Distractions From God’s Holiness – Posted 09/07/2007


Judges 1:21, 27-33 states, “And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that
inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto
this day. Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and her towns, nor
Taanach and her towns,  nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of
Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites
would dwell in that land. And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the
Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out. Neither did Ephraim drive out the
Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. Neither did
Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites
dwelt among them, and became tributaries. Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of
Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik,
nor of Rehob: But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for
they did not drive them out. Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh,
nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the
land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became tributaries unto
them.”

AND,…WHAT IS THE POINT, you ask???

To answer that question, you must search earlier in the scriptures.

Read Deuteronomy 7: 2-5.

“And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them (the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites,
Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and the Jebusites; all listed in verse 1 of this same chapter)
before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with
them, nor shew mercy unto them: Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter
thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will
turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the
Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. But thus shall ye deal with them; ye
shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn
their graven images with fire.”  (explanation mine)

The command was given to Moses years before concerning these “heathen nations” in the
Promised Land. God had chosen His people, Israel, to conquer this land and “utterly destroy”
all the inhabitants of it.

What was the BIG DEAL????

God knew that His chosen, elected nation could not dwell among the heathen and continue to
honor Him with their lives.

God’s plan for His people is revealed in His very nature. God is holy. He said it himself.

Deuteronomy 7:6 goes on to reveal this truth.

“For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a
special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”

That word “special” can be defined as peculiar or one-of-a-kind. It means to be thought of as a
hidden treasure.

So, why would God want His people to kill all the “heathens” in the Promised Land???

DISTRACTIONS.

These heathen nations would be distractions to Israel in their quest for God’s plan for them,
True Holiness.

A distraction is something that causes a diversion or claims one’s attention. A distraction
causes bewilderment or confusion. It causes or creates a craze or makes frantic.

Exodus 34:14 sheds some light on this point.

“For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:”

As you can plainly see, God requires complete attention.

God’s will is that all come to Him for salvation, through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Then
all those who believe must strive to be holy and sanctified, bearing the image of their Saviour.

Things that stand in the way, or “distract” the believer therefore must be considered sinful,
and discarded before they bring about hurt, injury, and ultimately death to the spirituality of
that believer.

The New Testament deals with the same subject when John wrote in I John 2:15-17, “Love
not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the
Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and
the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”

These “distractions” can easily be labeled “worldliness” or “ungodliness”.

Note that the Apostle John wrote, “If any man love the world, the love of the Father (God) is
not in him.”  (explanation mine)

Worldliness or ungodliness becomes a distraction and a stumbling block to those trying to
serve the Lord. Just as important as the “heathen nations” in the days of Moses, Joshua, and
all the judges of Israel; worldliness must be “utterly destroyed” from the life of the believer.

Maybe you still do not fully understand. Let me explain.

God went as far as to say that Israel must not marry those of the other nations because He
knew that the alliance made in that marriage would cause confusion and doubting in the heart
of His chosen. The “gods” of the other spouse would certainly conflict with the True, Living
God of Israel, and cause a hindrance in their devotion to Him.

God has always required and yearned for a sole adoration and devotion to Him from His
people.
So, the question always is as follows;

Preacher, what is considered worldliness?

Many will certainly argue with the things I am about to deal with. Many will scoff and say that it
is legalism. Many, including other preachers will say that God doesn’t go “that far”.

But, you must always consider the Word of God as the final litmus test for life’s decisions.

Look again at I John 2:16.

“…the lust of the flesh…”

This could be a very broad category if one so chooses to see it that way, but God is a God of
specifics.

The Lust of the Flesh.

Anything that the carnal or “unspiritual” man desires that hinders you from serving God with
your whole heart, soul, mind, and body can and should be considered for this category.

For example, sleeping-in when you should be praying.   Eating when God has dealt with you
to fast.    Drinking alcohol, smoking or taking drugs. Pre-marital sex.   Reading a novel, the
newspaper, or any other piece of literature when you should be studying your Bible.   Chat
rooms on the internet that draw you away from your spouse.   Imagining an extra-marital
affair.   Daydreaming about someone other than your spouse in a lewd or romantic way.   
Overspending on non-essential items.   ANY music other than gospel (even love songs or
classical).  Becoming “over-involved” in hobbies, revealed by a lack of concern for family,
friends, and God.   Overeating.   Improper dress, such as wearing revealing clothing (low-cut
shirts, blouses, tank tops, muscle shirts, spaghetti straps, sundresses, shorts of any length,
tight slacks, pants, dresses, skirts, mini-skirts), wearing clothing meant for the opposite gender
(men wearing dresses, skirts, high heels/ women wearing slacks, pants).   Makeup and
jewelry (it is sinful to seek to bring attention to one’s self in appearance).   Improper hair length
(men should have short hair, women long hair).   Crossing the genders in any way should be
avoided at all costs.   Gambling.   Dancing.   

There are many other things that could be mentioned, but the point has been made.

“…the lust of the eyes…”

Again, a broad statement could be made, but let us examine some specifics.

The Lust of the Eyes.

Anything that enters through your eyes that God commands to abstain from will fall into this
category.

For example, pornography. This includes internet, television, and print.   Literally “lusting” after
someone other than your spouse.   Over-zealous desire for another if you are unmarried.
Coveting another’s belongings. This could be their wife, their truck, their house, their job, etc.   
Horror movies.   

Once again, many other things could be added to this list, but the idea has been grasped.

“…and the pride of life…”

Let us view this category.

The Pride of Life.

Examples could include, over-working.   Becoming overly obsessed with physical appearance
(such as working-out obsessively).   Saving and investing so much that you leave nothing to
live on.   Forcing others to view things exactly as you do, and condemning them when they do
not (in other words, you must always be right).   Pride.   Egotism.   Self-reliance to the degree
that you “shut-out” all others.     Climbing to the “top” regardless of who you must knock down
to get there.   Living for today, and having “no” regard for tomorrow.   Insisting that you do not
need God.   Thinking you are better than someone else.   Road Rage.      

Of course, the list could go on and on, but certainly you see the point.

All these things are distractions. All these things draw your attention away from God, and to
yourself. Remember the first commandment of the ten.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

That is simple and straightforward.

The New Testament deals with that subject in Matthew 6:33.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be
added unto you.”

Just as in the days of Israel’s judges, today is the same. God requires full attention.

This is a choice that all must make. Make yours now.

II Corinthians 6:2 says,"...behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of
salvation.)”  (emphasis mine)