11 March 2008 Devotion for Today “Half-Way” Judges 1:27-34

11 March 2008 Devotion for Today “Half-Way” Judges 1:27-34

A few months ago someone called me and wanted to talk to me. He was willing to drive from Wiesbaden all the way out to Hanau- about an hour and a half drive for him. With gas costing him about $5.00 per gallon (in 1999), I suggested to him that he didn’t need to do that, but that we could meet for lunch at a place near Frankfurt Airport. He was very happy to do that, and I felt better about it too.

The idea of meeting someone half-way is favorable to most people. If there is a considerable distance one must go to meet someone, and the business is mutually beneficial, we usually ask that person to meet us at a point that is half the distance instead of one or the other party having to drive the entire way. When we are bargaining and we think that the seller can come down in the price, sometimes we ask him to meet us half-way. But there are times when meeting someone half-way is neither agreeable nor obedient. In fact, our desire to please or not taking the trouble to do what we should have done will bring us trouble in the future. Israel began to discover this in Judges 1.

Israel was commanded by God to completely displace the inhabitants of the land of Canaan where they were to settle after their experience in the Wilderness. They dominated the land and were victorious in battle. But verse 27 says “However, Manasseh did not drove out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its villages.” Manasseh and the other tribes decided that it would be a waste to rid their lands of potential profits: “And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites under tribute, but did not completely drive them out.” (v.28). Perhaps it might be considered that Israel did not have the ability to drive out the Canaanites. But Judges is very clear that this was not the case. They were never in a better position than to do what God told them to do. This was their golden opportunity, but they let it go by for riches that they could gain for the moment. In other words, Israel thought it best to meet the Canaanites half-way. As a result, Israel paid for this many times over throughout her history.

How many times are we tempted to go half-way when we know God wants us “to go the distance.” with Him. Perhaps fear holds us back, or we think we have to try to save all that we can now so that we can have more later. Yet the most profitable opportunity in faith is lost because we go half-way. May the Lord help us all to put aside these ambitions and to trust Him completely with our future. Then we will know not only the blessings of today, but of the future.


Have a blessed day!

(7/22/99)