Sadly Israel did not live in the light of their inheritance. Joshua 13:13 confirms that the Geshurites and the Maacathites remained in the land. Life in Heshbon, Gilead, and Bashan was comfortable and pleasant with the result that instead of taking up the sword, the next generation made peace. They were half-hearted in their efforts. They did not want to know war and so they ignored God’s command.
We often trust God in times of crises, only to forget him in comfort. Perhaps you have found that to be true in your life, particularly in times of fear. When we are scared and unsure about what the future holds—perhaps frightened of death, worried about having to write a big test that you really need to pass, nervous about coming clean and confessing a sin to someone—when obedience requires sacrifice and risk, those are the times when you find it easier to pray and ask for God’s help. But when dangers pass and life becomes easier, then we find excuses for our sin. Faithfulness in small day to day tasks, like family devotions and Lord’s Day worship, is proving to be harder than faithfulness in big decisions.
13 Yet the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites, but Geshur and Maacath dwell in the midst of Israel to this day.