Why Are You Still Here?

I have often wondered why there were so many enemies left after God gave the Israelites the promised land. In Judges 1, it lists every tribe and how each failed to drive out at least one enemy nation. Israel only grew strong enough to later enslave them. This whole thing seemed so strange. Recently I realized the answer to my question was laid out clearly in chapters I’ve already read. That’s the beauty of scripture. No matter how much you read there is always something new to find! Why weren’t all the enemies driven out? Because they were left there to test and train Israel.

God says in Judges 2:22-23 “I did this to test Israel—to see whether or not they would follow the ways of the Lord as their ancestors did.” That is why the Lord left those nations in place. He did not quickly drive them out or allow Joshua to conquer them all.”

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At first, I wrestled with how this answer makes God appear to be mean. It was a little off putting. On the other hand, I then started to see this concept of testing through the eyes of a parent.

My kids are mesmerized by the stove. They love that there’s a light so, they can watch the food cooking in the oven. They like that the oven door is glass like and can see themselves in it. They also like it because they love food! However, they sometimes are interested in the top of the stove where the burners live. My oldest is incredibly tall and at times would put her hands up there feeling around, hoping she’d find treats. In light of this, I’ve started teaching them the dangers of the stove. I’m teaching them what they can and can’t do.

For a long time following, anytime I saw them near the stove I was on them like a mama hen. I would intervene before I even knew if it necessitated intervening. Finally, I realized the futility of that approach. How would I ever know if my teachings sunk in if I never tested them?! By test I don’t mean I purposely set up scenarios for them to be tempted. No, I simply watched what they did when they chose to approach the stove. I could actually see if they grasped what I taught or did I need to go over things again. This is what God was doing leaving enemies around Israel. He was seeing if the Israelites got the teaching. They had had years of wilderness instruction. Now it was time to see if they really understood it. Were they just giving lip service and His instructions didn’t penetrate their hearts? Were they teaching their children and passing it along like He instructed them to? At some point, God let’s us loose to see what we’ll do. That’s how we know and God knows if there’s growth.

Additionally, God left the enemy to teach or train them. Judges 3:1-2 says, “These are the nations that the Lord left in the land to test those Israelites who had not experienced the wars of Canaan. He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle.”

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There was a whole generation that had never known true adversity. They weren’t born into the bondage of Egypt. They were almost twice removed from that. There was a generation that didn’t know how to fight, how to defend their people, their property, and how to stop the enemy. This was essential to learn. God didn’t want them to get the land then have no idea how to defend it and in turn, lose it.

David writes in Psalms 144:1 “Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle.” God wants us prepared. He is a God of preparation not “winging it”. There is peace, confidence, knowledge, wisdom, and unity in preparation.

We all have probably heard “Stop. Drop and roll.” That is not only fire safety but, battle training. When there is a real threat what do you do? How do you survive? How can you remain calm? It doesn’t mean they will ever encounter a fire but, why would we roll the dice with their lives? Prepare. Same with CPR. I don’t sit around waiting for an emergency but, if one arises, I know what to do. We train our children how to be victors, not victims of the unknowns of life. The reality was Israel still had enemies surrounding them. There was still a very real threat to their livelihood. They needed to know how to war.

An awesome thing about God is that He tests us and teaches us but, we are guaranteed to be successful if we do what He says. He doesn’t ask us to be obedient, and the outcome remains in question. Deuteronomy‬ ‭11:26-28‬ says, “Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.”

What God lays before us are choices. We have choices because He created us with free will. We can go to the right or the left. We are free to chose. However, He tells us the outcome of either direction. Following God leads to blessings and walking away leads to curses. One way is life. One way is death. Clear concept. He’s looking for chosen obedience versus mindless robots.

Today that same choice the Israelites had before them lies before us. Follow God or disobey. Head towards Him and His goodness or away from Him as His enemy. So many times we want to blame God when the real person to blame looks back at us in the mirror. Don’t blame God for not protecting you driving drunk. Read the scriptures in Proverbs and Ephesians about drunkenness. Don’t blame God when you lose your job because you didn’t feel like going. Read 2 Thessalonians 3:10.

We blame God for the negative outcomes of our negative choices as if we had no other choice! What we're really saying is, we're mad God keeps His word. He told us the trouble our actions would reap but, we did it anyways. Now we’re mad we weren’t an exception. God should look the other way for me. Let me have this sin in light of Your holiness. No. It doesn’t work that way. God expects and asks us to choose. Will we embrace His teachings so, when we are tested we pass? Or will we do what we want when we want, acknowledging Him only when there’s trouble? That sums up the whole book of Judges.

I reiterate, there’s always a choice. The Israelites chose wrong. They didn’t heed the teaching and followed the gods of the surrounding enemies. (Judges 2) They failed the test. The consequences were they eventually lost the land they were given. However God in His infinite love, still made a way of reconciliation for Israel. The beauty of God is that His grace still covers us when we fall short. It doesn’t eradicate consequences yet, it always leaves room to come back home.