• What is the cost of indulgent sin?

This illustration seems to paint a clear picture of the relative importance of even the smallest iniquitous infraction.  If you have a fifty-five gallon barrel of cool, clean water, let’s say something like those jugs that Jesus changed to wine for the wedding.  Then you take an eye droplet of cyanide, yellow-fever, arsenic or whatever deadly poison/virus you can find and drop ONE droplet of that substance in the barrel.  Would you then allow anyone you love to drink from that barrel?  This allows clear distinction of the cost of being tainted or remaining unpolluted by this world.  ONE droplet, one persistent sin, one exception to disobedient behavior can ruin the entire skin of new wine or water.  Yes, we will be forgiven each infraction, because the Lord knew that we would continue to sin, but must we continuously be returned to purity?

How do you explain the Lord’s direction to Joshua to destroy every man, woman, child, farm animal and thing associated with the tribes that they would encounter in the nation that they were given as “the promise land”?  Do you avoid or skip over this conversation or offer an insightful explanation as to nature of God’s instruction?  The Lord knows that if we remain in the company of the lost or those who worship foreign gods, commerce and self-governance that we will eventually abnegate the standard to which he holds us in exchange for “getting along”.

Remember Satan knows God’s commands and also our nature.  Lucifer had four-hundred years to set up pagan groups in the land knowing that God would eventually give the land of Canaan to the Jews.  While they were in captivity in Egypt, he established multiple pagan peoples of warring clans in a successful attempt to get the Jews to ignore God’s commands.  These people were some of those tainted blood, “giant-like” groups who had been infected by the fallen, the Nephilim, the Zamzummim, the Refaim and others.  The Lord knew that these obstacles lay before the Jews and Moses even told them that they would fail in there conduct of the duties to which God had consigned them.

To this day they have three trouble areas in Israel; the Golan, Gaza and Moab.  These three areas match the areas of Israel’s disobedience to God’s command.  As God promised he made these people as an irritant, a constant reminder of Israel’s tolerance/disobedience to God’s command of cleansing of the promised land.

Let us reflect upon Solomon for a moment, notably one of the most discerning, wisest men in the history of the world.  God warned him to keep himself pure, separating himself from worldly women, but what did Solomon do married hundreds of foreign wives who eventually polluted his pure worship to the Lord.  If Solomon fell to this inch by inch abdication of his principles then how can we hope to stand against infection.  My advice, love them, witness to them then get the heck away from them.  This is especially important in the United States where we are told to tolerate even the most objectionable behavioral practices in the interest of religious and emotional freedom.  Do what God told us to do and keep yourselves pure, do not think, like Solomon that you can stand up against the erosive effects of the constant droplets against your foundational beliefs.  Stand upon the Rock that will never be washed away, build your spiritual house upon Jesus Christ the Lord and you will never be moved.

Praise You Father in the Name of the Son, Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Amen.