THEY DID NOT DRIVE THEM OUT - Judges 1-5

 Judges 1:27-33 (ESV)

Failure to Complete the Conquest

Manasseh DID NOT DRIVE OUT the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages, for the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land. When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but DID NOT DRIVE THEM OUT completely.

And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

Zebulun DID NOT DRIVE OUT the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived among them, but became subject to forced labor.

Asher DID NOT DRIVE OUT the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon or of Ahlab or of Achzib or of Helbah or of Aphik or of Rehob, so the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for DID NOT DRIVE THEM OUT.

Naphtali DID NOT DRIVE OUT the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, so they lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became subject to forced labor for them.

THEY DID NOT DRIVE THEM OUT!  The above is a synopsis of what we will read in the book of Judges.   After Joshua’s death we read the the tribes are to proceed on their own to posses the land God has given them.   But, as we see, rather than obey God and completely drive out the nations that surrounded them, they were content to let them stay in some form or another.   The issue would become that these nations would have more influence on Israel than Israel would have on them.   This is a great picture for us about our own Christian walk.  When God saves us He wants us to kill off sin (mortify it).    But, when we allow it to hang around it will eventually pull us down.   This is the entire story of the book of Judges.   God commanded them to eradicate the nations.   These nations were vile and corrupt and full of sin.   But, the nation of Israel, as read above, became content with them in their midst.   This will eventually be the downfall of Israel.  Unattended sin in our lives does not lay dormant.  It eventually tries to win and pulls us down with it.