In today's passage, we read about Joshua's and Eleazar's death. This is significant because they were a direct link to the Moses and Aaron. Moses named Joshua as his successor and Aaron appointed his son Eleazar as high priest. Unfortunately this means that the nation of Israel will never be as united under God as they once were. God does not communicate to His people in the same way that He did with Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Eleazar. The Israelites slowly start to drift away from the Lord.
This deviation from God's word and commands starts immediately. The Lord commanded the Israelites to completely conquer the Promised Land, driving out all the other inhabitants. God knew the Israelites would be tempted to follow false gods and teachings. If the Canaanites were not removed or eliminated, the Israelites would end up being curious about their religious practices and then possibly stray from the one true God.
In Judges 1, we learn that many of the tribes failed to drive out all of the Canaanites. The tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Judah, Benjamin, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan did not complete the task of thoroughly conquering the land. In Judges 2:1-5, an angel of the Lord informs the people of their wrongdoings. Since they did not obey God, He would not drive the remaining Canaanites out of the promised land. They would be left there and be a thorn in the side of the Israelites.
It's important to understand that God loves his children and always has their best interest in mind. If they had fully obeyed God, the Israelites would have more fully enjoyed the land given to them. Because of their disobedience, they would not live in the promised land free of obstacles and stumbling blocks. Remember that there are always benefits to obeying God (even if we don't see it right away) and there are always consequences for disobeying Him. He knows what's best for us and loves us all very much.
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