"But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you," then those you let remain "shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides," and they will trouble you in the land; "And I will do to you as I thought to do to them" (a paraphrase of Numbers 33:55–56).

As troubling as the Canaanites would be to the Israelites, the most awful result would be to have the Lord against them. God was determined to judge the Canaanites. If Israel did not carry out what the Lord commanded, He would judge the Israelites.

Sometimes when we think about why we obey God, we think about social benefits (people get along better), physical benefits (better health), or emotional benefits (freedom from anxiety and fear). But these should not be the primary reason for obedience. We ought to obey because God, our Creator and Redeemer, commands it.

When we focus on secondary reasons for obedience, those reasons may at some point seem to diminish; then we forget the primary reason and give ourselves permission to disobey God.

So, parents, when you teach your children not to lie, don't focus only on the social consequences of lying but on the command of God, who calls us to be holy. Teach morality on the firm ground of God's holy standard rather than the shifting ground of social custom or convenience. Do teach temporal consequences, but keep the focus on God's command. Otherwise your children may conclude that the temporal benefits of ignoring God's commands outweigh the temporal consequences, forgetting the spiritual and eternal consequences. Psalm 73, by Asaph, Israel's chief musician, is a great reflection on this.

AI-Expanded Reflection

Numbers 33 is a travel log listing Israel's stopping places from Egypt to the plains of Moab — a record of the whole wilderness journey, preserved "at the command of the Lord" (33:2). It ends with instructions for entering the land, and the warning in 33:55–56 anticipates what actually happened: Judges 2:1–3 records the Angel of the Lord telling Israel that because they had not obeyed, the Canaanites would become "thorns in your sides" and their gods a snare. On the difficult question of the conquest itself, see the notes at #2001 and #2013.

The comment's counsel about grounding children's moral instruction in God's command is wise, and Scripture models a way of holding the reasons together. The Ten Commandments begin with God's identity and redemption — "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt" (Exodus 20:2) — before any command is given. Deuteronomy 6:20–25 anticipates a child asking what God's laws mean, and the answer is a story of rescue followed by the assurance that obedience is "for our good always." Many parents find that grounding obedience first in who God is and what He has done, and then explaining the goodness of His ways, gives children both the firm foundation the comment calls for and a reason to love what God commands.

As I was reading the stages in the journey of the Israelites this morning, I was reminded of mine up to now since the Lord brought me out of darkness. I had many plans for my own good and faced several dead ends, perplexed about the reasons for them as if the plan that was motivated by my selfish desire had been better than the Lord's. I am where I am now because of His mercy and “according to the plan of Him who works out everything…” (Ephesians 1:11). I do not know where the next stage of my journey on earth will be but I am sure of where it ultimately ends! Praise the Lord!

AI-Expanded Reflection

Numbers 33 preserves a sequence of departures and encampments that can initially seem like a list of names. Yet the itinerary gives Israel a communal memory. Their life in the land will not begin as an achievement detached from the wilderness. It will rest upon a history of deliverance, dependence, judgment, and continued provision. The places remind them that they have been led, even through stretches of experience that may have felt repetitive or unproductive at the time.

Stephen's personal reflection makes a natural connection with that pattern. Looking backward can expose the difference between a cherished plan and a good plan. Some desires reveal their self-centeredness only after circumstances prevent their fulfillment. Gratitude may emerge when we recognize that an apparent dead end kept us from a path we had not understood. Such recognition can deepen humility without requiring us to pretend that the disappointment was painless or that our earlier motives were entirely malicious.

There is also a limit to retrospective interpretation. We do not know that every closed opportunity was a direct correction of selfishness, nor can we reconstruct God's complete intention from the outcome. Scripture gives reasons to trust providence, but it does not give each believer the narrator's access that Numbers provides for Israel's journey. A lost opportunity may involve another person's wrongdoing, ordinary limitations, or decisions whose significance remains unclear. Faith can confess God's mercy without supplying an explanation for every event.

The allusion to Ephesians 1:11 is especially helpful when read within the chapter's larger praise. God's purpose gathers his people into the blessings found in Christ: adoption, redemption, forgiveness, and an inheritance marked by the Spirit's pledge. The certainty of the destination is therefore not confidence that every personal project will eventually succeed. It is confidence that life in Christ belongs within a saving purpose larger than the success or failure of those projects. Providence serves that purpose even when the route remains difficult to interpret.

Remembering should also lead to present responsibility. Israel's itinerary did not release the new generation from listening and obeying. Similarly, believing that God has brought us to the present moment does not make every feature of our situation ideal or every previous choice wise. We can repent of what was wrong, repair what remains possible, and seek a better course while still giving thanks for sustaining mercy.

One useful practice is to review a few significant stages of life and identify what can actually be known: provision received, people who helped, sins exposed, responsibilities learned, and promises that sustained hope. We can leave unanswered questions honestly unanswered. The result is neither self-congratulation nor fatalism, but a more grounded readiness for the next step. We may not know its location, yet we can seek to walk it in the company of the faithful Lord whose grace has already met us along the way.

But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live. And as I plan to do to them, so I will do to you.’ (Numbers 33:55–56)

Do you notice something interesting here? After God instructed Israel to drive out Canaanites, he warned them that (1) they would become "pricks in your eyes", (2) they would be "as thorns in your sides", and (3) they will trouble you in the land in which you live." But after all this, He also said, "And as I plan to do to them, so I will do to you."

The first three items are serious in themselves, but the last item makes the first three pale in comparison. It is one thing to have human beings against you, but quite another matter to have the LORD against you. And if He planned to treat Israel as He planned to treat the Canaanites, this meant certain doom.

Friends, I have shared on this before, but it bears repeating. Israel's greatest asset was God. Israel's greatest liability was God. Their power over Egypt and the nations with whom they would later contend did not come from the strength of their numbers, nor their military prowess, nor their strategies. It was simply from God's grace, by which they were chosen over other nations to reflect His glory to the world.

This principle is carried over into the New Testament, where Jesus taught, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness..." (Matthew 6:33). Paul also taught:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:1–4).

Friends, someone famously said, "Don't be so heavenly minded that you're no earthly good." But this is exactly opposite what the Bible teaches. If you want to be any good on this earth, you must be heavenly-minded, for everything short of this is vanity, according to the wisest man that ever lived.

We are busy with our lives, yet everything we are busy with will soon pass away. Jesus told the crowds that followed Him, "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life" (John 6:27). Elsewhere, He taught,

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19–21).

As it is also written, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31). There is nothing worse than to have God against you. On the other hand, as Paul declares, "If God is for us, who can be against us?!" (Romans 8:31).

Therefore, friends, I encourage us all to step back and do a little self-examination. In my spirit, I feel as if there are many that have fallen off the wagon with respect to their daily meditation on God's Word. And there are others, who have no discipline in God's Word, who are chasing after "spiritual" highs from one emotionally-charged worship service after another. These have to be 24/7, like a drug addiction, for otherwise these seekers may crash and crash hard, although this may be for their good.

But let this be an encouragement. The end is more important than the beginning, and what you do now is more pertinent than what you did yesterday. Decide today that you will set aside some of those pressing matters that are passing away with this world and refocus on the things that truly matter and which will endure into eternity. Stop working for food that spoils but for the food that endures to eternal life. As Jesus said,

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away (Luke 21:33).

Again, we read in Isaiah 55:10–11,

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Again, we read about the Word of God:

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:12–13).

God will judge everyone on the basis of His Word. And, therefore, if we want to truly please God, we must learn to live in keeping with His Word:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

Therefore, dear friends, if you have left off reading, pick up the Bible and begin reading again. If you are following this annual reading plan, I would encourage you not to go back to where you left off and try to catch up all at once, but begin reading from the current day's reading. Get back on your disciplined schedule. When you find the extra time to catch up, then you can use that time to begin catching up on the passages you missed. But whatever you do, get back on schedule and stay on your disciplined schedule.

AI-Expanded Reflection

Numbers 33:55–56 confronts Israel with the seriousness of covenant identity. Receiving the land did not place the people beyond God's judgment. If they embraced the practices for which its inhabitants were judged, their own position would not protect them. Election brought responsibility rather than moral immunity. The warning prevents Israel from imagining that its greatest danger could be measured only in the strength of neighboring peoples. Their relationship with the Lord mattered more than any apparent strategic advantage.

For Christians, the passage must be applied through the change in covenant setting. The church is not commissioned to expel unbelievers from a national inheritance. The corresponding call is to reject idolatry and sinful practices while bearing witness among neighbors. We should be especially cautious about identifying troublesome people as “thorns” to remove. The New Testament directs believers to examine their own conduct and to love enemies, even while maintaining appropriate boundaries and confronting wrongdoing.

Colossians 3 gives concrete meaning to being heavenly-minded. Paul begins with believers' union with the risen Christ, then commands them to put away sexual immorality, greed, anger, slander, and lying. He calls for compassion, humility, patience, forgiveness, and love. The chapter proceeds into ordinary relationships and work. Setting the mind above is therefore not withdrawal from earthly responsibility. It is allowing Christ's reign and promised appearing to determine how we live within those responsibilities. A person can be very occupied with religious events while remaining inattentive to these practical commands.

The original's concern about an appetite for spiritual excitement can be understood within that framework. Emotional intensity does not by itself establish maturity. Yet strong emotion in worship is not evidence of instability either, and comparing it with addiction should remain a rhetorical observation rather than a diagnosis. Scripture includes exuberant praise, profound grief, quiet reflection, and disciplined endurance. The useful question is whether worship cultivates truthfulness, love, and obedience over time, rather than whether it produces a preferred level of feeling.

The encouragement to resume Bible reading is particularly practical. Beginning again with the current day's passage can remove the discouragement of an accumulated backlog. A reading plan is a servant of attention, however, not a covenant by which we earn God's favor. Reading slowly enough to understand one passage may sometimes be more fruitful than completing several chapters mechanically. Second Timothy 3:16–17 emphasizes the purpose of Scripture: equipping God's servant for good work. Hebrews 4:12–13 adds the need to receive its searching judgment rather than merely collect information.

A renewed practice might therefore join reading with one question about belief, one about conduct, and one concrete response in prayer or action. What does this passage reveal about God? What does it expose in my life? What faithful step follows? Such attention turns heavenly hope into earthly usefulness. We return to Scripture because the living God addresses and forms us through it, not because a completed schedule can substitute for the obedience it is meant to nourish.

The LORD's instruction to the generation about to enter Canaan was to drive out the people living there, destroy their images, and demolish their shrines (a reference to Numbers 33:52). But what happened? They did not drive them all out, and they did not destroy all the images and shrines. Instead they made treaties with some, subjected others, and even participated in the worship of the region's gods.

God's response: because this nation violated the covenant and did not listen, He would no longer drive out the nations Joshua had left, and would use them to test Israel and see whether they would keep the way of the LORD (a paraphrase of Judges 2:20–23).

This seems strange to me. Rather than simply punishing them and exhorting them to obey, God made obedience even harder. He allowed the nations to remain in order to test Israel, and Judges records the results — one failure after another.

God did the same under Moses, making Israel hunger and thirst and multiplying hardship in order to test them. I make these observations to dispel the notion that trusting and obeying the LORD was easy. It was not. On many occasions God made it harder. Consider three of the greatest figures in Scripture — Job, Moses, and Elijah — and notice what each came to at some point.

AI-Expanded Reflection

The observation is a genuinely uncomfortable one and the comment is right not to soften it. What it names is a pattern in which the consequence of disobedience is a harder set of conditions rather than an easier one, which inverts the usual assumption that God removes obstacles from those who want to obey.

The three figures named all reach the same place, and it is worth completing the thought: Job curses the day of his birth, Moses asks God to kill him rather than carry the people any further, and Elijah sits under a broom tree and asks to die. None of these is presented as a failure of faith requiring rebuke. God's responses are, respectively, an overwhelming encounter, the appointment of seventy elders to share the load, and food, sleep, and a quiet voice. Scripture's handling of its most faithful figures at their lowest is notably gentle, which is worth knowing for anyone who has concluded that exhaustion is evidence against them.

A new generation of Israelites, those who weren't under Egyptian slavery themselves, is about to cross into Canaan. The LORD tells them to drive out all the land's inhabitants and destroy their idols (Numbers 33:51–53), warning that if they fail to drive them out, those who remain will become barbs in their eyes and thorns in their sides, causing trouble in the very land they're meant to live in — and God would then do to Israel what He'd planned to do to the Canaanites instead (a paraphrase of Numbers 33:55–56).

The book of Joshua documents this conquest. By its end, Joshua reconfirms the covenant and dismisses each tribe to their allotted land. But by the first chapter of Judges, we learn Israel didn't actually drive out the inhabitants as commanded — once strong enough, they simply pressed the Canaanites into forced labor instead of removing them entirely (a paraphrase of Judges 1:28). By Judges 2, an entire new generation grows up knowing neither the LORD nor what He'd done for Israel, instead serving the Baals and Ashtoreths of the surrounding peoples, forsaking the God who'd brought their ancestors out of Egypt (a paraphrase of Judges 2:10–13).

So by just the third generation, they no longer knew the God who'd rescued their grandparents from Egypt, or gone ahead of their parents to conquer Canaan. The earlier generation's failure to completely remove the Canaanites became exactly the "barb in the eyes" God had warned about for their children. That earlier generation likely reasoned that using the Canaanites as forced labor made more practical sense than killing them — a purely human calculation replacing simple obedience to God's actual command.

Jesus similarly gave us rules that don't always make immediate human sense either — teaching that instead of an eye for an eye, we should turn the other cheek to someone who strikes us, go the extra mile when compelled to go one, give to those who ask, and love our enemies rather than merely our own people, since God causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good alike, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous both — being perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect (a paraphrase of Matthew 5:38–48).

Some of these guidelines don't make sense from a purely human perspective either. So do we ignore Jesus's words in favor of what seems sensible to us, or trust the Lord because His ways are perfect? If we don't follow God's ways in our own generation, what will our children actually learn? By the third generation, will they know our God, or what He's done for us?

AI-Expanded Reflection

The parallel this comment draws between Israel's incomplete conquest and Jesus's counterintuitive ethical teaching is a genuinely thoughtful connection, since both involve exactly the same underlying temptation — replacing a clear, difficult command with a more comfortable, "reasonable" human alternative that seems to accomplish something similar. Israel's forced-labor compromise probably felt like a pragmatic improvement on total removal; ignoring Jesus's call to love enemies in favor of ordinary reciprocity feels similarly reasonable by ordinary human logic. In both cases, Scripture's verdict on the "sensible" alternative is the same: what looks like practical wisdom in the moment quietly compounds into much larger, generational consequences precisely because the substituted human logic, however reasonable it sounds, wasn't actually what was commanded.