Israel Inspired

Slippage

“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did

what was right in his own eyes.”

—Judges 21:25 (NASB).

The Shephelah is where world views collide. Recognized as the most fertile region in Israel, the Shephelah is located east of the Mediterranean Sea and west of the Judean Mountains and Jerusalem. Philistines and other foreign nations populated the Mediterranean coast line while Israelites resided in the mountains just inland to the east. When there was conflict between Israel and its coastal neighbors, it would occur in the rolling foothills of the Shephelah which separated them.

The cities in the Shephelah were places of influence due to their location along the Via Maris, the primary north-south trade route through Israel. Travelers from many cultures met, traded and exchanged ideas in the Shephelah. It was here that Israel would either impact the world for God or would be influenced by the rest of the world.

Unfortunately, Israel allowed the pagan gods of other nations to slip into their culture in the Shephelah. They abandoned their monotheistic devotion to the living God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and began to worship false idols made from wood and stone. Soon these foreign gods shared that exclusive place in the hearts of the Israelite people which had been reserved for the one true God alone.

We spent our first day in Israel hiking the Shephelah, studying the lives of leaders like Solomon, Samson and David, who each experienced slippage—allowing sin to creep into his life and causing him to turn away from God. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, had a weakness for women. He married hundreds of women from other cultures despite the fact that God had told him not to do it. God knew these women would introduce their false gods to the nation of Israel, beginning with Solomon, and cause his chosen people to turn their hearts away from him.

Samson also lusted after foreign women and in addition, struggled with pride due to his great physical strength. He disregarded his Nazarite vow to God and brazenly did what was right in his own eyes before his sin cost him his sight. Likewise, a woman was David’s downfall. His desire for another man’s wife caused him to disregard God and to do things his way.

We are in danger of slippage when the values and beliefs of our culture collide with what the Word of God proclaims to be true. Slippage occurs whenever we do what we want that is contrary to what God has told us is right. We slip into sin when we sacrifice truth for the sake of acceptance. With slippage comes compromise, and compromise jeopardizes our influence.

When we deliberately sin we lose credibility and diminish our effectiveness for God’s kingdom. History has repeatedly demonstrated that whenever God’s people choose the ways of the popular culture over the ways of God, judgment is imminent. Because God loves us and his mission is our redemption, he will do whatever it takes to turn our hearts back to him. He knows that when we turn away from him, it is only through judgment that he gets our attention. When we are broken and alone, then we finally see and acknowledge our neediness, repent and cry out to God.

How is your Shephelah? In your places of influence—work, school, family, and friends—are you being influenced by society, or are you influencing your world for the kingdom of God? Are you courageous in speaking up for truth when others are acting contrary to God’s Word and his ways? Will you stand in the face of evil and say, “Not on my watch; this is not right and I will not support it or stand idly by and allow it to happen”?

Is there an area of your life where you are in danger of slippage? Where in your heart does just a little bit of sin reside? Have you been deceived into thinking that your sin will remain hidden, that the status quo will continue and that you and those you care about will not have to face the painful consequences of your choices?

Even Solomon, Samson and David—the wisest, strongest, and greatest men—slipped. But when they repented and turned back to God, he heard their cries for help, forgave their sin, and used them to influence their world for him. If God could use these imperfect men, he can use us too.

The issue is not if we will slip, but when we do whether we will repent and turn our hearts back to Him. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.

When you find yourself on sin’s slippery slope, get off. It is not too late to turn around and do the next right thing.

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Slipping down Mt. Carmel in the Shephelah.