Couldn’t or Wouldn’t
My less hectic day seemed to be fairly quickly. After some early morning yard work, I had my last twice a week Chiropractor appointments. He felt that I am showing improvement and my frame was the most stable since I have been in the treatment program. He mentioned that it looked with my leg muscle mass was beginning to balance out. Next week I have my six month check up with my neurologist.
After some office work and a rest, I did get in a good workout at the pool. I then attended a community event at CSU. I met a few of the women on the volleyball team. I believe the volleyball team has taller women than the basketball team. All of them were well over six feet and I was told the tallest was 6’7″!
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… The people of Joseph said, “It is true. The mountain country of Ephraim is not enough for us, but the land where the Canaanites live is dangerous. They are skilled fighters. They have powerful weapons….Joshua said to the people of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh, “There are many of you, and you have great power...You will own all of it because you will force the Canaanites to leave the land even though they have powerful weapons and are strong.” Joshua 17:16-18 NCV
After the initial campaign to conquer the promised land, Joshua finds himself too old to continue to lead the Children of Israel in their conquest. The land is divided among the tribes of Israel and they are given the charge to “possess the land.” But we begin to read the results of their efforts.
“The army of Judah was not able to force out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites still live among the people of Judah to this day.” (Joshua 15:63)
“The Ephraimites could not force the Canaanites to leave Gezer, so the Canaanites still live among the Ephraimites today…” (Joshua 16:10)
This takes places with tribe after tribe, as a result this verse summarizes the Children of Israel in the promised land:
“When the Israelites grew strong, they forced the Canaanites to work for them, although they did not force them to leave the land.” (Joshua 17:130)
After a string of stunning and successful victories this new season for the Israelites is a reversal. We read about tribe after tribe that “couldn’t” completely conquer their enemies and so they allowed the people the Lord had devoted to destruction to remain alive and live among them. At time the Canaanites became their slaves, but in the course of time the Israelites became dominated by the Canaanites.
Although we don’t have all the details, we know what the instructions were and we see the Lord’s faithfulness under Joshua’s leadership. Cities were conquered and God’s people became enriched from the “spoils of war.” The failure to succeed was not a failure on the Lord’s part, it was a failure of leadership, a failure to trust, a failure to obey.
I believe we see that in the exchange between the elders of the tribes of Joesph and Joshua. The two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh required more space. Joshua gave them instructions and assigned them the territory and they in turn gave excuses. “It’s a dangerous land, they have skilled fighters and powerful weapons…” The tribes had Elders, but not leaders. They had men who had seen the victories the Lord had won, but they didn’t know how to trust and follow the Lord to fight their battles and to see the victories continue.
Look how the words of Joshua contrast with the words of the Elders of the tribes, “There are many of you, and you have great power...You will own all of it because you will force the Canaanites to leave the land even though they have powerful weapons and are strong.”
Joshua tells them, “you can do it!” But they couldn’t or they wouldn’t. This failure at this critical time of transition, leads to the time of the judges. A time when the Israelites would be oppressed, they would cry out to God and God would send a leader….a leader who would trust God and that God would use to rescue them.
The Children of Israel were given the promised land, but they were not able to conquer the promised land. They gained an initial sense of prominence, but not the dominance the Lord had in mind for them. They settled for less than God’s best. They did what they could in their own strength. As a result, they became intimidated by their enemies and they settled for a policy of “peaceful coexistence.” But the peaceful coexistence turned into them being oppressed and conquered.
The challenge for us today is to be a “people of God” who will not “take our eyes off the prize.” We often view leadership as organizational, but remember, we must lead ourselves. That often comes from what is in our hearts and minds. Do we look at obstacles and become intimidated or do we look at those obstacles and affirm our faith in the Lord who “always causes us to triumph through Jesus Christ”? Are we willing to settle for less than God’s best because we failed to trust and put forth the the effort or take the steps of obedience that are required achieve the ultimate goal?
The Lord brought the Children of Israel to the promised land to conquer and possess, not to compromise and comingle. In their minds they “couldn’t” but when we take a deeper look at what the Lord promised and what He had done for them, as they moved into their possession, we realize they “wouldn’t” take the steps necessary to accomplish God’s best, so they accepted what they could live with, and turned their backs on the One they were to live for.