See Your Battles Completely Through

Judges 1:27-28 - Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages, for the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land.  When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not drive them out completely.

Joshua was gone…and Israel needed the confidence of another battle leader…so they asked God for one.  He appointed Judah…and God was with him in all the battles he fought. Town…village…mountain terrain…he began to fight for what God had promised his people.

But somewhere along the way…and this chapter was filled with battle after battle and town name after town name that was difficult to pronounce…. The orders to completely destroy the people of that land got blurred.  Instead of destroying and completely wiping out all that God laid out before them…they stopped short and left many towns intact.

I am thankful that we are not called to engage in a physical battle anymore.  Jesus fulfilled the old testament law and gave us the holy spirit to guide and fight for us…but the battle is still there.  It is now a spiritual battle….fought against the principalities of darkness. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 puts it this way… “  For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”

It is a reminder to me that I should always see all the battles God allows in my life completely through. Matthew Henry’s commentary tells us one of the dangers if we don’t.   Our….”distrust of the power and promise of God deprived them of advantages.” We might just miss a greater blessing if we stop short of total obedience to what he wants us to do.

Father…thank you for the reminder that you will fight for us…no matter what we are faced with.  Forgive me for the times that I have let go of your hand and walked in the light of the world…cause I could see where I was going.  Help me to hold your hand…even in the darkness….so I can claim the greater promise of your word.  Amen.