Living with the Canaanites

Today’s Passage – Joshua 22 – 24 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Hebrews 5 – 8; Proverbs 19; Psalms 91 – 95)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 25

Read the “0319 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from this passage – “Keep Choosing the Lord,“ and “Don’t Jump to Conclusions.”

“11 Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God. 12 Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you: 13 Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.” (Joshua 23:11-13)

When the children of Israel entered into the land of Canaan after spending forty years wandering in the wilderness, they were commanded by God to drive out all the inhabitants that were within the borders of their new nation. They mostly obeyed that order from God, but for whatever reason, they failed to get everybody out that God wanted removed (see Joshua 15:63; 16:10; Judges 1:21 for examples). Because these people were allowed to remain in the land, they would be a continuous problem for the people of God. They would be “snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes” (v. 13). The Canaanites that remained in the land would never convert to Judaism nor conform to the laws of Israel, and eventually their worship of false gods along with their immoral practices would influence the Israelites, causing some of God’s people to follow them and become idolatrous and immoral. 

This is a picture of what we see in the lives of many Christians today. We are living in this world but are not supposed to be “of the world” (John 15:23; 17:14 – 17). We are supposed to be “sanctified” through the truth of God’s word. Sanctification means that we are set apart or separated from the world. The problem is that we are living in the midst of a “crooked and perverse nation,” but if we were fully yielded to God and filled with the Holy Spirit, we would also “shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15). Unfortunately, just as the world within the land of Canaan negatively influenced the Israelites of Joshua’s day, the world around us is also influencing us. 

Think of all the worldly influences that enter into our lives on a daily basis. We watch television programs that are filled with the practices and philosophies of the world, and we are interacting with people on a daily basis that are clueless about the ways of God. Social media also contains many mixed messages. While we are using it to connect with many of our saved friends and family members, we are also being influenced by those who are lost. Many of our children are walking in the counsel of the ungodly through their unsaved teachers and worldly curriculums within the public schools. 

I don’t think the solution to this problem is isolation. The Amish and others like them have tried to practice that form of extreme separation for years but have been unsuccessful in completely shielding their children from the attractions of the world. I do believe that we need to be more separated than we are. After all, it is biblically commanded:

“15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:15-17)

“1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)

“14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

However, we will never be able to completely separate ourselves, our families, and our churches from all of the worldly and sinful influences that are all around us. Therefore we will need to make sure that the worship of God and our service for Him is so much more exciting, fulfilling, and even alluring than the temptations that this world has to offer. God is awesome, and living the Christian life is the best life anyone could live, but unfortunately our churches have done a poor job of manifesting that truth. Many of our church members feel that they should live for God because it is right to do or maybe because there will be a reward some day for doing so, but they also feel that they are missing something, sacrificing some of their temporal enjoyment. They feel the world is having more fun than they are. The world does a much better job of making its system look attractive than the churches do in glorifying God and making the Christian life appealing. If Christians were able to start really enjoying their relationship with God and their worship of Him, they may just convince a few of the Canaanites that live around them to join with them.

Being a Christian means much more than just a future happiness in eternity, it is also a wonderful, enjoyable, purposeful and abundant life today. We need to do a better job communicating that truth to our world.


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Creeping Things

Listen to today’s passage – Leviticus 11 – 12

Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Leviticus 11 

Second Milers also read – John 5 – 6; Proverbs 6; Psalms 31 – 35

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 18:3 & 46

Read the “0206 Evening and Morning“ devotion by Charles Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “Provision for the Poor“

How would you like to wake up with one of those creepy crawly things (above – top image) on top of you? I thank the Lord that this particular bug is not native to our area. It is found far away from here in the Philippines. Remind me to never go there. The worst that we have to deal with here in southern NJ is the Camel Cricket (above – bottom image), which is an ugly looking critter, but is also harmless. In our text today, God warns the people of Israel to not touch critters such as these:

“29 These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind, 30 And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole. 31 These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even.” (Lev 11:29–31)

“41 And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten. 42 Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination. 43 Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. 44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” (Lev 11:41–45)

In our passage this morning, God is explaining to the children of Israel which animals, fish, and bugs were safe for them to eat or touch. Frankly, I am not sure what the specific reasons were that God declared certain animals to be clean and others to be an “abomination.” The people of God just had to obey the laws God gave them by faith, believing that the omniscient God that created the universe knew better about what was best for them.

  • In Genesis 1, God creates “creeping things” and calls them good.
  • But after the Fall and in the Law (Leviticus 11), many become symbols of uncleanness—things that crawl low to the ground, associated with decay, swarming, or hidden movement.
  • Israel was to avoid them entirely (not eat, not touch in ways that defiled) to maintain separation and purity as God’s holy people.
  • Key verse: Leviticus 11:44-45 – “Be holy, for I am holy.”
  • While we’re not under those food laws today (Mark 7:19; Acts 10), the principle of avoiding defiling influences remains.

We know that in the New Testament period we are not under law regarding any of these things, and we will not face judgment for touching or eating any of these animals, etc. However, I can’t help but think that God had  good reasons for banning these critters from the menus of the Israelites.

My thought this morning is not regarding what we should or shouldn’t eat. However, I got to thinking about all of the “creeping things” that God wants us to stay away from today. There are a lot of things out there in the world that will hurt us if we “touch” them or partake of them. For instance, many of the philosophies that spew out this world system are “creeping things” that shouldn’t be touched, and certainly shouldn’t be allowed to enter into our minds. There are also many doctrinal heresies coming from some theologians with liberal perspectives that attack the very foundation of our belief system. We should steer clear of these “creeping things” as well.

Modern “Creeping Things” to Avoid
  • Creeping Doctrines / False Teachings
    • These “creep” into churches subtly (Jude 1:4; 2 Timothy 3:6 – false teachers “creep into houses”). Examples:
    • Liberal theology that undermines Scripture’s authority, the deity of Christ, or salvation by grace alone.
    • Prosperity gospel twists that prioritize wealth over holiness.
    • Progressive redefinitions of sin (e.g., excusing immorality under “love” or “inclusion” without repentance).
    • Avoid: Test everything against Scripture (Acts 17:11); don’t “touch” compromising teachings.
  • Creeping Worldly Philosophies / Mindsets
    • Things that crawl along the ground of culture, pulling us downward. Examples:
    • Materialism/consumerism that makes us hoard instead of trust God.
    • Relativism (“your truth/my truth”) eroding absolute moral standards.
    • Fear-driven anxiety or bitterness that creeps in through constant news/social media exposure. Avoid: “Set your mind on things above” (Colossians 3:2).
    • Guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23).
  • Creeping People / Influences / Companions
    • Toxic relationships or “creepy” ungodly perspectives that defile by association (1 Corinthians 15:33: “Evil communications corrupt good manners”). 
    • Cynical, gossiping, or divisive people who drain faith.
    • Influencers/entertainers promoting immorality, occult, or anti-God views.
    • Compromising friendships that slowly normalize sin.
    • Avoid: While we love and witness to them , we don’t yoke unequally (2 Corinthians 6:14) or let them “creep” into close fellowship.
  • Creeping Personal Habits / Sins
    • Small things that start low and grow: Examples: Unchecked entertainment (porn, violent media), bitterness taking root (Hebrews 12:15), or little compromises in integrity.
    • Avoid: Confess quickly; “flee youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22).

Paul used similar terminology in his final letter to Timothy

“1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Tim 3:1–7)

Again, I am not saying that we shouldn’t love these people and we should definitely try to reach them with the gospel, but we shouldn’t run with them either, allowing their lifestyles and doctrines to influence us. We’re free in Christ, but called to holiness. Love sinners, hate sin. Reach out without being contaminated.

The “creeping things” today are not the same as in Moses’ day, but they are to be avoided nonetheless.

What creeping things are trying to creep into your life today, and what will you do to avoid them?


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