Deuteronomy 13:16-18 (ESV Strong's)
16 You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again. 17 None of the devoted things shall stick to your hand, that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, as he swore to your fathers, 18 if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, keeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God.
Sticky Hands
The nation of Israel, in Deuteronomy, are being given final instructions for when they enter the promise land. The book is the second giving of the law to the new generation that was born in the wilderness. One of the warnings they received was about what should happen when they conquer other cities in the promise land. We have to remember that those other cities and nations that they were to conquer were wicked cities. Here is the reason these nations are to be conquered:
Deuteronomy 9:4 (ESV Strong's)
4 “Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out before you.
Since these nations were wicked, so too is all their junk. At least that is what is implied in the above text from chapter 13. When Israel conquered a nation, God gives them a specific instruction to burn all the “stuff” that comes with the people. God knew that “stuff” can lead us astray from Him. We are attracted by “shinny stuff.” The very first battle they have, when entering the promise land, proved this point for God. Note:
Joshua 7:1 (ESV Strong's)
Israel Defeated at Ai
1 But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the LORD burned against the people of Israel.
Joshua 7:20-21 (ESV Strong's)
20 And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
It is easy to have sticky hands and to allow the shinny things of this world to compromise us. It is only through obedience to God’s Word that we keep ourselves from casting out eyes on those things. God wants them destroyed in our lives if we find them so attractive that they pull us away from worshipping Him!!!
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