Deuteronomy 20:16-18 "But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: (17) But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee: (18) That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God."
I do not pretend to know the mind of God concerning all things. Many
questions are asked concerning the contrast between the commandment, "Thou
shalt not kill," and this directive from the Lord to "save alive
nothing that breatheth." Back in chapter 7, we read these words:
"And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt
smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them,
nor shew mercy unto them." (Deuteronomy 7:2) For this part, I will
simply leave it at this point, "God is not the author of sin."
At this point, I may not grasp the concept nor be able to reconcile the
difference, but I can say for a surety that God did not direct them into a
sinful action.
He was very pointed in telling them why they were to do this. He said in
chapter 7:4, "For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they
may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and
destroy thee suddenly." God repeated that thought here in chapter
20, "That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they
have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God."
Even God's people can easily be swayed and persuaded to go after things
which we should not pursue. They were being told to completely eradicate
even the very thought of turning away from God and following the ways of the
world.
Why is it important to completely remove all temptation? Forgive me for
using a worldly example. Many years ago, I had the terrible habit of
smoking. I knew I needed to quit and tried many different ways. I
bought into the idea that it was too difficult to stop "cold turkey."
I decided I would simply cut back. Because the temptation was not
completely removed, that approach worked for about a day and then I was right
back full into the habit. I allowed it to remain in front of me. I
decided I would substitute something else for that habit of smoking. I
became more addicted to the substitute than to the original, plus, I ended up
using the substitute and smoking at the same time.
The thought that I am trying to convey this morning is this: We cannot
play around with anything that would lure us away from God. We think we
will be able to handle things and remain in control of ourselves. The truth of
the matter is that we must walk away from those things which lure us away from
God. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he
will flee from you. (8) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to
you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double
minded." (James 4:7-8) Only by following the leadership of the Lord
are we able to overcome those things in life that seek to destroy us and our
fellowship with the Lord. Those things which present temptation must be
completely removed.