Following through

Reading in Joshua 11 this a.m. - thought this was interesting...

vv.21,22 At that time, Joshua came & wiped out the Anakim from the hill country: from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, & from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel; Joshua utterly destroyed them with their towns. None of the Anakim was left in the land of the Israelites; some remained only in Gaza, in Gath, & in Ashdod.

Going on from there, into Chapter 13, specific, God directed instructions are given: the Israelites need to take possession of the Promised Land &, by war, remove the inhabitants of the land, esp. from those cities listed above.

What gets me is that they never do - we know that because in 1Samuel we encounter Goliath. A famous giant. From Gath. One of the towns that the Israelites were supposed to decimate, but never did.

Leaving Gath (& Goliath's ancestors) untouched, & not following through in this area cost the Israelites greatly later on - persecution, oppression, bondage, slavery, & death. The very thing that they didn't follow through on ended up costing them later on.