Day 107

Judges 1–2 | Acts 7:33–60 | Proverbs 9

They didn’t finish the job.

The tribes of Israel started out strong—driving out enemies, clearing the land, trusting the Lord. But then came the compromise. The shortcuts. The almost obedience.

“Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants…”

“Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites…”

“Naphtali did not drive out…”

One by one, they let what should’ve been removed remain.

And at first? It probably didn’t seem like a big deal.

What’s the harm in a little coexistence?

But the consequences came—slowly, subtly, tragically.

“They abandoned the Lord… and served the Baals.” (Judges 2:13)

What they left undealt with eventually ruled them.

When You Let It Linger

I don’t like musicals on TV.

I don’t mean I just dislike them—they stir something dark and irrational in me.

I despise them.

It’s weird, because I love musicals in person.

I’ve sat through shows like Phantom, Les Mis, Wicked, Chicago, The Lion King, Cabaret, Crazy for You, Big Fish—even Cats—on Broadway in New York City and in theaters across the country. I’ve wept through opening numbers.

But put one on a screen? I want to claw my eyes out.

Tonight, Sophia and Talacey started watching Wicked in the living room.

After an hour of trying to hang in there, I snapped.

Threw a miniature tantrum.

Stormed out to the backyard fire pit like a dramatic teenager and sulked. Alone.

And I was wrong.

Not for needing space.

Not even for disliking musicals on a screen.

But because I let frustration linger—and it turned into something uglier than it needed to be.

The Subtle Slip

Judges 2 doesn’t open with idol worship.

It opens with the people of God letting things slide.

A tribe tolerates an idol here.

Another marries into a culture there.

No big rebellion. Just small compromises.

But what you tolerate will eventually dominate.

And what you don’t surrender will eventually shape you.

Sometimes the most dangerous things aren’t the ones we face in battle.

They’re the ones we allow to stay.

What I Left Undealt With

It wasn’t about a musical.

It was about my pride.

My need to control the atmosphere.

My unwillingness to say, “Hey, this is hard for me—can we take a break?”

Instead, I let it linger. I let it fester. And I hurt the people I love.

That’s the warning tucked into Judges 2.

Not just about nations or altars. But about hearts.

The places we almost obey.

The moments we nearly humble ourselves.

The frustrations we sort of confess.

God’s not asking for halfway.

He’s not interested in mutual agreements with our sin.

He wants surrender. He wants obedience. He wants healing in the places we pretend are “not that big a deal.”

Stephen’s Words Still Sting

In Acts 7, Stephen stands before a crowd of people who know all the stories.

But they’ve grown hard.

Religious. Defensive.

Unwilling to see themselves in the sins of their ancestors.

“You stiff-necked people… you always resist the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 7:51)

They didn’t think they were resisting.

They thought they were righteous.

And I get that.

Because it’s easy to resist the Spirit with just enough religion to feel like I’m being faithful.

But what if faithfulness looks like letting the Spirit do a deeper work?

Like walking back inside from the fire pit in the back yard and saying: I’m sorry I handled that poorly. I was wrong. Will you forgive me?

⸻

Lord, forgive me for the things I let linger. The pride I don’t confess. The compromise I call “not a big deal.” I don’t want to be almost obedient. I don’t want to be hardened to Your voice. Soften me again. Convict me gently. And give me the courage to finish what You started in me—even when it’s hard, humbling, or uncomfortable.

Amen.