Israelites disobeyed God to completely weed out all Canaanites from the land of Canaan that he has promised them. Israelites spared and accommodated some dwellers of the land, and they also form alliances with them. They also served their forbidden Canaanites gods. (Of course, those dwellers later became their stubborn enemies). Worse still, Israelites also disintegrated into various factions and lost their sense of unity; therefore their central government became weakened. Consequentially, God became furious with his sinful children and he withdrew his protection from them, and they suffered terrible blows from their enemies afterward. The scripture reported,
“Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals; and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger” (Judges 2:11-12).
Lesson:
Children of God are to fully obey God to receive his benefits. We are not allowed to play “Partial Obedience Syndrome” with God. In fact, as far as God is concerned, there is nothing as “Partial Obedience.” Is either we obey God, or we disobey him! History proved that people, during bible time, who partially obey God’s instructions were not spared from punishment. For example, Israelites failed to completely drive out Canaanites, and they suffered for their action. Also, King Saul failed to completely wipe out Amalekites, and he suffered terrible consequences (1 Samuel 15). The same God who maintains consistent principles reserve his measuring rod of correction for any of his
children who fail to completely obey him. Therefore, we (believers) must endeavor to obey God and do our best to satisfy his desires at all times – even when they are not convenient! Jehovah will surely reward us if we abide by his rules, but he won’t smile to any believer who sought to outsmart him with “Partial Obedience!”
Prayer:
Dear Lord, please help me to fully obey you so that I can prosper in the land of the living. Do not let me get caught up with “Partial Obedience” which literarily means “Disobedience!” I understand that a disobedience act leads to bitter consequences, and I don’t want to be part of it. Therefore, I ask you to empower me through your Holy Spirit to walk in your ways, and fully obey you so that I can prosper. Plant your fear into my heart, and guide me in all my ways so that I can live a victorious life on earth, and also make it to your eternal kingdom. For in the name of Jesus Christ I make my requests. Amen.
