8 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. 9 “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.” 10 Then the Lord said: “I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you. 11 Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 12 Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. 13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. 14 Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. 15 “Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. 16 And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same. 17 “Do not make any idols.
Exodus 34:8-17 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/exo.34.8-17.NIV.
God was about to lead His people to the promised land. A land that flowed with milk and honey but also a land where idolatrous people dwelt. God reminded the Israelites not to fall prey to the luring from the people there. This urge would be so strong and real because of living among them. But they will not only live among them, they would marry them too…they would make treaties and live with them…what God had warned them against which would lead the whole nation astray. The story of Ahab, the king of Israel illustrates the effect of such associations. His wife Jezebel came from the surrounding Canaanite community which engaged in idolatry and ended up pulling an entire nation away from God. But as historical as it is, we face such challenges today on a daily basis…times when we are tempted to go with the flow and do the things we know are wrong because we don’t want to offend others. The Israelites had a godly heritage. They were to be defined as a godly people who refused to commit sin before God. This call remains true for us even to this day.
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