Message 2
Scripture Reading: Judg. 1
In this message we will consider chapter one of Judges. This chapter describes the beautiful scene of Israel’s trusting in God.
In verses 1 through 21 we see Judah’s boldness and victory.
After the death of Joshua, the children of Israel inquired of Jehovah concerning who would go up for them first against the Canaanites in order to fight against them (v. 1). Jehovah gave His answer and promise, saying, “Judah shall go up. Behold, I have given the land into his hand” (v. 2). This marvelous picture of oneness with the Lord, of the organic union of God with His people, is a continuation of the oneness in the book of Joshua when the people of Israel first entered into the good land.
“Judah said to Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, and we will fight against the Canaanites; and I will also go with you into your lot. And Simeon went with him” (v. 3). Here we see a wonderful coordination between two tribes — Judah, the strongest tribe, and Simeon, a weak tribe.
According to verses 4 through 10, Judah went up, and Jehovah gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they struck ten thousand of them in Bezek. Then the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem and took it, striking it with the edge of the sword and setting it on fire. Afterward they went down to fight against the Canaanites who inhabited the hill country and the southland and the lowland.
This chapter also speaks of Caleb’s victory over Hebron through his son-in-law Othniel (vv. 11-15, 20). The name Othniel means “lion of God.” Caleb said that to whoever struck Kiriath-sepher and took it he would give Achsah his daughter as wife. Othniel took Kiriath-sepher, and Caleb gave him Achsah as wife. She spoke to her father, saying, “Give me a blessing, for you have given me the southland; give me also springs of water” (v. 15a). So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs. Verse 20 tells us that Hebron was given to Caleb, as Moses had spoken, and that Caleb dispossessed the three sons of Anak from there.
Judah fought, with Simeon his brother, and utterly destroyed the Canaanites, and Jehovah was with Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were not able to dispossess the inhabitants of the valley, for they had chariots of iron (vv. 16-19).
The children of Benjamin did not dispossess the Jebusites, who dwelt in Jerusalem. Rather, the Jebusites continued to dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem (v. 21). This indicates that even though Judah was bold and victorious, his victory was not absolute, for there was a shortage in not dispossessing the inhabitants of the valley and in not dispossessing the Jebusites.
The house of Joseph went up to fight against Bethel, and Jehovah was with them. First, they spied out Bethel. When those who watched saw a man coming out of the city, they told him that if he showed them the entrance of the city, they would be merciful to him. He showed them the entrance, and they struck the people of the city with their sword, but they let the man and all his family go (vv. 22-26).
Although this chapter portrays the beautiful scene of Israel’s trusting in God, this chapter nevertheless describes some defects (vv. 27-36).
When Israel became strong, they made the Canaanites forced labor, but they did not utterly dispossess them (v. 28). Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali did not dispossess the Canaanites, who persisted in dwelling in their lands and became forced labor (vv. 27, 29-33).
The Amorites pushed the children of Dan into the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the valley. The Amorites persisted in dwelling with them, but the house of Joseph prevailed so that they became forced labor (vv. 34-36).
