Judges Continuing Conquest
There was still much to do after Joshua died for the continuing conquest of the Promised Land. Joshua was not there to lead them. They turned to the Lord now.
While Joshua and the original elders lived, the people followed the Lord. This included asking His direction for their next campaign. For this campaign, they asked a specific question of God. “Who shall go up first?” Meaning, not all the tribes were going to do this work together. Not a problem. God can work as easily through a few as He can through many. In fact, when there are “many” things can get twisted around. Some resist or resent having to go. Some doubt the success. And some simply want nothing more to do with the whole thing. Others, on the other hand, are raring to go! They are prepared to do whatever it takes to see that the job gets done properly. God singled Judah out as the one who would follow His commands. Let’s join the new nation as they try and establish themselves in the Promised Land.
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Joshua has been buried for a month now. The mourning period has passed. It’s time to continue the work. There is not a doubt in anyone’s mind that there are still territories that are waiting to be conquered.
Eleazar called a meeting of all the tribal leaders. It was time to get back to work on conquering the land. Joshua had warned them about leaving the inhabitants in the land. Eleazar had communicated the reason for the meeting, thereby ensuring that all the leaders would attend. Shiloh was the chosen place for the meeting, as it was the home of the Tabernacle.
When the leaders were finally assembled, Eleazar addressed them.
“Joshua has warned us of the dangers of leaving the inhabitants in the land. They will be a stumbling block for us by tempting us with their gods. If we are to follow the Lord, as we promised Joshua and the Lord that we would, it is time to continue the campaign to rid the land of the inhabitants as the Lord called us to do.”
One of the leaders of Benjamin spoke up. “Who would lead us now that Joshua is gone?”
Several of the other tribe’s leaders chimed in and agreed with what was spoken. Eleazar had to hold his hand up for silence before order could be regained.
“That is a very good question. We will take it to the Lord. He will show us His will, and we WILL follow it. Remain here while I enquire of the Lord.”
The people remained where they were while Eleazar went into the Tent of Meeting. There, he presented his request to the Lord.
“Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” (Judges 1:1b)
The Lord answered Eleazar right away. “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.” (Judges 1:2)
Eleazar remained where he was for a while to see if the Lord had any more to tell His people. When it was clear that there was nothing more, Eleazar rejoined the leaders outside the Tabernacle.
The Lord has appointed Judah to go up first, and He has said that He would give the land into his hands.”
All the people nodded in agreement. The leaders of Judah were willing to go be the first to fight against the inhabitants living in the land, but they didn’t want to go alone. Since the tribe of Simeon was within their midst, and would directly benefit from the inhabitant’s removal, the leaders of Judah asked the leaders of Simeon to go with them into battle.
“Come up with us brothers, as we do the work of the Lord. He has promised to give the land into our hands. Therefore, He will give the land into yours too. Together, we will rid the territory of any who would turn us away from the Lord.”
“Where would we strike?”
“We would clear those from our edges and boarders first. Then we would turn to the hill country and clear any who are within your boarders.”
“This is agreeable. We will all go with you.”
Together, Judah and Simeon, were a remarkable force for the Lord. They cleared many cities, starting with the edges of Judah first. One of their most notable battles was at Bezek. They defeated 10,000 men in that battle and captured the king; Adoni-bezek. He had fled, but the men of Judah and Simeon were able to capture him. As punishment, they cut off both of his thumbs and big toes.
“Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me” (Judges 1:7) Adoni-bezek remarked after the leaders of Judah had done this to him.
The city of Jerusalem was next on their agenda. Adoni-bezek was taken along with them to Jerusalem. Here he would die. The fighting was fierce but Judah and Simeon prevailed. The Lord gave the city into their hands. They burned the city with fire and moved on to their next target.
Judah and Simeon turned their might against the city of Hebron; its current name was Kiriath-sepher. Caleb would rename it after he captured it as this was the city that Caleb had received as an inheritance of his own. As the battle raged on, Caleb called out to the men; “He who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter for a wife.” (Judges 1:12) In this battle the three sons of Anak were driven from the land. They would no longer be a danger for the people.
Caleb’s own younger brother, Othniel, captured the city. Caleb was true to his promise. Caleb’s daughter was wise and encouraged her new husband to ask his brother for a field too. She herself had a request to make of her Abba.
She came to Caleb after she had been betrothed to is brother. Caleb, being wise asked her “What do you want?” (Judges 1:14b)
“Give me a blessing. Since you have set me in the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water” (Judges 1:15a) was her response.
Caleb gave her the upper and lower spring that fed the land given to her husband.
Judah and Simeon continued to press the inhabitants from the land. The descendants of Moses’ father-in-law had settled with the people of Judah and helped fight in the wilderness of Judah. In the territory of Simeon, Judah and Simeon took the city of Zephath and devoted it to destruction. Simeon renamed it Hormah.
Judah and Simeon also battled the Philistines. They were able to take Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron with their surrounding territories. They were not able to defeat the Philistines who lived in the flat lands, as they had chariots and horses at their disposal.
After the success of Judah and Simeon, the people of Joseph began to take their territory. They were able to take Bethel. They had the Lord on their side, but also a secret weapon.
Spies were sent in to find a way into the city. They chanced upon a man leaving the city and they captured him.
“Please show us the way into the city, and we will deal kindly with you” (Judges 1:24b) the spies demanded.
The man complied and the men of Joseph were able to use this information to take the city. ALL within the city were dedicated to destruction except for the man and his family. The man went out and founded another city, giving it the original name of his city; Luz.
But this was the end of Israel’s success in driving the people out. They began to live among them instead. The stronger tribes subjected the inhabitants to forced labor. Even Benjamin was not able to hold the city of Jerusalem. The Jebusites continued to inhabit it, in spite of the fact that Judah and Simeon had burned it.
Dan had the most trouble. The Amorites drove the people of Dan into the hill country. They were not able to claim their inheritance. They later abandoned it and chose a smaller northern section as their own.
With every defeat, God’s heart hurt. “They didn’t trust Me. They tried to do it on their own.”
The unthinkable began to happen. The people began bowing down to the gods of the nations around them and of those who they had let remain in the land. When they did this, the Lord stopped fighting for them.
His heart broke every time one of them knelt under a tree and offered a sacrifice to a foreign god. It was like spitting in His face.
“Do You see what they are doing?!” the Spirit cried out.
“How could they forget so soon?!” asked Jesus as He shakes His head.
“They are a stubborn people and have to learn the HARD way” Father says/ as tears fall from His eyes.
“You could MAKE them stop” the Spirit suggests.
“But then it wouldn’t really be them choosing Me. It would be Me choosing Me. THEY have to make that choice, no matter how much it hurts; them AND Me” says the Father.
“It’s the only way to know that their love is genuine” whispers Jesus as His shoulders sink under the weight of that truth. “When it is My time, I will choose You; Us.”
“I know You will My Son.” Father breathes in deep and lets out a long sigh. “Until then, …”
The pain God endured was immense. Yet he held His hand from destroying the people. Instead, He left them on their own, to fight their own battles; or to lose them.
“Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, 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.” (Judges 2:20-22)
God KNEW what the ‘test’ would reveal, but He didn’t turn away completely. He STILL loved His people. He saw their pain and heard their cries. And He brought about the pressure that would cause them to call out to Him; to remember the God of their fathers.
After Caleb and all the elders who had seen the hand of the Lord working for Israel had died, the people turned against the Lord. When Israel had been bowing down to the gods of the other nations, the Lord sent Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia to oppress them. They were under his rule for seven years before calling out to the Lord their God.
God raised up Othniel, Caleb’s brother, as the first judge for the people of Israel. The Sprit of the Lord was strong on Othniel and the people listened to him. Othniel went to war against Cushan-rishathaim and defeated him. He was able to free the people form his oppression.
The people turned again to the Lord after they were free and they listened well to the words of Othniel. Once Othniel died, the people returned to worshiping the gods of the other nations. And God allowed the curses, which were promised from the time of Moses, to come to pass in the land.
(to be continued)
This was the beginning of the ups and downs for Israel. The other nations who lived among Israel would be just what God told them; a thorn in their eye and a whip on their sides. I used to think that it was Solomon who introduced all the false gods to Israel, but I can see now that they never really left them. No wonder Joshua told them to forsake them and put them away. Israel never had a complete foundation in the land because of their own behavior. THEY didn’t stay true to the Lord, so He didn’t rid the land of their enemies. Now they are getting into the “only for the lifetime” of the judge allegiance. Each generation will have to battle their way back to the Lord. They will have to remember the stories of their ancestors and CHOOSE God over what they have. Or, more likely, remember that He is Who saved them from oppression before and BEG for His intervention again.
Father God, I don’t know what to say. This ought not to have happened. But even in my own family, one generation doesn’t always follow the morals of the previous one. They don’t follow You. Even some of my siblings don’t follow You. I’m sorry beyond words for all that mankind has put You through. My own life has had ups and downs, like Israel had. Not to the same degree, but sin is sin. I am MORE than grateful for Your hand in bringing me back to You whenever I would wander. Keep me by Your side for the REST of my life.
Telling this story hurt and was hard; especially in the end. I’m sorry that I didn’t really let it sink in as deep as I should. Thank You for burrowing it into my heart now. Maybe I will go back and include this pain that I’m feeling from Your Spirit now. Help me do this, IF that is what You desire. We will work it out together.
Thank You for helping me share just a little of Your pain. Thank You for not letting me leave until I did; we did. I pray that realization of what You experienced will speak to someone who is going back and forth.
