But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. Numbers 33:55 NIV
Why did God instruct His people to completely drive out the enemy when they battled and took possession of the promised land? What were the dangers of living among the Canaanites? More importantly, in a spiritual sense, what are the dangers we face when we fail to remove the enemy? Let’s take a closer look at the consequences presented in this verse.
Those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes
- If you’ve ever experienced the annoyance of having an eye lash fall into your eye, you know it’s something you simply can’t ignore. It’s an irritant that won’t stop until you remove it. It’s a complete distraction. In whatever avenue we allow the enemy to take up residency in our lives, he will completely distract us from our walk with the Lord.
- I can only image the pain of actually having a barb in my eye! I’ve poked my eye a few times, certainly with objects far less dangerous than a barb, and immediately I had to close my eye and shut out the light. When your eye is scratched or injured, light is just too painful, so you must keep it closed or under the darkness of a patch. The presence of the enemy forces us into darkness and keeps us from enjoying the light!
- Barbs in the eyes can make it very hard to see. Both our discernment and our ability to move forward is severely hindered. If we attempt to keep walking, we’re likely to stumble and incur further injury. It’s not only painful, but frustrating and it becomes far easier to give up the idea of walking and just settle in where we are. Allowing the enemy to remain in your life puts you at risk of spiritual blindness and can bring your walk with the Lord to a halt.
…and thorns in your sides
- I’ve always been a big fan of roses. I’m drawn by their beauty and their fragrance. Although I’m tempted to reach out and grab hold of a beautiful rose as I snip it off the bush, I’ve been reminded a time or two to respect it’s thorns. Sin can be like a rose; we see the beauty of the flower and easily forget the thorns that accompany it. So why do we allow Satan to maintain residency in our lives? Could it be that he masks as something beautiful, something that appeals to us and draws us in, all the while blinding us to the pain he brings?
They will give you trouble in the land where you live
- “Where you live” used to refer to a physical address, but now we live in a virtual world, where we can be connected to people all the time. A generation ago it was easier to keep negative influences at a distance, but with the advancement of technology, the world is at our fingertips, and guarding what we expose ourselves to becomes far more difficult. We need to exercise restraint and carefully consider the influences we welcome into our lives.
Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you. Exodus 23:33 NIV
Although the world is at our fingertips, we have a choice as to who and what we allow to live in our land. We get to choose who we engage with both in person and online. We have control of what we allow to enter into our homes, into our minds and into our relationships. Never forget that Satan is a powerful enemy. His goal is to lure us into sin so he can damage our relationship with God and ultimately destroy us. He will use anyone and anything he can to accomplish his purposes. Merriam-Webster defines a snare as “a position or situation from which it is difficult to escape.” When considering what influences you need to drive out of your life remember this; Satan makes things seem harmless and innocent at first, but once he has you in his snare it becomes very hard to break free.
Why not take some time today to identify the areas of your life where the enemy is living and drive him out? Do the things you allow to pass before your eyes have the potential to make you sin against God? How about the entertainment you enjoy, your online activity, or the conversations you engage in? Are you pursuing a relationship that could potentially cause you to sin? Ask God to show you the areas in your life where the enemy is living and to give you the strength to make the changes you need to make. It may be a battle, but if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live.