Live and Let Live


Judges 3:1-6
1Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. 2It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before. 3These are the nations: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. 4They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. 5So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.

Is there a problem with a “live and let live” philosophy to life? I confess to holding that attitude with most things in my life. Upon further reflection and held up to the light of this passage, I suppose that might need to be reconsidered.

The Hebrews had been given the land by God Himself. It was His sovereign choice to bless them with a place to live where they might be a positive influence on the world. His stipulation as they moved into Israel was that they chase the people who currently lived there away and be the sole inhabitants. God was fully aware of the fact that should they choose to live among the Canaanites they would soon accept their gods and pagan ways of life. Since they chose to intermingle with the people of the land rather than obey God, the inevitable happened and they were soon idolatrous themselves.

So what is to be done about that? Is there any solution here that isn’t cruel, oppressive, or unjust? I have no good answer. Clearly, living in a way that allows the influence of ungodly people to impact your life is a dangerous game. Probably none of us are strong enough to stand up under that kind of control entirely. That which surrounds us is going to have impact – especially on our children. But, as a person who is blessed to live in a “free society” I am most certainly prone to “live and let live.” Why should my beliefs or choices be impressed upon another? For me, in most cases, that is a tough sell. But then I consider things like abortion on demand and I know with certainty that this is not right and should not be tolerated on any level. “Live and let live” lets me down. While abortion is definitely a hot topic, I could have just as easily have chosen gun control, racism, or the presidential campaign as my example. So there are things where my life choices make a difference and not only to me, but to the entire culture. In our passage for today, God impresses upon the people that it is for their own good to listen to Him and excise the Canaanites from the land. They choose not to do that and pay the price. Should we choose to live and let live there are issues that will arise to bite us all and we may find that the practice of our faith is in serious jeopardy for while I “live and let live” those who oppose my lifestyle choices are instead waging an active war against my beliefs.

My stream of consciousness wandering based on this passage has not brought clarity but I suppose it has brought some internal determination. My first and greatest instructions for living this side of death must be God’s Word. His definitions of marriage, the sanctity of life, and way I conduct my life simply must be drawn first and foremost from what He says. While that answer is still somewhat troublesome, at least it’s a place to start. I guess I will be grateful for that alone today.

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