Comfortable with the Cancer

Introduction

I want you to imagine a horrific scenario with me. Imagine someone you know and love has been taken back for cancer surgery and after hours of waiting you are called into a little room to speak with the doctor.

The doctor comes out, introduces himself and says: “Good news, we got most of the cancer.”

“Most of the cancer?” you reply.

“Yes, we feel really good about the fact that we got 75% of it,” he responds.

“What about the other 25%? Why didn’t you remove it?”

“Well,” he says, “The other 25% was a little more difficult to reach, and I have a really important golf game scheduled for this afternoon. I’m happy with the results and we will keep an eye on things and discuss radiation and chemo.”

“So you’re telling me you could have gotten ALL the cancer, but because the process might make you late for your golf game you just decided to call it a day?” “Yep,” he says. “Gotta go,” and he walks nonchalantly out of the room...

Isn’t that an outrageous scenario? That’s just about as outrageous as what is happening in Judges Chapter 1. Let me explain....

Scripture Introduction

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, our series through the book of Judges is sometimes going to be a BUMPY ride. If you have a vivid imagination you can almost see, hear, and feel the things going on in this book, and some of the events are enough to make your skin crawl and even make you sick to your stomach. In this book we will find shocking acounts of violence, sexual abuse, idolatry, body mutilation, dismemberment, and abuse of power.

This is a book of REALISM. This book shows the WORST OF HUMAN NATURE and what life is like APART FROM GOD.

Sounds like our society today!

But it is recorded in the Word of God for our learning.

Let me give you a brief introduction to the book and we will dive right into the first chapter.

The “JUDGES” in this book are not clad in black robes, sitting at the courthouse and overseeing a hearing. These men and women were Israelite leaders, and in some ways champions who were used by God to deliver the Israelites time and again during their rebellion.

The book of Judges ends with the statement, “There was no king in Israel, and every man did what was right in his own eyes.” You could say that it begins with the statement, “There was no Joshua in Israel...”

When Joshua passed off the scene, Israel went through a cycle of rebellion, discipline, repentance, and deliverance, only to begin again...

One of the major problems were the people groups that inhabited the Land of Canaan.

The people possessed superior art, literature, architecture than that of the nomadic Israelites. Their religious practices were HIGHLY SEXUALIZED, combining sexual pleasure with the worship of false gods. Some of the Moabite women had seduced the Israelite men as recorded in Numbers 25.

The Canaanites were a CANCER that God had instructed the Children of Israel to COMPLETELY REMOVE from the Promised Land. They were UNREPENTANT, VILELY WICKED and UNGODLY PEOPLE.

Charles Ryrie notes this:

Ryrie’s Concise Guide to the Bible What Were the Canaanites Like?

Archaeological discoveries have revealed a great deal about Canaanite life and religion.

Canaanite worship included sacrifices, a priesthood, sacred trees, groves, carved images, and altars built on high ground. In the name of religion the Canaanites practiced infant sacrifices and prostitution of both sexes. The only cure for this cancerous evil was to destroy it. That is why God commanded the Israelites to destroy the Canaanites, but they did not do it completely and suffered the consequences for many generations.

The Surgery Started Good (Judges 1:1-3)

Judges 1:1–3 NKJV

Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, “Who shall be first to go up for us against the Canaanites to fight against them?” And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up. Indeed I have delivered the land into his hand.” So Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me to my allotted territory, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I will likewise go with you to your allotted territory.” And Simeon went with him.

Joshua had passed off the scene, and a vacuum of leadership remained. Before his death, Joshua had instructed them to occupy their territories of the Promised Land, but the Canaanite people, who had been growing in wickedness for 400 years, stood in their way and were obviously unwilling to leave peacefully.

They do what Moses and Joshua and taught them to do by their decades long example…Go to God and ask Him what they should do and the direction they should take.

There is a BEAUTIFUL SIMPLICITY in this verse...

They “ASKED” the Lord...

Jesus taught us: “Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened.”

James tells us, “If any man lacks wisdom let him “ASK” of God…

God responds by pointing them to Judah to lead the way against Canaan.

At this point in their history they understand the importance of coming to the Lord for wisdom and guidance and direction.

As a result, God gives them the WISDOM, and GUIDANCE, and DIRECTION they need.

Application

There is a very important lesson here for us as well!

It is VITALLY IMPORTANT that we LAY the RIGHT FOUNDATION for our lives. That right foundation is of course JESUS CHRIST. It is being a HEARER of the WORD as well as a DOER of the Word.

While it is of UTMOST importance to lay the RIGHT FOUNDATION, it is also important that the right building materials are laid on this foundation.

That’s where the Children of Israel made a MASSIVE MISTAKE. Instead of continuing to surgically remove this CANCER from the land, notice what happens...

Notice Judges 1:27-36

Judges 1:27–36 (NKJV)

However, Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites under tribute, but did not completely drive them out.

Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; so the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.

Nor did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol; so the Canaanites dwelt among them, and were put under tribute.

Nor did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Acco or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. So the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.

Nor did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh or the inhabitants of Beth Anath; but they dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were put under tribute to them.

And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountains, for they would not allow them to come down to the valley; and the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim; yet when the strength of the house of Joseph became greater, they were put under tribute.

Now the boundary of the Amorites was from the Ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela, and upward.

In REFUSING to obey God and drive out the Canaanites completely...

They Became Comfortable with the Canaanites (Judges 1:27-36)

You see Israel felt like they could obey God PART WAY and be ok. Instead of driving out the Canaanites as God had instructed them, they decided to LET THEM STAY AROUND and put them into FORCED LABOR.

You see they thought they knew MORE than God.

They thought, “God we can keep the Canaanites around, keep them under control, and at the same time BENEFIT FROM THEM...

Lawson Stone said:

Here Israel actually participates in the very social evils from which they themselves were delivered by Yahweh...the Israelites had begun to operate like their former oppressors and their current enemies.

God it will be ok...

But it wasn’t ok. You see...

PARTIAL OBEDIENCE IS COMPLETE DISOBEDIENCE

You see the problem wasn’t that the Canaanites were too strong to defeat. God had promised through Joshua that He would enable them to DRIVE THEM OUT.

They chose NOT TO OBEY.

Victor Hamilton said:

the explanation of failure is not inability, but unwillingness.

Daniel Block goes on to say:

Even so this chapter is pervaded by unfulfilled commitment, incomplete obedience, and compromising tolerance...they refuse to carry out Yahweh’s agenda.

Instead of reshaping the world after the image of Yahweh’s will, they live in and with the world, and before long they have taken on the characteristics of the world. Instead of making this the land of the people of God, they become like the people of the land.

Leaving the pockets of Canaanites (Cancer) would metastasize cause MAJOR PROBLEMS down the road!

If you don’t think compromise and using shoddy materials in construction is a big deal, just think back to the TITANIC.

The historical compromise of the integrity of the Titanic's hull design, due to cost-cutting measures, ultimately resulted in the tragic sinking of the ship.

Did you hear what I said? THE TITANTIC’S HULL WAS COMPROMISED BECAUSE THEY USED SHODDY MATERIALS BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO CUT COSTS. THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD TAKE SHORTCUTS AND IT WOULD BE OK.

BUT, It wasn’t ok...

You may think taking shortcuts in your marriage, in your family, in your involvement in God’s church, in your finances, in your job, in your integrity, in your parenting...

YOU MAKE THINK A LITTLE HERE AND A LITTLE THERE, A LITTLE PORN HERE AND A LITTLE PORN THERE, A LITTLE SIN HERE AND A LITTLE SIN THERE, a LITTLE LIE here and LITTLE LIE there, a ONE NIGHT STAND here and a ONE NIGHT STAND there...

YOU MAY THINK THAT YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF THE LITTLE COMPROMISES, BUT YOU WILL FIND THAT THE COMPROMISES COME BACK TO BITE YOU!

When God says GET RID OF SOMETHING He says it for a REASON!

When God says to get rid of the CANCER, He doesn’t mean 51% or 75% or 99.9% but He means that it is to be OBLITERATED!

Max Anders said:

Short-term solutions that involve spiritual compromise have long-term consequences.

We all know what happens after the surgery. The cancer that is removed is sent off to pathology to assess what kind of cancer it is, how aggressive it is, etc.

When the report came back it was FAR WORSE than they imagined...

A Problematic Pathology Report (Judges 2:1-5)

Notice what God says in Judges 2:1-5

Judges 2:1–5 (ESV)

Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim. And they sacrificed there to the Lord.

God had warned them and instructed them about what to do with the inhabitants of the land. They were to completely rid the land of idolatry and not to make any kind of covenant or agreement with them.

But they didn’t follow through. They let them hang around. Instead of driving them out, they enslaved them, and eventually would be influenced by them and find that they were a THORN IN THEIR SIDE, just like God had said.

THEY REFUSED TO DRIVE THEM OUT AND GOD WAS NOT GOING TO DO IT FOR THEM. God was more than willing and able to help them, but it wasn’t going to do it for them.

Too many Christians, are content to continue to FLIRT with the CANCER of sin, to PLAY with it, to KEEP it handy in times of discouragement or depression.

AREN’T YOU TIRED OF BEING SICK AND TIRED?

WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE THE HARD DECISION OF DRIVING OUT WHATEVER IT IS THAT KEEPS TRIPPING YOU UP YOU WILL FIND GOD READY, WILLING, AND ABLE TO HELP YOU OVERCOME, BUT NOT UNTIL THEN!

By the way, your little pet sins that you think are harmless and no big deal, the ones you think you can control…THEY ARE THE ONES THAT GROW UP AND BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS THEM.

IT METASTASIZES!

When shoddy materials and improper shortcuts take place, EVENTUALLY it will show up and the same was true for the Israelites.

In the early 1900s, the construction of the Quebec Bridge in Canada suffered due to shoddy materials and shortcuts. Tragically, the bridge collapsed twice during construction, resulting in the deaths of 88 workers. This historical example serves as a powerful reminder of the devastating consequences of using substandard building materials and taking shortcuts in construction projects.

As we close today I want you to think of some personal applications for your life and mine:

Don’t Allow Yesterday’s Victories Cause You to be Complacent in Today’s Battles

Israel grew complacent. While they had initial success, their obedience and faithfulness became inconsistent.

Instead of planting the seeds for a victorious harvest in the future, they UNINTENTIONALLY SOWED SEEDS OF FUTURE FAILURE!

Don’t Allow Compromises in Today’s Battles Ruin Tomorrow’s Victory

Compromise with sin ALWAYS leads to spiritual bondage. If you want FREEDOM tomorrow, you must COOPERATE with the Spirit of God to destroy sin TODAY!

Compromises today will lead to THORNS and SNARES tomorrow!

I want to give you a VISUAL illustration of what I’m talking about. Most of you know our story, and know that we lost our daughter to fentanyl poisoning.

No one in this room, besides my wife and I, knew our daughter when she was a little girl.

No one in this room ever heard our daughter pray for lost people as a little girl.

No one in this room ever saw her cry over Mr. Randy as a little girl because Mr. Randy needed to get saved.

No one in this room ever saw her work with children and the elderly when she was a teenager.

Unfortunately most of what you know and heard about our daughter was after she allowed the “CANAANITES” to destroy and decimate her life...

But here is a brief clip to introduce you to her...

I want you to see her face. I want you to know she was a cute little girl, a beautiful young lady, who had a contagious smile.

I want you to hear her voice...

VIDEO

Charity had a severe addiction problem. If you saw her in 2017, you would might have thought, “There’s another meth-head.” But she was our daughter.

You see the CANCER of METH had taken it’s toll on her body, on her mind, on her teeth. At the time this picture was taken she was living with a man who MADE THE GARBAGE and SOLD IT.

He ended up going to jail and Charity came back to live with us. Over the next 10 months she got CLEAN and she was SOBER.

She gained weight, she was healthier than she had been in years, her smile was back, her laughter was back, her irritability from her withdrawals was gone.

This is a picture of her at her brother, Luke’s wedding in June of 2019. She looks much healthier, gained weight, etc.

We really thought she was “CANCER FREE.” What we didn’t know is there was still some cancer left there, and when her ex-boyfriend got out of jail, the cancer that was there began to metastasize and for the next FOUR YEARS it was a DOWNWARD SPIRAL that led to her death on September 30, 2022.

Sadly she didn’t allow God to remove 100% of the Canaanites out of her life and it continued to be a THORN in her side until the day she died...

Some of you are still content with letting the Canaanites hang around...

You’re not using pornography as much as you use to, but every now and then you’re sneaking a look…you’ve got it under control.

You’re not as money hungry as you use to be, but you’re still willing to compromise your family and God’s family if the right deal comes along.

You’re not a habitual liar anymore, but you still let those little white lies live comfortably on the outskirts of town, because you might need one or two to get you out of a jam.

You’ve quit using your good looks and seductiveness to get your way, but the flirt is still there, hanging around just in case.

Oh, you never get drunk anymore, those days are long gone, but you don’t want to get rid of Canaan altogether, after all he’s a good substitute to help you cope...

Someone else has taken your place as the town gossip, you got tired of that reputation, but you’re ok with playing second fiddle and still spread those juicy stories.

Uncontrollable anger and rage doesn’t live next door like he use to, but you’re content with him still being in the neighborhood...

YEP the large majority of the cancer is gone. I’m out of the woods. I’ll control it. I’ll handle it. It won’t happen to me.

THIS TIME WILL BE DIFFERENT.

Those are some of the same words that I heard my daughter say time after time after time.

PICTURE THE DAY BEFORE SHE DIED

She left a few “Canaanites” around that she didn’t run out. Oh, they were living in the border town, she thought she could control them.

But eventually the CANAANITES became a SNARE...

TODAY IS THE DAY TO DRIVE THE CANAANITES OUT ONCE AND FOR ALL! IF YOU DON’T YOU’LL REMEMBER THIS WARNING WHEN YOU WATCH THE CANCER RETURN WITH A VENGEANCE!

Confess and Realize their is only ONE JOSHUA (Jesus) who Can Truly Save & Deliver Us

Throughout Scripture we are reminded that God desires to have a relationship with His people. Sadly, that relationship has been marred by sin. That is why God sent His Son Jesus, to RECONCILE us and RESTORE us and HEAL the broken relationship with the Father. Even though we are unfaithful, He has been and always will be the FAITHFUL ONE!

Christian, what Canaanites are you still letting live in the “border” towns of your life? You think you have them under control, all the while you have no idea that they are metastasizing with a vengeance and when they decide to attack you are going to be in the BATTLE OF YOUR LIFE!

It’s time if you are not a Christian today to turn to the only JOSHUA (Jeshua) that can truly SAVE you and DELIVER you from YOUR SELF AND YOUR SIN!

Come CONFESS to Him YOUR need of His help!

Salvation

Re-dedication (Confession of Compromise and Complacency)

Baptism