READ Psalm 106:32–39. 32 By the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD, and trouble came to Moses because of them; 33 for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses’ lips. 34 They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them, 35 but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. 36 They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. 37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to false gods. 38 They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood. 39 They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.
THEY WORSHIPPED THEIR IDOLS. God’s command to destroy the inhabitants of Canaan makes modern readers shudder, but this directive should be seen in the larger context of God’s saving purposes for the world.111 God had been patient with the violent, human-sacrificing Canaanites for centuries before he brought judgment on them through the Israelites (Genesis 15:16). Today God calls Christians not to assault but to seek the good of the unbelieving cities where we live (Jeremiah 29:7). Nevertheless, living in pluralistic societies means we must be all the more careful not to absorb the culture’s idols or to abandon God’s laws in order to conform to the world (verse 36). This combination of love yet deep difference will make us appear, in our neighbors’ eyes, to be both weird and attractive at the same time (1 Peter 2:11–12).
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I confess that in my public life I am just not different enough from my neighbors to attract either hostility or interest in my faith. I am not visibly happier, kinder, humbler, or wiser than others. O Lord, help me to grow in grace so I can be a credit to you, to whom I owe everything. Amen.