Giants In the Land: What they Represent In the Bible

“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.  And I will do to you as I thought to do to them”Numbers 33: 55, 56.

I believe the “inhabitants (or giants) in the land” in verse 55 and in the bible as a whole, can figuratively represent sin. That is what prevents us from entering the promise land- the fullness of the Spirit- fruitfulness- abundance- rest.

To read the whole passage for context, click here.

The Giants in the Land Will Cause Us Pain

This passage is saying in effect if we grow weary of waging war against sin, and allow some of it to remain, it will cause pain and trouble in our life.

We sometimes justify and excuse and rationalize our sin patterns rather than dealing a death blow to them because it just seems to too daunting, too hard, too overwhelming.

But the pain and effort and exertion involved in in ridding ourselves of all sin patterns is much less unpleasant and uncomfortable than the pain and trouble sin will cause if we allow it to remain.

Ironically, we allow some sin patterns to persist undealt with in our lives because it just seems too hard to overcome them. This is exactly what prevented the Israelites from entering the promise land the first time around.

Our Giants Will Always Be Too Much for Us

They said “these giants are too much for us. We can’t defeat them”(Numbers 13: 25-33). And they were right in one sense. Without God’s help and provision, that was true.

But God had promised them He would enable them to defeat their enemies. The problem was they refused to take God at His word. So, when we decide to make a pact or treaty with our sin rather than deal with it, it will bring much more pain and trouble than dealing with it ever would.

And therein lies the deception.

If we really realized and believed that not dealing with our sin will eventually bring more trouble than dealing with it, we’d do whatever is necessary to take care of it. But we become deceived. And we begin to rationalize and justify and excuse our sin instead of hating it.

And we start to believe such lies such as God understands, or no one could do any better in the same situation or these people deserve it.

I’ve experienced the truth of this in my own life. I had made a lot of progress in my faith over the years. I was changing from glory to glory. And being transformed into His image.

But even though I had driven out most of the “inhabitants of the land”, I had allowed some to remain.

I still had an out-of-control temper that I continually justified and excused away. I had actually gotten to the point where I believed my kids deserved my anger and no one else could deal with them any differently or better.

What the Bible Says Happens When We Give in to the Giants in the Land

I was out of control and not even trying to change anymore. My justification and excuses prevented this. This sin brought constant turmoil and misery. Because after an episode of rage I would invariably get depressed.

But my sowing to the flesh eventually produced physical destruction as well. My young son got cancer. And then he got it again. So, I know from firsthand experience that if we don’t drive out all inhabitants of the land, it will lead to pain and trouble.

I don’t believe God caused this. And it wasn’t His perfect will for us. But we opened a door with our sin. And the devil will take advantage of whatever opening we give him.

I am convinced that my rage is what opened the door to this destruction of Sam’s body. “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” Galatians 6: 8. 

The Price of Pacifism

There was continual fighting between family members because of my rage. Sam was also relentlessly bullied by his older brother. The constant stress and strife in our home weakened Sam’s immune system.

The connection between stress and the immune system isn’t my idea. This is a well-known medical phenomenon. And I think the reason it struck him and not one of the other kids or Dave or me is because he was predisposed.

I was inadvertently exposed to radiation when I was pregnant with him. And he was born with a genetic defect. These predisposing factors in addition to the constant stress set him up for childhood cancer.

To allow some of the “inhabitants of the land” to remain is to peacefully coexist with our sin. This is what it means to sow to the flesh. The pain represented by “barbs in your eyes” and “thorns in your side” represents the destruction that results when we sow to the flesh.

To read another post related to Giants in the Land: What they Represent in the Bible, see The Fruit of the Holy Spirit and Childbirth: The Link.