Dilution Is Deception Cloaked As Reason

But the tribe of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites, who lived in the city of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live there among the people of Judah to this day. [Joshua 15.63]

They did not drive the Canaanites out of Gezer, however, so the people of Gezer live as slaves among the people of Ephraim to this day. [Joshua 16.10]

But the descendants of Manasseh were unable to occupy these towns because the Canaanites were determined to stay in that region. Later, however, when the Israelites became strong enough, they forced the Canaanites to work as slaves. But they did not drive them out of the land. [Joshua 17.12-13] 

In today's One Year Chronological Bible reading, the three passages above reveal significant information. To understand the significance of this information, it must be understood why it was important that this information was recorded. Here it is:

And I will fix your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the eastern wilderness to the Euphrates River. I will hand over to you the people now living in the land, and you will drive them out ahead of you. “Make no treaties with them or their gods. They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry.” [Exodus 23.31-33]

When the LORD your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. [Deuteronomy 7.2]

“Listen, O Israel! Today you are about to cross the Jordan River to take over the land belonging to nations much greater and more powerful than you. They live in cities with walls that reach to the sky! The people are strong and tall—descendants of the famous Anakite giants. You’ve heard the saying, ‘Who can stand up to the Anakites?’ But recognize today that the LORD your God is the one who will cross over ahead of you like a devouring fire to destroy them. He will subdue them so that you will quickly conquer them and drive them out, just as the LORD has promised. “After the LORD your God has done this for you, don’t say in your hearts, ‘The LORD has given us this land because we are such good people!’ No, it is because of the wickedness of the other nations that he is pushing them out of your way. It is not because you are so good or have such integrity that you are about to occupy their land. The LORD your God will drive these nations out ahead of you only because of their wickedness, and to fulfill the oath he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You must recognize that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land because you are good, for you are not—you are a stubborn people. [Deuteronomy 9.1-6]

I myself will turn against them and their families and will cut them off from the community. This will happen to all who commit spiritual prostitution by worshiping Molech. [Leviticus 20.5]

“You must keep all my decrees and regulations by putting them into practice; otherwise the land to which I am bringing you as your new home will vomit you out. Do not live according to the customs of the people I am driving out before you. It is because they do these shameful things that I detest them. [Leviticus 20.22-23]  

It was never God's intention for Israel to cohabit the Promised Land with anyone. The reason for this was two-fold: the inhabitants were idolatrous, and, idolatry is highly infectious. For these two reasons, God had a zero-tolerance policy for the inhabitants to remain in Canaan as cohabitants with Israel. This should come as no surprise in light of the first three of the Ten Commandments:

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. [Exodus 20.2-7]

Before we discount these Scriptures as "Old Testament" we must understand something the apostle Paul made very clear in the New Testament:

Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.” [2 Corinthians 6.14-18]

Why this separation? Are not Christians more effective living among unbelievers? Yes, and no. Dilution is Satan's greatest strategy. Dilution starts with the smallest injection of doubt - it only takes the strategic suggestion of an idea like, "Has God really said...?" to set off an avalanche of disobedience to God.

Think about this: what set Jesus apart from the other religious leaders of His day? Both Jesus and religious leaders acknowledged God. They both quoted and taught the Bible. Both recognized man's sin-problem. But where they differed most was in the realm of the miraculous. Jesus' works of faith that defied reason provoked the ire of the religious leaders. In fact, it caused alarm among political leaders as well. The unexplainable works of pure faith that Jesus performed caused those "in control" to fear "losing control."

Basically, it was a thought diluted with doubt as to whether or not God could or would transcend reasonable science and religion as they control the human condition. The seed-thought of doubt is the beginning of a forest of idolatry. It was this very seed-thought of doubt (based on reason) that had infected Jesus's men in the story below:

Later, after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread. “Watch out!” Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “You have so little faith! Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? Don’t you understand even yet? Don’t you remember the 5,000 I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you picked up? Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up? Why can’t you understand that I’m not talking about bread? So again I say, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’” Then at last they understood that he wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. [Matthew 16.5-12]

Dilution is deception cloaked as reason. Dilution is what idols are. Dilution is where idolatry begins and sin abounds. Deception cloaked as reason does what yeast does in bread: it permeates the entire lump of dough. For this reason, God is, was, and always will be intolerant of even the slightest dilution - the tiniest, most "harmless" idol of any kind - because the simplest dilution with reasonable idolatry ends in gross sin. Sadly, as Jesus' teaching moment with the disciples above indicates, religion had become the very garden where the seeds of idolatrous doubt were thriving. And, even more sad is the fact that religion is where idolatry thrives today...

As religion today embraces debt, insurance, medicine and technology (even blasphemously claiming they are gifts from God), the diluting yeast-like seeds of reasonable doubt - that God alone is NOT Provider, that God alone is NOT Protector, that God alone is NOT Healer, that God alone is NOT Everything - have grown into a mighty forest so overwhelming that only a mindless fool would attempt to start cutting trees!

God is a God of distinction and Jesus bore this out in no uncertain terms:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

"Your own way" is the way of reason. "Your own way" is the way of religion. "Your own way" is the diluted yeast-like seed of reasonable doubt. "Your own way" is NOTHING of God's way, and God will have nothing to do with it.

In Jesus' teaching moment with His disciples in Matthew 16.5-12, He scolded them because their faith waned and they began to reason (even argue among themselves) - and that was the yeast of the religious leaders - the diluting seed of reasonable doubt.

As this article proves, God's people (Old Testament AND New Testament) are to make every effort to prevent dilution of their precious God-given faith. It does not suggest that God's people should be out of this world, but absolutely confirms they are not to participate with its idolatry. Instead, as Jesus demonstrated, His followers are to prove their God-only faith by their works in their interactions with the idol-abundant world.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. [John 14.12]

Father, Your Word is true and every reasonable man a liar in comparison. May our eyes have the blinders of idolatry removed as we give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. May our lives demonstrate the same distinction that Jesus demonstrated. So be it.