Co-Inhabit

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

CO-INHABIT

Judges 1:27-36

27 But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land. 28 When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely. 29 Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them. 30 Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, who remained among them; but they did subject them to forced labor. 31 Nor did Asher drive out those living in Acco or Sidon or Ahlab or Aczib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob, 32 and because of this the people of Asher lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land. 33 Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath; but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them. 34 The Amorites confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain. 35 And the Amorites were determined also to hold out in Mount Heres, Aijalon and Shaalbim, but when the power of the house of Joseph increased, they too were pressed into forced labor. 36 The boundary of the Amorites was from Scorpion Pass to Sela and beyond.

NIV

This will be a problem for the various tribes of Israel because they have allowed or given in to the Canaanites being determined to stay in the land. It is not going to matter if they forced them into labor or not, the fact is they were told to drive out all of the people who lived in the land God had given to them as an inheritance. What if we were given an inheritance, like a new home, and someone who lives in the same neighborhood, said we want to share that inheritance because we lived here first. Or even if someone lived with us, and wanted to share our inheritance, that would be crazy to think like that. The only inheritance we can share with others from God, eternal life. We can share the story of how God gave us an inheritance and how they too can have the same inheritance. However, here is what is going to be a problem for the Israelites by living with foreign people, or co-existing, co-inhabiting with non-believers in the LORD God Almighty, but who worship other gods. Looking ahead in this narrative of Judges we know it becomes more than a problem, but let us consider for a moment the ramifications of that happening in our lives. Of course, as we live on this earth, we need to live, work, shop, and perhaps play in a world filled with people who worship other gods. In one sense, we co-inhabit this world, although God has called us out of this world, to be separate from them. This would be in the way they think, the gods they serve, their ideologies, philosophies, principles, or convictions about life. The Israelites did not obey God and drove them out of their land. However, we need to obey our Lord and force all those ideologies and such out of our lives. We live in this world but we are not to live of the world for we have been called out to live in the kingdom of God and by His way of thinking, and the Lord’s way of life, having faith in God instead of self. If the Israelites would have kept their faith in the LORD they would have been able to drive out all the Canaanites, for He would have driven them out before them. But it would seem they forgot to keep the faith and looked to their own strength which was not enough to drive out the Canaanites who were determined to stay in the land.  The world is determined to undermine the truth of God and His Word and we cannot intermingle with their way of life, all those concepts we mentioned before. We can only serve our Lord with all, not part, but all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. If we are faithful to that command, then He will drive out all foreign thinking from us. Let us not co-inhabit with their gods.