Little By Little

"Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land." Exodus 23:30

I've been reading through Exodus lately, spending time each morning reading two or three chapters.  Usually, nothing "new" pops up; a burning bush here, a parting Red Sea there.  Been there, done that, right?

But this morning the little nugget above really stood out to me.

"Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land."

Little by little.

Was God unable to give them the whole land, all at once?  As the Israelites left Egypt in one mass exodus (hence the name of the book), couldn't the Hittites, Canaanites, and all the other "ites" be tossed out all at once??

No.  God says He will drive them out "little by little."

Then it dawns on me that this is how He sanctifies us.  Little by little.

I'm not sure how to directly connect the analogy, but God explains His "little by little" plan in verse 29.  If He were to drive out the inhabitants quickly the land would be desolate and filled with wild animals.

Uh oh.  If God were to act quickly, things would be even worse.  Therefore perhaps we can assume that if God were to change us quickly, our circumstances might be worse than if we learned to wait.

If I were instantly pure, I wouldn't want to be around some of my friends and family.

If I were instantly pure, I might miss tomorrow's sunrise or sunset because my eyes would be closed in prayer.

If I were instantly pure, I might lose any grace that might grow in me as I related to other "sinners."

If I were instantly pure, I might forget about my need for Jesus.

And suddenly "little by little" seems like a pretty good deal.