Unconquered

Bible story from the book of Joshua chapter 5 verses 13 -14 From an original woodcut published in 1860 by George Wigland Leipzig Arists Julius Schnorr (d. 1872)

Every Monday we’ll post something to do with maintaining sexual purity. Hope it helps.

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Unconquered

“And they did not drive out the Canaanites — ” -Joshua 16:10

Joshua’s a breathtaking study in battle strategies, leadership skills and the mystery of God calling man to participate in His work, then empowering him to do the undoable. As history, it chronicles a possession of land promised to an aged man and his barren wife centuries earlier, and a finality to the well-known Exodus account. As symbol, many commentators see it representing the Law (Moses) leading people to the edge of promise but unable to deliver, hence Joshua (Jesus) guides them through baptism (Jordan) into Canaan (new life) in which battles will be fought and won (sanctification). And that’s where things get awfully interesting, and relevant, to the modern believer.

Israel was commanded to drive all inhabitants out, no concessions, no exceptions. (Deuteronomy 7:2, 20:17) Which they did, sorta. Jericho was an unprecedented success; ditto for the battles of Ai, the Amorites, and the northern and southern conquests. Yet the phrase they did not utterly drive out the Canaanites/Jebusites/Anakim can be found sprinkled throughout the narrative as well, so mixed in with a string of victories we see a few compromises, a battle or two neglected, and voila! You’ve got light and darkness co-existing, sharing a neighborhood and interacting. You needn’t guess which group winds up influencing the other.

If the Book of Joshua is, as many believe, representative of the believer’s ongoing flesh/spirit battles, then refusal to destroy what God condemned takes on quite a meaning, and warning as well. You’ve already noticed, I’ll bet, that the inhabitants you make peace with become the ground you’ve surrendered, a ground that expands and a surrender that’s likely to someday bite you in the most inconvenient places. I should know; I’ve been bitten more than once by aspects of the flesh I decided to befriend rather than annihilate. And more often than not, it’s the subtle, quiet aspects I spare, the ones who mow the lawns, refrain from loud parties and seem to be genuinely good neighbors.

I think you know what I mean. The blatant works of the flesh – overt lust, violence, intoxication – are easily recognized as incorrigible and are often the first to die. Those tend to be the “juicy” sins of behavior, blatant suckers we proudly say we used to entertain but slew in battle years ago. Then there’s sin of character – arrogance, greed, jealousy – comparatively sedate neighbors who are easy to get comfortable with. They’re familiar, often seen in the nicest of places, and since they lack the openly corrupt look of other sins, we’re inclined to spare them. What’s not obvious must not, after all, be serious.

Exhibit A: my mouth and stomach. I came out of the womb saying “Where’s lunch?” and things have gone downhill ever since. But since I’ve also been an exercise fanatic for most of my teen and adult years, my gluttony went unnoticed to all but my dining companions. Then the forties came, with the inevitable metabolism decline, and voila! My secret sin was outed. I’ve finally knocked off 40 pounds (and counting) after too many people snapped photos of me speaking and I grew weary of seeing yet another “So and So tagged you on Facebook” and there I’d be, Rev. Jabba the Hut slobbering away, Bible in hand, all jowls and holy hairy girth.

But if the pounds hadn’t appeared, would I’d have given even a seconds thought to my overeating? Funny how the secret inhabitants are the ones we’re most likely to make peace with.

That’s why at some point I’ve got to recognize God’s more interested in what I am than what I do. Surely, behavioral sins matter, and require attention and sober reflection. But how many of us should look at ourselves today and admit we’ve neglected inward character, congratulating ourselves on the bad habits and actions we’ve abandoned while settling for – even making peace with – more long term, subtle trends of thought and attitude that are deeply rooted and, in the long run, deeply offensive to Him and limiting to us?

Today I want to do more than keep it clean, vital as that is. I want to keep it transparent as well, unpolluted by selfish, childish attitudes and inhabitants of this Temple who should have been ousted years ago.

So we surrender, Lord, our inward and outward selves, asking You to cleanse our temples as thoroughly and, if need be, as dramatically as You cleansed Your Father’s house, whip in hand and anger in place. Let no ungodly inhabitant get comfortable in the Canaan we manage, and give us Your hatred for compromise, Your love for true freedom of soul and spirit, and Your wisdom to know when and how to route the enemies of our soul.

Let them never remain unconquered.