July 11, 2021
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Reading along with us in Judges? Here’s today’s reading:
Judges 1 (NIV)
Israel Fights the Remaining Canaanites
1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?”
2 The Lord answered, “Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands.”
3 The men of Judah then said to the Simeonites their fellow Israelites, “Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.” So the Simeonites went with them............Continue Reading
Seems like you can accomplish a lot when the Lord is with you.
The battles mentioned in chapter 1. There no mention of praying to God. Or asking God for victory. Or thanking him. Good luck. Huge mistake
We are going to be studying in the book of Judges for our next women’s Bible Study. I read through it the whole book and got depressed! I started listening to pastor and he summarized it as “The sad history of the failure of God’s people”. Regardless, there is much we can learn from the failures of the Israelites as a nation and as individuals. Thank God that despite their disobedience, God continued with His rescue plan for Israel and all mankind.
It is so typical of us to follow God’s direction until the point it gets too hard. They had won the battles but didn’t take the time to drive the people out of the lands God had given them. God’s desire was to clear the land and ALL inhabitants for His people and this could have been accomplished if they saw it through to the end. But many times we like the idea of following God’s plan until we have to give up something we don’t want to or do something that makes us uncomfortable and we stray off but it always comes back to us still needing to deal with that issue as we know it will here.
Judges 1
I do see God’s involvement here, consulting him at first, following His direction and God blessing with victory. But certainly not as closely as Moses or Joshua. Things do tend to fall apart without strong leadership to lead the way. With the passing of Joshua, it was an opportunity for each tribe to have leaders rise up and get the work done. It reminds me of Jesus leaving the earth and leaving His work to the apostles and the church. At times it looks messy, but good things still come to God’s glory. But it is choppy. Those more able, or more righteous, or more trusting of God succeed. Those who look at only their ability and don’t take God by the hand and move forward, languish. It is interesting that this happens mostly in what will become the Northern kingdom. It might explain how quickly that part of Israel went down hill when the nation was divided between Rehoboam and Jeroboam……..
We begin to see the cracks in Israel’s obedience as the chapter progresses. Little hints here and there, and then in verse 27 just a list of those things not done. It is once again the repeating pattern we see through the entire old testament of God’s people turning away, then returning in times of strife. History demonstrates the truth that we can not be saved through the law, but only through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
28When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely. 29Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them. 30Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, so these Canaanites lived among them, but Zebulun did subject them to forced labor. 31Nor did Asher drive out those living in Akko or Sidon or Ahlab or Akzib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob. 32The Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land because they did not drive them out. 33Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath; but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced