Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1680
Delivered on Thursday Evening, August 10, 1882
“And it came to pass, when the Angel of the Lord spoke these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the Lord.” Judges 2:4, 5
LET me give an outline of the chapter, that we may put the text into its proper setting. God had brought His people out of Egypt and divided Jordan that they might march through, dry-shod, into the land which He had promised to their fathers. He charged them to drive out the Canaanites, a race that had become so loathsome in God’s sight that He decreed their destruction and appointed the tribes of Israel to be their executioners. It was for the good of the universal world that this pest-house should be broken up and that the filthy races should be destroyed—and God gave His people that charge to carry out.
Those who quarrel with this arrangement should remember that this is not the only instance of aboriginal tribes being driven out by a superior race. Our Anglo-Saxon nation drove out the original inhabitants of this island, who survived only in the mountains of Wales and Cornwall and in the highlands of Scotland. It certainly will not be wise, on our part, as Anglo-Saxons, to condemn Israel for doing, under Divine command, what our forefathers did for their own aggrandizement. Alas, in more modern times, lands have been seized and nations extirpated by the white man without Divine warrant or reasonable excuse. We do not justify all this, but if any complain of Israel for obeying the sentence of God, let them first raise their voices against the driving out of ancient races by colonists of our own race!
The order to slay the Canaanites had a second objective, namely, that Israel might dwell, alone, in the land and might keep themselves to themselves—the great nonconformists of the universe—separated from all the rest of mankind, both by residence and by manners, not following the customs of the nations round about them, or falling into their sins. That they might be sanctified they were to be separated. “The people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.” Now, mark and note right well that it is an evil thing, under any pretext, whatever, to depart, in any degree, from the Commandment of the Most High God! Whatever may be the Law which God gives, either to the whole race or to His chosen, they will find their safety in keeping close to it.
But Israel forgot this. Soldiering was hard work—storming cities and warring with men who attacked them with chariots of iron was heroic service. All this required strong faith and untiring perseverance and, in these virtues the Israelites were greatly deficient. And so, in certain places, they said to the Canaanites, “Let us be neighbors. Let us dwell together.” They thought, perhaps, that they had abundant reason for this easy mode of ending the dispute, for those who would correct Infallible Wisdom have usually a great deal to say for themselves! Certain persons thought, in those days, that the religious notion of God’s requirements was too severe, that He was, after all, a mass of mercy, and that the best thing that they could do was to be kindly tolerant of these Canaanites and make the best terms they could with them.
They said that perhaps, after all, it was a pity to be so old-fashioned and so rigid in carrying out the Divine order, and it would be better to learn something of the civilization of the Canaanites, something of their arts and sciences, something of their theory of religion—for men ought to have liberal views and believe that there is latent truth in all forms of worship. At any rate, it could do no harm to study their archaeology and go to their temples to see the gods they worshipped and get a general acquaintance with the advanced thought of the period—for the Canaanites were a greatly advanced people—they were the advanced thinkers of the period! They had thought out he-gods and she-gods, Baal and Ashtaroth. And their lesser deities were many. They were, in fact, a highly cultured people, always thinking out something fresh.
So Israel said, “It were a pity to carry out the Divine denunciation quite to the letter. Let us tone it down. There are many things to be learned from these people. No doubt they have their fine points and we must not be too hard upon their imperfections. Therefore let us enter into treaties with them and live with them.” They did live with them and fell into their ways! Tolerance led to imitation and Israel became as vile as the heathen whom the Lord had condemned! And the Israelites became a mixed race in whose veins there flowed a measure of Canaanite blood. Yes, if you depart from God’s Word by a hair’s breadth, you know not where you will end. It needs but a little to degrade the Christian into a Ritualist and still less to turn the Ritualist into a Romanist! We shall go far if we once start on the downhill road.