What kind of land do you live in? Not where - but what kind? What does it look like? I often dream of living on a beautiful tropical island lined with turquoise and sapphire. It is a place where coconuts fall from the tall palm trees and bananas are in arms reach. A place abundant in fruit and fresh seafood. A place where the coolness of the night refreshes you while the moon glistens above - and when morning comes the sun rises and the colors of the day are immeasurable!
God set aside a beautiful place for the Israelites. It was filled with everything they would ever need or want - flowing with "milk and honey." But in order for the Israelites to live in such a beautiful place they needed to do one thing - "go in and take the land."
Psalm 106: 32 - 48
"At Meribah, too, they (the Israelites) angered the Lord, causing Moses serious trouble. They made Moses angry, and he spoke foolishly. Israel failed to destroy the nations in the land, as the Lord had commanded them. Instead, they mingled among the pagans and adopted their evil customs. They worshiped their idols, which led to their downfall."
You see - its one thing to live in a land with pagans, murderers, and those who practice sin and another to join them in their practice. That is what the Israelites did - they joined them.
"They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters. By sacrificing them to the idols of Canaan, they polluted the land with murder.They defiled themselves by their evil deeds, and their love of idols was adultery in the Lord’s sight. That is why the Lord’s anger burned against his people, and he abhorred his own special possession."
Finally after rescuing them again and again - the Lord raised his hands and said, "Okay - if this is what you want."
"He handed them over to pagan nations, and they were ruled by those who hated them. Their enemies crushed them and brought them under their cruel power.Again and again he rescued them, but they chose to rebel against him, and they were finally destroyed by their sin."
In all fairness to the Israelites, it would be difficult to go in and take someone elses' land but the Lord's desire was not for them to live under the authority of such cruel people but for the Israelites to live life in freedom with joy and prosperity. In the end, living that way completely destroyed them.
Some of the Israelite tribes were able to do exactly what God required of them while others had a difficult time "taking" the land. What happened? Did at some point the Israelites decide to give up and conform to the ways of the pagans or did fear take over? Peer pressure? Ignorance? Did they understand the importance of the land and what God was giving them? Were they avoiding a problem? Trying to be a people pleaser?
The Israelites made two choices:
1) Not to take the land
2) To conform to the ways of the people in the land
As I read through this passage I thought of us and how God has set aside a beautiful and glorious place for us to live. Yet with that said we somehow find ourselves living just as the Israelites lived - practicing the ways of the world rather than God's ways - conforming to the world rather than being set apart from it - living in the world rather than
not of the world. What a strenuous journey that must be!
Yet God loves:
"Even so, he pitied them in their distress and listened to their cries.He remembered his covenant with them and relented because of his unfailing love. He even caused their captors to treat them with kindness. (Gotta love that!)
"Save us, O Lord our God! Gather us back from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you." There is hope!
Many of us have settled on a piece of land ruled by worldly things and worldly ways. Here's the question: "Have you given in to practicing the things around you or are you ready to take the land back?"
Let us call out to God as the Israelites did. Let us rise up and grab hold of that glorious land God has given us for such a time as this. Let us live in the light of God's teachings. Let us live under the authority of Christ and not the authority of the world. Whatever land you have settled on or God is leading you to - know that he will never lead you astray. With all of God's heart and glory he desires for us to live in a land flowing with milk and honey; a land that is prosperous in all things. Go in - take the land - do not fear - submit to God - only then will we be able to join the Israelites in boasting:
"Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,who lives from everlasting to everlasting!
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord!"
Its time to change your journey.
Suddenly it started to rain. The kids were scrambling to the buses - the babies were being taken out of the rain - and I was left standing in the midst of it. I laughed, pulled the hood over my head, and started walking. Within minutes the zoo seemed empty - vacant - and I was left alone. 
