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750 WORD RESPONSE I have recently completed the lectures and readings for this course and am required to submit my response to one of the topics studied. I assume there is the spot where I post it. Here it is. The book of Judges tells of Israel’s downward spiral into apostasy after a period of faithfulness to God under the leadership of Joshua.  My response provides a brief outline of how the Israelites disobeyed God in this period of time, why they chose to coexist with the Canaanites and the outcome of these actions.   In Deuteronomy 7, God provides clear instructions to Israel regarding their relationship with other nations upon entering the land of Canaan.  'You must destroy them totally…Make no treaty with them,…  Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, …Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire.'   Israel conquered these nations but were unable to drive them out completely.  Two of the reasons given in chapter one of Judges were that the Canaanites had chariots fitted with iron and were determined to remain in their land.  So Israel decided, as it is too difficult to remove them, we shall use them as forced labour.  However, if God had given the command, then surely, with His help, it would have been possible.  Perhaps, as one commentator in the readings put it, the Canaanites' determination to stay in the land was greater than the Israelites' trust in God to complete the task. God’s instruction was clear.  ‘You must destroy them utterly.’  This single act of disobedience marked a significant turning point that led Israel into apostasy.  But first, consider what brought about this act of disobedience.   The Bible tells us that Israel served the Lord faithfully under Joshua’s leadership and under the elders after Joshua died.   “After that … another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:10).  The Godly leadership that had kept Israel in covenant with Yahweh was passing.  The new leaders may have looked more to their own initiatives and efforts and less to God’s power and provision.  Just as Eve pondered the question, ‘Did God really say that’ in the garden, the devil may have whispered to the new Israelite leaders, did God specifically say not to use the Canaanites as forced labour?  Forced labour could dramatically improve your productivity.  What about the ungodly cultural and religious practises of the Canaanites?  You could force them to renounce their beliefs and adopt yours.   Even though it may have seemed a reasonable plan, God strictly forbid coexistence.  It was not necessarily a matter of racial or cultural superiority, but rather the impact it would have on Israel’s cultural and religious identity which was intricately tied to their devotion to God.  God wanted Israel to be separated as a holy nation for Himself.  Separation is a strong theme throughout the Bible because of the results of being unequally yoked or partnering with someone who does not share the same core identity and purpose.  In this case, the Canaanites were a people group descended from Cain known for their idol worship, temple prostitution and human and animal sacrifices.  The outcome was just as God predicted in Deuteronomy chapter 2 - ‘for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods.’  Forced labour transitioned to coexistence, then intermarriage and eventually idol worship.     The results were twofold.  Firstly, there was the natural consequences of the Canaanites cultural and religious influence on Israel.  And secondly, there was God removing His favour as outlined in chapter two:  ‘the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them.  He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, …  Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.”  The Bible warns against partnering with a person or people of different core beliefs, even when there appears to be short term benefits.  We rationalise our actions and motives and question whether God really did give a particular instruction or command.  Proverbs 4:12 warns us that, ‘There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, But it’s end is the way of death.’  God sees far beyond the horizon.  He knows how things progress and the eventual outcomes.  He also makes clear the need to place ourselves under strong spiritual leadership.  This is to preserve our hearts and minds to ensure they remain aligned to God’s word and His will for our lives.