“Now as for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the sons of Judah could not drive them out..” (v.63a)
Here we see that the tribe of Judah was not able to drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem. We can understand why Jerusalem was a city hard to conquer. The fact that it was set on a hill made it easy to defend. But this was to be the permanent home of the line of kings and the temple. Therefore, occupation by worshipers of other gods was unacceptable. Yet they did not complete the task and fully claim the land.
This task then was left to another generation to fulfill. King David would finally finish the job of claiming the land exclusively for Israel. After David was anointed king in Hebron, his next action was to attack the Jebusites in Jerusalem.
For Israel, the courage to fully claim the land that God promised came a few generations later, but God didn't waver in His faithfulness. Even though Israel failed in completing some of the tasks God had commanded them, He remained true to His covenant with them.
As David showed us, strength and courage are indispensable in battle—but they're also a necessity in the fight against sin. Don't believe the lie that you simply can't overcome sin in your life. The Lord is with us! Ask the Holy Spirit to help you drive out sinful attitudes and protect you from unrighteous behavior and reactions. Don't be discouraged and don't wait for the next generation to fight the battle for you. Do it now! For no matter how hard the struggle, with God’s promise, and God’s help, you can triumph.
Just as there is really no good excuse as to why this city stayed in Canaanite hands until the time of David (2 Samuel 5:6-10), so there is no good excuse why you can't overcome the sin in your life today.
The Truth: And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.” (1 Chronicles 28:20)
