Devotion 212

“Neither did They Drive Out The Inhabitants”

Reference: Judges Chapter 1

Restrained by unbelief, doubt, and fear, Israel gradually settles with the enemy.
How easily we settle with our enemy (sin). Learn that sin is always the enemy. The answer to sin is faith (believing).

Eve settled with a ,little sin and the result was destruction of the human race. Sampson settled with a little sin and the results was death at the hands of his enemy.

Judges 16:21,30 “But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house. [30] And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.”
Settling with the enemy (sin) is a symptom of unbelief.

Let’s read:

Judges 1:1 “Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?”

Now that Joshua is dead, who will have faith?

God is not dead. That means if anyone will have faith like Abraham, Moses or Joshua, God will do through them exactly as He did through those Patriarchs.

We continue our reading:

Judges 1:2 “And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.”

The same words to Joshua and Moses. “I have delivered .”

Numbers 21:34 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.”

The same words to every disease that ails you. He has delivered at the Cross. All we have to do is receive it.

That’s all faith is. Simply believing and receiving.

We continue our reading:

Judges 1:3-19 “And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him. [4] And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men. [5] And they found Adoni–bezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. [6] But Adoni–bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. [7] And Adoni–bezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died. [8] Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. [9] And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley. [10] And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjath–arba): and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai. [11] And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjath–sepher: [12] And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath–sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. [13] And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. [14] And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou? [15] And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs. [16] And the children of the Kenite, Moses' father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people. [17] And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah. [18] Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof. [19] And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.”

Instead of looking to the LORD; they were looking to the iron chariots of unbelief. The LORD cannot work with unbelief. The end results of unbelief is always paralysis.

We continue our reading:

Judges 1:20-21 “And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak. [21] And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.”

The unbelieving children of Benjamin settled with their enemy.

We continue our reading:

Judges 1:21-27 “And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day. [22] And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Beth–el: and the LORD was with them. [23] And the house of Joseph sent to descry Beth–el. (Now the name of the city before was Luz). [24] And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy. [25] And when he shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family. [26] And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day. [27] Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Beth–shean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.”

The unbelieving house of Manasseh did not drive out their enemies. They settled comfortably with the enemy in unbelief. How many are settling with their diseases and illnesses comfortably today because of unbelief?

We continue our reading:

Judges 1:28-33 “And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out. [29] Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. [30] Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries. [31] Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob: [32] But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out. [33] Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth–shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth–anath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth–shemesh and of Beth–anath became tributaries unto them.”

Neither did Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, nor Naphtali drive out their enemies. The death of one man ( Joshua) is like the death of faith.

Jesus was always looking for this faith for faith is the key.

Matthew 8:10 “When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”

Christ was always looking for faith.  

Mark 10:51-52 “And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. [52] And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.”

God is always looking for faith, and could not find it in Israel at this time.

We conclude our reading:

Judges 1:34-36 “And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley: [35] But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries. [36] And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.”

God has delivered the Land to them. So why wouldn’t they drive out the enemies? Why wouldn’t we drive out our enemies of illnesses and diseases?

Because of unbelief. We have settled comfortably with our conditions in unbelief.
We have forgotten iHe s the same Word that delivered Moses and Joshua. The Word is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The Word is God, and will do the same thing in anyone who would believe.The same Tree of Life (belief) vs the tree of death (unbelief)

Let the Word of God defeat every enemy for you today. BELIEVE, and confess Christ the Word as we’ve revealed Him from the First Adam. Settle not with any unbelief, in Christ!