Bible Study - Joshua 23
S – For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. 10 One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. 11 Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. 12 For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, 13 know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.
Joshua 23:9–13 ESV
O – Israel was then solemnly exhorted, on the basis of divine interventions on their behalf, to love … God (cf. 22:5). This would require diligence and watchfulness because of the near presence of their corrupt neighbors. The temptation would be strong to forsake Yahweh and cleave to the people of Canaan, even intermarrying with them, a fateful decision and one fraught with peril to Israel. This danger was graphically described by Joshua in terms of the dire results that would follow. First, God would no longer drive out these nations but they would remain to mar Israel's inheritance. Second, the Canaanites among them would be like snares and traps to entangle them, whips to lash them, and thorns that fly back into their faces stabbing their eyes. Third, miseries and troubles would increase for Israel until they would be dispossessed of their good land
Donald K. Campbell, "Joshua," in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 368.
A – Here's the truth: God fights for you. But your part is to stay close. Don't get lazy in your relationship with Him. Look around — there are things in your life right now trying to slide back in. Old habits. Old relationships. Old compromises you thought you'd already dealt with. They don't look dangerous at first. They look like "remnants." Small. Manageable. Harmless. But a remnant left alone becomes a snare. A trap. A whip. Thorns in your eyes. Don't let familiarity with sin lull you to sleep. Stay sober. Stay alert. Guard the ground God gave you.
R – Father, You are just, and You are good. Thank You that You wanted a relationship with us badly enough to send Jesus to the cross to make it possible. Wake us up today. Give us eyes to see the snares before we walk into them. Give us the strength to walk in victory, not compromise. Keep us close to You — that's where the blessing is.
