Psalms 106:34-35
They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them, but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The sin wasn't just failing to destroy the nations as commanded, but that this omission became a gateway to a deeper, more insidious compromise – they "mingled among the heathen, and learned their works." This reveals how a single act of disobedience can open the door to adopting the very practices God sought to protect them from.
The psalmist recounts Israel's history after entering the Promised Land, highlighting their failure to obey God's command to completely drive out the Canaanite nations. Instead of total destruction, they mingled with these peoples, which led them to adopt their idolatrous practices and even participate in horrific rituals like child sacrifice. This disobedience and subsequent corruption marked a turning point, leading to cycles of God's judgment and eventual mercy.
God gave a clear command: eradicate the Canaanites. But Israel didn't finish the job. What happens when we leave God's instructions incomplete?
A Command Left Unfulfilled
The Israelites were told to completely drive out the nations inhabiting Canaan. This wasn't a suggestion; it was a direct command from the Lord (Deuteronomy 7:1-2).
However, Psalm 106:34 reveals a critical failure: "They did not destroy the nations, as the LORD commanded them." This omission wasn't a minor oversight. It was a fundamental disobedience that had devastating consequences.
The Slippery Slope of Compromise
When Israel failed to obey fully, they allowed these nations to remain. This opened the door to mingling, learning their ways, and eventually serving their idols (Psalm 106:35-36). What started as a failure to act quickly became a descent into deeper sin, including horrific practices like child sacrifice.
This shows us that incomplete obedience isn't neutral. It creates space for sin to take root and flourish. God's commands are given for our protection and well-being, and leaving them partially fulfilled is a dangerous gamble.
Israel's failure to expel the Canaanites didn't just leave people in the land; it corrupted Israel itself. How does leaving 'bad' influences unchecked lead to spiritual decay?
The 'Snare' of Coexistence
The text makes it clear: the nations Israel failed to destroy became a "snare" (Judges 2:3). This wasn't just about military threats; it was about spiritual contamination.
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The covenant name of the God of Israel, YHWH, the self-existent and eternal One who enters into a personal, binding relationship with His people.
arab · Hebrew Verb
To mingle, join with, or associate closely; in a covenantal context, it often refers to the illicit integration of Israel with pagan nations, leading to spiritual defilement.
goyim · Hebrew Noun
Used for foreign or heathen nations outside the covenant of Israel; often associated with idolatry, pagan practices, and moral corruption.
This verse reflects a critical turning point where Israel's failure to fully obey God's command to eliminate the Canaanite nations set in motion a long cycle of compromise, spiritual decline, and divine judgment that ultimately led to exile.
c. 1400 BC
Conquest of Canaan begins
Following God's command, the Israelites began their conquest of the Canaanite nations to take possession of the Promised Land.
c. 1400-1050 BC— this verse
Incomplete Expulsion of Nations
Despite repeated commands, Israel failed to drive out all the inhabitants of Canaan, often sparing them or making alliances.
c. 1050 BC
Rise of Philistine Power
The continued presence of Canaanite nations, and Israel's intermingling with them, weakened the nation and allowed other groups like the Philistines to gain dominance.
c. 1050-930 BC
Period of Judges and Early Monarchy
This era saw recurring cycles of Israelite sin, followed by oppression and deliverance, often exacerbated by their unfaithfulness to God's commands regarding the Canaanites.
This passage shows a direct parallel to Psalm 106:34, detailing how the tribe of Manasseh failed to drive out the inhabitants of certain cities, just as the Lord had commanded them to destroy the nations.
Deuteronomy 7:1-2This passage records God's explicit command to Israel to destroy the nations in the land of Canaan, providing the divine directive that the psalmist laments Israel failed to follow in Psalm 106:34.
Numbers 33:52This verse reiterates God's command to utterly destroy the inhabitants of Canaan, highlighting the gravity of Israel's disobedience recorded in Psalm 106:34.
Psalm 106:36This verse immediately follows Psalm 106:34 and explains the negative consequence of their disobedience: Israel began to serve the idols of these nations they failed to destroy, leading to further sin.
Judges 2:2This passage directly addresses the failure of Israel to follow God's command concerning the inhabitants of Canaan, confirming the historical reality behind the lament in Psalm 106:34 and the consequences that followed.
bensonPsalms 106:34: "They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:"
Psalm 106:34-39 . They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom — Concerning whose destruction, the Lord commanded them — For when the iniquity of the Canaanites was full, it was God’s will to extirpate their race, and Israel was commissioned to execute upon them the vengeance determined. But were mingled among the heathen — In their habitations and negotiations, as also in marriages. And they served…
pulpitPsalms 106:34: "They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:"
Verse 34. - They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the Lord commanded them. This is reckoned as another sin. Israel, once comfortably settled in Palestine, with sufficient room for its numbers, did not carry out the Divine command to "destroy," or "cast out," the Canaanitish nations, but was content to share the land with them. "The children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inha…
The sin wasn't just failing to destroy the nations as commanded, but that this omission became a gateway to a deeper, more insidious compromise – they "mingled among the heathen, and learned their works." This reveals how a single act of disobedience can open the door to adopting the very practices God sought to protect them from.
The psalmist recounts Israel's history after entering the Promised Land, highlighting their failure to obey God's command to completely drive out the Canaanite nations. Instead of total destruction, they mingled with these peoples, which led them to adopt their idolatrous practices and even participate in horrific rituals like child sacrifice. This disobedience and subsequent corruption marked a turning point, leading to cycles of God's judgment and eventual mercy.
The psalmist recounts Israel's history after entering the Promised Land, highlighting their failure to obey God's command to completely drive out the Canaanite nations. Instead of total destruction, they mingled with these peoples, which led them to adopt their idolatrous practices and even participate in horrific rituals like child sacrifice. This disobedience and subsequent corruption marked a turning point, leading to cycles of God's judgment and eventual mercy.
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The Principle of Assimilation
This pattern isn't limited to ancient Israel. When we fail to actively resist or remove negative influences from our lives – whether it's harmful media, toxic relationships, or ungodly ideologies – we risk being assimilated by them. The Bible warns us repeatedly about the danger of associating with those who do not fear God.
Our faith is meant to be distinct. Allowing ungodly influences to remain unchallenged within our 'camp' can lead to a gradual erosion of our values and a compromise of our devotion to the Lord.
c. 930 BC
Divided Kingdom
The nation split into Israel (North) and Judah (South), with both kingdoms continuing patterns of syncretism and idolatry influenced by lingering foreign practices.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria to Assyria
The Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered and its people exiled by the Assyrians, partly as a consequence of their repeated disobedience and assimilation with foreign peoples.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem to Babylon
The Southern Kingdom of Judah was conquered and its people exiled by the Babylonians, a judgment for generations of sin, including the failure to fully obey God's commands.
"They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them, but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did." — The sin wasn't just failing to destroy the nations as commanded, but that this omission became a gateway to a deeper, more insidious compromise – they "mingled among the heathen, and learned their…
