Growing up on a small farm in Connecticut I knew what thorns were from personal encounters with them. There was a thorn bush that grew near the brook in the pasture lot. Its thorns were nearly two inches long. One winter there was a hard crust of ice on top of the snow that made it difficult to steer our sleds and I crashed into it and received several painful puncture wounds from its thorns. There were also many very invasive Barberry bushes with lots of smaller thorns. The red berries and leaves made them desirable for landscaping purposes and the birds loved the ripe berries as a food source. Unfortunately, the birds that ate them spread the seed in their droppings, so unless we were ruthless in pulling out the bushes that sprouted up whole fields could be taken over with them. 

When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt and into the land of Canaan, he commanded that they should utterly destroy the former inhabitants of the land, tear down their altars for the worship of Baal and worship and serve only him — the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But they did not obey the voice of the Lord so he sent an angel to call them to account and tell them that because of their disobedience, the former inhabitants of the land would become thorns and snares to them.

So, it is with us when we come to faith in Christ. We must diligently and ruthlessly leave all our sinful habits at the foot of the cross for unless we do, they will be thorns and snares that will painfully impede our walk with Christ.

That is why Paul admonishes the Corinthians to “come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

Let us be ruthless in ridding our lives of the “thorns and snares” that painfully hinder our walk with Christ.

Rev. Bill Monroe, Vernon, Vt.

Extended Scripture: Judges 1–3 (ESV)