. He’s the giver of every good thing you might lose, and he’s the giver of every comfort or pleasure you might crave. And better than any of his other gifts, he holds out himself, the gift that surpasses every other one.
What verses do you reach for most often when you pause to give thanks to God?
Maybe you’re bowing over a home-cooked meal after an especially long and frustrating day. Maybe God came through in a moment of more acute desperation or need — at the office, with the kids, over the family budget. Maybe you and your friends got to do that thing you love to do together (but rarely get the chance to anymore). Maybe you simply felt the warmth of the sun on your skin after a week of overcast skies. And you know that meal, that friend, that sun is from God, and so you want to thank him. What verses come to mind?
One comes to mind for me, one I’ve leaned on countless times in prayer:
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17)
It’s a heart-warming, soul-stirring perspective: Every good thing you have, you have from God. In just a few words, James pulls every conceivable blessing — from the smallest snacks or shortest conversations to the weightier gifts of children, churches, homes, and health — all under the brilliant umbrella of the Father’s love.
Recently, though, as I slowly read through James again, I stumbled over the familiar verse because of the verse immediately before it. What would you expect to read before such an immense statement of God’s lavish generosity? Probably not this:
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above . . . (James 1:16–17)
Don’t be Deceived?
What could be deceiving about a cherished truth like this? To understand the deception at work among these good and perfect gifts (and the real power of the verse), we have to follow the thread back to the previous paragraph.
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12)
The apostle James writes to a suffering people, a people bearing heavy trials. He begins his letter, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:2). He says that because some were tempted to grumble and despair. They wanted to give up. They also started pointing fingers at God. As James writes in verses 13–14,
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
While God stands over all that transpires, and sovereignly works all things for the good of those who love him, no one can ever say that temptations come from him. He never devises evil. He’s not trying to make you stumble, but holding out his hand to keep you upright.
No, temptations arise from our own desires, which gets to a second problem James addresses in his letter: the problem of worldliness. Christians were growing faint under painful opposition. They were also giving in to sinful, fleshly desires (James 4:1–3). They were seeking comfort and relief in indulgence. They had formed an adulterous friendship with the world (James 4:4). So, James says to the church,
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above . . . (James 1:16–17)
What might suffering people hear in such a warning?
Read More
Related Posts: