Today's text from the ESV Study Bible: Judges 1-2.
When we left the book of Deuteronomy, began the book of Joshua, and now the book of Judges, we entered into what theologians call the "historical" books.
They very first thing that caught my eye was that God, for some reason, did not appoint a successive national leader after Joshua's death.
Furthermore, God being sovereign, it is a real head scratcher to contemplate why God allowed Israel's disobedience in not devoting Canaan to complete destruction as commanded.
Here is the angel of the Lord speaking:
“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.” (Judges 2:1-3)
After Joshua died, these are the things that started happening in Israel:
- "...there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel." (Judges 2:10b)
- "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." (Judges 2:11-13)
- "...they whored after other gods and bowed down to them..." (Judges 2:17)
How can this be? Is not God's tent of meeting still in their midst? Is not God still dwelling among them in the Holy of Holies?
Jeremiah would later answer this question:
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)
Furthermore, we only need to look at our own hearts to understand this inherent problem. If the evil one can succeed in unplugging us from God, then we like sheep are prone to stray, and go our own way.
When this happens, as the book of Judges is going to clearly teach us, nothing but apostasy lies ahead.
Oh my soul, forever stay near God's holy acquaintance.
