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Exodus 23:32-33
Do not make a covenant with
them or with their gods. Do not let them live in
your land, or they will cause you to sin against
me, because the worship of their gods will
certainly be a snare to you."
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March 5
A Snare
The Israelites were warned
what would happen if they left corrupting
influences in their land. The people would
be led astray by marrying foreigners and enticed
to worship false gods. This was not just a
problem for the weak minded. Solomon
himself became caught up in trying to please his
foreign wives. Even though he built the
magnificent temple to God, he built other
temples to the gods of his wives.
We allow sin in our lives
with the argument that a little bit can't hurt.
A beer now and then won't make me an alcoholic.
A movie with scenes that cause lustful thoughts
won't cause an affair. Playing the lottery
every once in a while won't hurt anything.
Maybe these things won't
hurt. We may have enough self control to
not fall into a snare that these things lay.
But are you willing to bet your health, your
marriage, or your finances on these things?
When we fall for a snare, these are what we
stand to lose.
The Israelites bet that it
wouldn't happen to them and they lost big time.
The consequences of the Israelites actions are
evident in the next devotion. When we don't remove snares from our life, we're
making the same bet.
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