Another example of costly bargaining is found in the opening chapters of Judges. The children of Israel had specific instructions concerning the people in the land. Deuteronomy 7:1-5 contains God’s instructions:
When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them: Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy
daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.
The children of Israel were to completely remove these peoples from the land. Moses specifically stated they were to make no covenants, no peace treaties, with them. The reason was simple, these nations would lead the Jews into idolatry.
What was done is recorded beginning in Judges 1:21 where we read, "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 words "did not drive out" are repeated over and over throughout the remainder of the chapter. Rather than driving them out, the people of the land "became tributaries," that is, they made covenants with the Jews. God’s displeasure is found in Judges 2:1ff.
Why did the people of God do this? No doubt one reason was it was easier than continuing to fight the battles. Thus, compromise seemed the solution to continued warring. Two things resulted: first the battles ended, but second the people of the land who remained led Israel to sin. Judges 2:10-13 records the results:
there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
The warnings of God in Deuteronomy 7:1-5 came to pass. Compromising on God’s requirements never brings good results. Satan convinced Israel they could end their warring by compromise and still achieve God’s desired results. They could not. Let us learn from Israel the true price of the bargain of compromise, and resolve to never buy it.
More next week, Lord willing. —Denny