“Then the angel of Yahweh came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, and as for you, you shall cut no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not listened to My voice; what is this you have done? “Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides, and their gods will become a snare to you.’ Judges 2:1-3 LSB https://bible.com/bible/3345/jdg.2.1-3.LSB

Why wont we just do the will of the Lord? The consequence of our disobedience is God’s disapproval and all kinds of troubles from our own poor choices and the poor choices of others. The Promised Land was beautiful and Israel was having success taking it but they only took a little, enough to get by. They did not dispossess the land of the former inhabitants so that it was cleansed from those who disobeyed the One True God as He had commanded. Instead Israel compromised God’s command and compromised with the sinful nations that lived in the land and thus became a disobedient, troubled people there entire existence. We too fail to exercise faith in the work of God, the discipling of the nations, causing us to compromise with the world and disobedient to Him Who has commanded us not to love the world or the things of the world. Compromise with the world has resulted in compromise with the Word of God making us a rebellious people, stubborn, obstinate, disobedient to the will of God and thus complacent toward the work of God. While some prosper materially, as a nation, a church, families, we suffer from brokenness of relationships, brokenness of morality, and eventually brokenness with eternity for only few will enter the kingdom that leads to life. The solution? Repent, love God and love others by leading others into obedience to everything Jesus has commanded us. His ways are life, His ways are good, His ways are joy, His ways are peace, His ways are eternal.