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"let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles." (Hebrews 12:1 NIV)
At a summer camp where my husband and I were volunteering, I was given the job of weeding the perennial beds by the front gate. I happen to like weeding. It appeals to my sense of order, and I can reflect on things, and even have God speak to me in the quiet. It's easy to pluck up the small random weeds like a stray maple wing that has blown into the garden from a nearby tree, and sprouted up. It's also easy to uproot small clumps of fine grass, the same kind as grew on the lawn. Even the larger clumps are not that hard to dig up with the help of a small hand tool.
But the very worst weed of all is couch grass, or quackgrass. This invasive weed propagates by sending out long underground runners, shoots popping up every so often to emerge as tall blades of coarse grass. Where it has really taken over, runners become entangled in perennial beds and around shrubs. A person has to carefully follow the length of runner underground to make sure it's all accounted for. If it gets chopped up, each piece can still send up blades of pesky grass. It doesn't take long for a garden bed to be overrun by quackgrass.
When the Israelites were to conquer the land of Canaan, the Lord instructed them to destroy all the people living there. This included women and children. Why would innocent women and children be sentenced to death? The Lord knew that if allowed to live and intermarry with Israelite men, these women would be a snare to them, catching them unawares to be absorbed into their sinful, idol-worshipping lifestyle. Like the underground roots of quackgrass, idol worship would creep up on the Israelites gradually, as they first observed the revelry that took place in the unconquered parts of the land, then took part, and then intermarried with the women there.
In Numbers 31, Moses was instructed by the Lord to take revenge on the Midianites, their neighbours to the south-east, for leading them into idolatry. The fighting Israelites killed all the men of Midian, but captured the women and children, as well as seizing their livestock. When they returned from battle, Moses“was furious with all the generals and captains. “Why have you let all the women live?” he demanded. “These are the very ones who followed Balaam’s advice and caused the people of Israel to rebel against the Lord at Mount Peor. They are the ones who caused the plague to strike the Lord’s people.” (Numbers 31: 14-16 NLT) That simple act of disobedience, of not following God's instructions, eventually led to even more sin.
Just as no piece of quackgrass root can be left in the garden bed, “bits of sin” can not be left in our lives, lest they spring up again into full-blown sins. James 1:15 says, “when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.” (NLT)
The solution? “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.” (Acts 3:19 NLT)
Colossians 3:5,7: “So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy...now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behaviour, slander, and dirty language. Don't lie to each other” (NLT). These, and other invasive sins need to be dealt with swiftly, so as to not overtake our lives, like weeds in the flower bed.
Lord, help us deal quickly with the sin that so easily entangles our lives. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Alice Burnett
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
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