JUDGES

AgilEmpath

Judges 1-21

Judges 2:20-23 (NLT):

So the Lord burned with anger against Israel. He said, “Because these people have violated my covenant, which I made with their ancestors, and have ignored my commands, I will no longer drive out the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died. I did this to test Israel—to see whether or not they would follow the ways of the Lord as their ancestors did.” That is why the Lord left those nations in place. He did not quickly drive them out or allow Joshua to conquer them all.

Judges 3:1-4 (NLT):

These are the nations that the Lord left in the land to test those Israelites who had not experienced the wars of Canaan. He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle. These are the nations: the Philistines (those living under the five Philistine rulers), all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. These people were left to test the Israelites—to see whether they would obey the commands the Lord had given to their ancestors through Moses.

The consequences for Israel not driving out the people of Canaan as God commanded are detailed in several parts of the Book of Judges. The Israelites' failure to fully obey God's command resulted in severe spiritual and social consequences. These include their entanglement with the pagan nations and their practices, which led to idolatry and divine punishment. Here are key passages that describe these consequences:

Judges 2:1-3 (NLT):

The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, "I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break my covenant with you. For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their altars. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this? So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you."

Consequence: The Canaanite nations became a source of constant trouble for Israel, and the foreign gods would continually lead them into temptation and idolatry.

Judges 2:11-15 (NLT):

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight and served the images of Baal. They abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the Lord. They abandoned the Lord to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth. This made the Lord burn with anger against Israel, so he handed them over to raiders who stole their possessions. He turned them over to their enemies all around, and they were no longer able to resist them. Every time Israel went out to battle, the Lord fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as he had warned. And the people were in great distress.

Consequence: Because of their idolatry and disobedience, the Israelites suffered defeat at the hands of their enemies and were oppressed. The Lord withdrew His protection and allowed their enemies to overpower them.

Judges 3:5-8 (NLT):

So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and they intermarried with them. Israelite sons married their daughters, and Israelite daughters were given in marriage to their sons. And the Israelites served their gods. The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot about the Lord their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles. Then the Lord burned with anger against Israel, and he turned them over to King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim. And the Israelites were subject to Cushan-rishathaim for eight years.

Consequence: By living among and intermarrying with the Canaanites, the Israelites were led into idolatry. As a result, God allowed them to be conquered and oppressed by foreign rulers.

Judges 10:13-14 (NLT):

Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. So I will not rescue you anymore. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen! Let them rescue you in your hour of distress!"

Consequence: As a result of Israel's persistent idolatry, God temporarily refused to deliver them, telling them to seek help from the false gods they had chosen to serve.

These passages illustrate how Israel’s failure to fully obey God’s command to drive out the inhabitants of the land resulted in idolatry, oppression, and suffering. The foreign nations became "thorns in their sides" (Judges 2:3), leading them away from the covenant with God and into cycles of judgment and distress.

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