Thorns in your side

“Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.” - Judges 2v3

Israel had experienced great success. They had committed themselves to serve God completely. They had promised to forsake all their idols. Everything seemed like it was wonderful.

However, there was a problem. God gave a whole list of enemies who had not been subdued. God told them that since they were not going to deal with those enemies He would not deal with them either. He would allow them to be thorns in the side of the nation. They would be a constant bother and a consistent aggravation.

As we read through the book of Judges we see the reality of this prophecy come true. Time after time the enemies who they should have dealt with cause them problems.

We have n excellent lesson and an illustration here for us. When we are saved we are too “lay aside the weight and the sin that so easily besets us.” Too often we are not willing to deal with our favourite pet sins. Every one of those sins that we do not deal with is going to continue to be a thorn in our sides as long as it carries on. God will not forsake us, but he will not defeat that enemy for us. He will give us the strength, but we must lay the side aside.