Judges 2
Judges 2 shows the Israelites’ spiritual condition after they settled in the land of Canaan, God’s response to it, and the recurring cyclical structure of the period of the judges. Externally, it looks as though the people have received their portions of land, but internally, you can see how faithfulness to the Lord’s covenant gradually weakens.
1verseThe LORD’s angel came up from Gilgal to Bochim. He said, “I brought you out of Egypt, and have brought you to the land which I swore to give your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you.
2verseYou shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land. You shall break down their altars.’ But you have not listened to my voice. Why have you done this?
3verseTherefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.’”
4verseWhen the LORD’s angel spoke these words to all the children of Israel, the people lifted up their voice and wept.
5verseThey called the name of that place Bochim, and they sacrificed there to the LORD.
6verseNow when Joshua had sent the people away, the children of Israel each went to his inheritance to possess the land.
7verseThe 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 of the LORD that he had worked for Israel.
8verseJoshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being one hundred ten years old.
9verseThey buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath Heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash.
10verseAfter all that generation were gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who didn’t know the LORD, nor the work which he had done for Israel.
11verseThe children of Israel did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and served the Baals.
12verseThey abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger.
13verseThey abandoned the LORD, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.
14verseThe LORD’s anger burned against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.
15verseWherever they went out, the LORD’s hand was against them for evil, as the LORD had spoken, and as the LORD had sworn to them; and they were very distressed.
16verseThe LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them.
17verseYet they didn’t listen to their judges; for they prostituted themselves to other gods, and bowed themselves down to them. They quickly turned away from the way in which their fathers walked, obeying the LORD’s commandments. They didn’t do so.
18verseWhen the LORD raised up judges for them, then the LORD was with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for it grieved the LORD because of their groaning by reason of those who oppressed them and troubled them.
19verseBut when the judge was dead, they turned back, and dealt more corruptly than their fathers in following other gods to serve them and to bow down to them. They didn’t cease what they were doing, or give up their stubborn ways.
20verseThe LORD’s anger burned against Israel; and he said, “Because this nation transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not listened to my voice,
21verseI also will no longer drive out any of the nations that Joshua left when he died from before them;
22versethat by them I may test Israel, to see if they will keep the LORD’s way to walk therein, as their fathers kept it, or not.”
23verseSo the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily. He didn’t deliver them into Joshua’s hand.
Flow and Structure of the Text
- The Appearance of the Angel of the Lord (verses 1–5): When the angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, he points out Israel’s disobedience and their breaking of the covenant. The people of Israel violate their promise to God and do not remove the altars of the Canaanite peoples. In response, God declares that he will allow the Canaanite peoples to remain, and that Israel will be tested because of them.
- The Death of Joshua and That Generation (verses 6–10): After Joshua died, the generation that had experienced Joshua served the Lord, but the next generation did not know God and fell into idolatry.
- Israel’s Apostasy and Discipline (verses 11–15): Israel begins to follow foreign gods such as Baal and Ashtoreth, and in response God hands Israel over to the hands of plunderers. They suffer and come under God’s discipline.
- The Rise of the Judges and Deliverance (verses 16–19): God establishes judges to rescue them. During the lifetime of the judges, they enjoy peace, but when the judges die, they fall again into wrongdoing. Thus, the period of the judges repeatedly continues the cycle of “sin–discipline–repentance–deliverance.”
- The Remaining Foreign Peoples (verses 20–23): As a result of not keeping God’s commands, other nations remain, and Israel continues to be tested.
Meditation Points
- The Israelites’ faith can grow dim even within just one generation. What should we do for our faith to carry on into the next generation?
- Through Israel’s repeating pattern of failure and suffering when they do not keep the covenant with God, we are led to reflect again on the importance of obedience.
Put It Into Practice for Yourself
- Let’s reflect on how faithfully I am keeping the promises I have made to God in my life right now.
- As we think about passing down the faith, let’s look for decisions we can make—no matter how small—about what efforts we can make within our families and community.
