Judges 2 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Judges 2

Israel’s Disobedience

2:1 Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? 3 So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” 4 As soon as the angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 And they called the name of that place Bochim.¹ And they sacrificed there to the LORD.

The Death of Joshua

6 When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel. 8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110 years. 9 And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.

Israel’s Unfaithfulness

11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals. 12 And they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the LORD to anger. 13 They abandoned the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. 14 So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them for harm, as the LORD had warned, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.

The Lord Raises Up Judges

16 Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the LORD, and they did not do so. 18 Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. 19 But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. 20 So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, 22 in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the LORD as their fathers did, or not.” 23 So the LORD left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

Footnotes

[1] 2:5 Bochim means weepers

Commentary

v1: God did not remain silent. We must see the rebuke here as being an act of kindness, warning the Israelites of what would happen if they continued not to obey fully what God had commanded.

v2: The message was clear; not only had Israel failed to drive out the Canaanites, they had made covenants with them.

v3: Since they had not driven out the Canaanites, they would suffer the consequences. If they were not willing to drive them out, then the Lord would not do it for them. If we are not willing to break with sins in our lives, then the Lord will not just do it for us.

v4-5: The people came together in repentance. Sometimes we have to discern the difference between sorrow for sins, and sorrow for being found out.

v6-9: The writer refers us back to the death of Joshua (Josh 24.29-30). His death was a turning point, since, as the memory of him faded, the people turned from the true God. It is suggested that the life of principle, under Joshua, gave way to a life or pragmatism, as the people sought something convenient, that would 'work', rather than necessarily what was right and true.

The people had served God during the lifetime of Joshua and those who had seen all the great things God had done for Israel. But, when the miracles died away, they turned away from God. Might our faith be dependent on a diet of miracles? When God seems silent, will we remain faithful?

v10: The godly influence of Joshua faded away. Did the people not teach their children the things of God? Faith and commitment are not hereditary; each person must have a first hand faith, and each generation must raise up leaders and teachers for the next.

v11: Their failure to follow God led to idolatry; they served the Baals; see Josh 24.15. We cannot believe in nothing; we either believe in what is true, or what is false. We cannot serve two gods; and we cannot serve none.

v12-13: Having forsaken the true God, the people served the gods of the people around them, whom they had failed to drive out.

v14-15: As a result, God's judgment fell upon the disobedient people. There were specific evidences of His displeasure.

v16-19: The cycle of idolatry, oppression, and deliverance. This cycle is repeated six times in Judges; these verses summarise the history of Israel for some hundreds of years. Each time a Judge was dead, the people reverted to idolatry; they did not cease from their own ways.

v20-23: The test of loyalty. The Lord left the Canaanites in the land to test the people; see also 3.1,4. Although Israel had failed to drive out the Canaanites, the Lord used that failure as a further test of their faith. It does not mean that He approved of their initial failure. Rather, He is God, and does what He wishes; but He loves His people, and works mightily on their behalf. The Lord leaves His Church in the world to test our loyalty to Him, and to demonstrate His power in our lives.