Tempted
“The city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the LORD; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in the house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban, so that you do not covet them and take some of the things under the ban, and make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it. But all the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD.”
They utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
When Joshua captured the city of Jericho the Israelites were instructed to kill “both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey”. And the reason for this was so they wouldn’t be tempted to covet and worship their idols and thereby “make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it”.
Killing the men, women and children, etc. may seem extreme but the Lord is trying to teach us a valuable lesson. The “man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey” are a metaphor or picture of the sin in our lives.
How many of us have gone on a diet to lose a few pounds but hid one last box of cookies in the back of the cupboard only to be tempted a week later into eating the cookies?
If you and I are serious about removing sin from our lives we must remove all of it or one day we will be tempted to sin again and bring trouble on us.
How many smokers have tried to quit but hid one last cigarette in the back of the desk drawer only to be tempted a week later into smoking the cigarette?
If you and I are serious about removing sin from our lives we must remove all of it or one day we will be tempted to sin again and bring trouble on us.
So…
Have you removed all of the sin from your life (or have you hidden some in the back of the cupboard)?
