Failure

“And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute” (Joshua 16;10 KJV).

According to our verse, the Ephraimites failed to completely drive out the Canaanites. This failure was repeated by the other tribes also. Thus there are three things that we need to note regarding the failure: a lack of obedience, a lacking of blessing, and a lack of separation.

Lack of obedience – “They drave not out the Canaanites.” In Num. 33:52, God had commanded the Israelites to drive out “all the inhabitants of the land.” Failing to drive out the inhabitants meant that Israel was being disobedient. Although getting rid of the inhabitants required courage and hard work, the Israelites simply refused to clean up the land. Obedience may not be easy, but that does not remove our obligation to obey. If we would live for God and obey Him, we need to have courage as well as make greater efforts.

Lack of blessing – “But the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites.” Not fully obeying the Lord, usually mean that we will not fully obtain our blessing. Because the Canaanites were not totally driven out of the land, Israel did not fully possess all the land that they were promised. Thus lack of obedience resulted in lack of blessing. If we are coming up short in blessings, we cannot blame God for not keeping His promises. We need to check on our obedience instead.

Lack of separation – “The Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.” Rather than drive out the Canaanites, the Ephraimites were able to put the Canaanites under tribute. To put “under tribute” meant that they made the Canaanites slaves to do forced labor. Although this seem acceptable (for it meant the Ephraimites had power over the Canaanites), it was an unholy compromise that still left the Canaanites in the land. Though they were slaves, the Canaanites’ evil influence eventually corrupted the Israelites. Compromises may look attractive, but they are only cosmetics for disobedience to make it look acceptable.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Obeying God is the best prescription for spiritual health!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Conceited (highminded)

In 2 Timothy 3:4 we read, “Treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (NASB).

Conceited (highminded) is the Greek word tuphoo (τυφοω) from tuphos which means smoke. Literally, the word means to wrap in smoke or mist so that what is outside of self cannot be seen. Figuratively, it means to be puffed up or conceited. When used metaphorically, the tuphoo carries the idea of a badly mistaken view of one’s own importance.

Tuphoo is also in the perfect tense which pictures a person’s puffed up opinion of himself as his permanent condition. The person who is “tuphoo” is a know it all, who is so blinded with conceit that no one can tell him anything. Moreover, because this blindness is rooted in the heart and in the will, it results in utter selfishness. According to the apostle Paul, this behavior will be a common characteristic in the last days, and something which ministers should avoid.

Bible Facts

According to Jude, Enoch was the first prophet to utter a prophecy about the 2nd coming of Christ. This was before the flood of Noah (Jude 1:14-15).

Bible Trivia

The first instance of kissing in Scripture involves a son kissing his father. What is the name of the father and son?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: Who was the first woman in Scripture to die in childbirth? Rachel (Genesis 35:18).

That’s in the Bible

“Live off the fat of the land”

“And take your and your households and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you will eat the fat of the land” (Gen. 45:18 NASB).

The expression to “live off the fat of the land” means to live in luxury or to enjoy the best a place has to offer. In our verse, Pharaoh told Joseph, his second-in-command, that he and his family were to have that privilege in Egypt. We in America have been living off “the fat of the land” for years, but it’s possible that all of this luxurious living could come to an end. America needs to turn its eyes back to the Lord or face sure judgment.

Did You Know – Christian History

Raphael Hawaweeny was born Nov. 20, 1860 in Beirut Lebanon. Known also as Saint Raphael of Brooklyn, Hawaweeny was sent to New York City in 1895 by Tsar Nicholas II of Russia to administer the local Orthodox Christian community. On March 12, 1904 he became the first Orthodox bishop to be consecrated in North America. The consecration was performed by the Russian patriarch Archbishop Tikhon in New York City. During the course of his ministry as an auxiliary bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church in America, Hawaweeny founded the present-day cathedral of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, established twenty-nine parishes and assisted in the founding of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Monastery.

A Little Humor

George W. Bush was in an airport lobby and noticed a man in a long flowing white robe with a long white beard and flowing white hair. The man had a staff in one hand and some stone tablets under the other arm. George W. approached the man and inquired, “Aren’t you Moses?” The man ignored George W. and stared at the ceiling. George W. positioned himself more directly in the man’s view and asked again, “Aren’t you Moses?” The man continued to peruse the ceiling. George W. tugged at the man’s sleeve and asked once again, “Aren’t you Moses?” The man finally responded in an irritated voice, “Yes I am.” “Then why are you being so uppity?” asked George W. To which the man replied, “The last time I spoke to a Bush I had to spend forty years in the desert.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“To know happiness, get to know Jesus!”