So picture this, as far back as these particular sons of Israel can remember, they have been wandering in the wilderness, foraging here and there, never really settling down. For the last few years they have fought against the native Canaanites, moving from place to place throughout the land of Canaan. They had not plowed nor planted but they have eaten the grain remaining in the fields and food from the storehouses of their defeated enemies. As Joshua started to allocate land to each tribe it started to dawn on them that life was about to change. They had dreamed of a land of their own, but they may not have thought through the process of settling down to the routine rhythms of domestic life. Yes, there were still enemies that needed to be subdued, but the dream was in the process of becoming reality.
We see that Joshua reports (chapter 17, verse 12-13) the sons of Manasseh, ‘could not take possession of these cities’ because the Canaanites ‘persisted’ in staying in the land. Remember that the initial battles were not against Canaanite peasants but against their armies and against powerful city leaders and kings. Those battles were mostly won and the occupied land was now possessed by the Tribes of Abraham. Those remaining Canaanites were tradesmen, merchants, the poor, and perhaps a few subsistence farmers who were barely making a living on small parcels of land. So, if you were one of these remaining Canaanites, why would you leave unless you were forced to leave? Historically, remaining populations were grafted into conquering nations and simply remained wherever they were before the political climate was altered. It is reasonable to assume that their expectation was that they would now simply change allegiance from their Canaanite masters to their Israelite masters.
Remember that there were two purposes for the occupation of Canaan: first was that the Lord had promised this land to Abraham and his descendants, secondly, this was a judgment upon the wicked people of Canaan. This was not an arbitrary command by Yahweh. Rather this was His specifically defined directive to occupy and purify this promised land. Granted, there was grace to be found for all who would acknowledge Yahweh. We know at least one example of grace, Rahab and her family, who were spared due to their faith in Yahweh. To those who would trust in the Lord there was salvation, but to all who refused there was to be judgment.
So, in verse 13 we read this, “Now when the people of Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out.” Do we see a possible motive for their disobedience? I see a certain laziness involved since they did not obey the Lord’s command to ‘drive them out.’ Joshua then reports that they put them to forced labor (slavery). What a peculiar thing, that the sons of Israel, having been slaves for 400 years, might enslave others when they had the chance!
I think the kinder thing to do would have been to ‘drive them out’ as the Lord had commanded, rather than to enslave them. Is telling them that they do not have a part in Yahweh’s kingdom and that they need to leave the land a better thing than to enslave them? I think so! Driving unbelievers out of the Promised land was saying to them that this land is now Yahweh’s possession intended for God’s people; all who remain here are expected to trust and worship Him alone; all who remain shall worship Him in the manner that He has prescribed; in the Old Testament covenant with Israel all God’s people were to bear the outward mark of the covenant (circumcision). They were proclaiming the gospel to the indigenous peoples.
The church of the New Testament is commanded to do something similar but in a spiritual sense. Believers possess a special place as God’s covenant people today. We are commanded to join together in churches where we worship and fellowship together. As far as possible we restrict church membership to believers only. Keeping unbelievers from church membership is the spiritual equivalent of the nation of Israel ‘driving’ people out of the land. They are not a part of the fellowship of the redeemed. We certainly want unbelievers to attend worship. Obviously, they need to hear the preaching of the Word and the gospel. Unbelievers also need to observe the godly lives of the redeemed. But those who do not trust the Lord Jesus Christ do not enjoy the privileges and promises granted to believers. If we were to allow unbelievers membership in the church body we would be giving them a false feeling of citizenship. Unbelievers are as we once were—alienated from God and subject to His wrath and we should do nothing to obscure that reality.
In similar manner, church discipline is the biblical way that we keep the church pure. What is the outward mark that has replaced the Jewish circumcision? Circumcision of the heart! - the Lord grants us a new heart and a sincere desire to live in obedience to Christ. Yes, we exhort and admonish the unruly member but eventually the church must deal with a member who demonstrates a consistent disregard for obedience to Christ. This is not cruel, but rather another means to hopefully awaken unbelievers to their alienation from the righteous Judge. We can be lazy like the sons of Manasseh, and oppress the unruly brother by pushing them to bondage under the Law even though they may be unconverted and therefore have no interest in righteousness. But that is cruelty. We are not called to berate the drunkard, the thief, or the sexually immoral person into moral slavery. The Law of freedom accompanied by the gospel of freedom is what is required.
But that is the sad truth of our fallen human nature, that often those who were oppressed, when they gain power, become the oppressors. That is another reason believers need the gospel - as a balance to a self-righteous attitude that puts us before others. We have been given much, and what we have received we obtained by grace, yet we tend to look down on others who may live in a world with less light.
What I am saying it that we live in a world of unbelievers and we have been commanded to spread the gospel to all nations, including our neighbors. Should we obey the directives of our Lord or shall we enslave them to rules and expectations of righteous living?
