But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites live in the midst of Ephraim to this day, and they became forced laborers.Again, the people failed to do as God commanded, and left some of the inhabitants alive. However, this time it wasn't a failure to conquer them, as it has been with Jerusalem. Here it appears that the Canaanites were defeated, just not destroyed or forced out. Instead, some kind of treaty was made, and they became workers for the new inhabitants.
This brings back some earlier issues that I've discussed before. Leaving the inhabitants alive was not allowed by God, presumably for two reasons. First, God brought back the Israelites to punish the inhabitants for their evil, and the punishment was not carried out if they still lived. Second, their remaining exposes the Israelites to their false religions, allowing for contamination of the truth that God had given them. The Israelites are setting themselves up for what will later befall them.
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