(Judges 1:1) 1 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, "Who shall be first to go up for us against the Canaanites to fight against them?"
After Joshua’s death, Israel people still ask
for God and God replied to those people’s question. In the end of Joshua, it
talked about that the Israel people made an agreement to serve God only. When
Joshua and elders who know God were still alive, the Israel serve God (Joshua
24:31). Israel people are ready to receive the promise of land’s grace.
However, after they live in the Cannan. Their sprit life disappears and were no
longer devoted to faith. After Joshua and elders died, the Israel leadership
was in a vacuum and plunged into anarchy. Israel people cannot enjoy a free and
prosperous life, but enter the dark age of national history.
(Judges 1:21) But the children of Benjamin
did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; so the Jebusites dwell
with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
(Judges 1:27) However, Manasseh did not
drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its villages, or Taanach and its
villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam
and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; for the
Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land.
(Judges 1:29) Nor did Ephraim drive out the
Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; so the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.
(Judges 1:30) Nor did Zebulun drive out the
inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol; so the Canaanites dwelt
among them, and were put under tribute.
(Judges 1:31) Nor did Asher drive out the
inhabitants of Acco or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah,
Aphik, or Rehob.
(Judges 1:33) Nor did Naphtali drive out
the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh or the inhabitants of Beth Anath; but they
dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless the
inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were put under tribute to them.
In the next few short verses, the
conversation began to change, describing that most of the tribes did not
implement Joshua’s will which is to drive out the residents of that place
(Joshua 23:5). Incomplete removal of evil often leads to tragic endings. We
must be careful not to compromise with evil.
Judges talked about the crimes committed by the people of Israel, and
the consequences of their crimes. No matter how light the crime is, it will
affect everyone. Starting from Achan’s love for fine clothes and gold and
silver and now they have not driven out the local residents. All fell into sin;
simply put, the reason for the rapid decline in the spirituality of the
Israelites was sin---the sin of the individual, the sin of the nation.
Unwilling to completely obey God, unwilling to annihilate the local enemies,
and later even intermarried with the locals and worshipped idols, each did
whatever they wanted.
Soon after, the people of Israel oppressed
by enemy. They seek God in pain. Because of compassion and love for the people,
judges were raised to save them, and the Israelites enjoyed peace. But they
healed their scars and forgot to hurt them, disobeyed God, and started another
cycle. Reading the Judges, in addition to understanding the heroic deeds of the
judges, we should also pay attention to their process of relying on God and
their obedience to God's commands.
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