In the book of Joshua, we learned how Joshua was old and told the people of Israel, “Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that you love the LORD your God. Else if you do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you”, and in chapter twenty-three and verse thirteen of Joshua said, “Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you”, where we read,
Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the LORD your God has given you.
The verse reads, “Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you;” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “know for a certainty” which means “perceive, see, find out, discern, acknowledge and recognize” “that the LORD your God” or “that Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God” “will no more drive out” which means “shall no longer seize, dispossess, take possession of or occupy” “any of these nations” or “a single one pertaining to these pagan Gentile people groups” “from before you” which means “separate and apart from the front and presence of you, the people of Israel”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Joshua” told the people of Israel that Jehovah God would no longer dispossess and occupy the territories of the pagan Gentile people groups that were in their presence.
The verse goes on to say, “but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the LORD your God has given you.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “but they shall be snares” or “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover they, the pagan Gentile nations, will exist as calamities and spring traps”, “and traps unto you” or “and lures, gins and nooses to you, the people of Israel”, “and scourges in your sides” which means “and flogs or goads within your, the people of Israel’s, sides of the body like an adversary”, “and thorns in your eyes” or “and pricks within your, the people of Israel’s, physical eyes used for vision and sight”, “until you perish” which means “till you, the people of Israel, vanish, be exterminated, go astray or die” “from off this good land” or “separate and apart from this pleasant, agreeable, beautiful and favorable ground, territory and country” “which the LORD your God” which means “that Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God your, the people of Israel’s, Supreme Deity” “has given you” or “has granted, bestowed and assigned to you, the people of Israel”. Joshua or the writer shared how the pagan people would become “snares, traps, scourges and thorns” to the people of Israel if they began to intermarry and follow after them.
When we consider the words in this verse, we learn how “Joshua” wanted to be sure that the people of Israel knew the consequences for intermarrying and following after pagan entities. Rather than continuing to remove these foes before Israel, Jehovah God would allow them to remain among the people of Israel which would cause them to suffer to the point of annihilation. God did not want it to be this way, but He warned them. God wants to have personal relationship with us through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead after three days. When we yield to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and empower us to live according to that truth so we never align ourselves with the foes and ways that are contrary to God. (See John 3:16: 16:13; Acts 1:8: 2 Corinthians 6:17)
Next time Joshua says, “this day I am going the way of all the earth”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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