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The Judges, Deliverers of Israel
This chapter is based on Judges 6 to 8; 10.
Satisfied with the territory already gained, the tribes lost their
zeal and discontinued the war. “When Israel was strong, ... they put
the Canaanites under tribute, but did not completely drive them out.”
(
Judges 1:28
).
On His part, the Lord had faithfully fulfilled the promises He
made to Israel. It only remained for them to complete the work of
driving out the inhabitants of the land, but they failed to do this. By
making treaties with the Canaanites they violated the command of
God and failed to fulfill the condition on which He had promised
them possession of Canaan.
At Sinai God had warned them against idolatry. “You shall not
bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their
works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break
down their sacred pillars.” As long as they remained obedient, God
would subdue their enemies: “I will send My fear before you, I will
cause confusion among all the people to whom you come. ... And I
will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the
Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. I will not drive them out
from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the
beasts of the field become too numerous for you. Little by little I
will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and
you inherit the land. ... You shall make no covenant with them, nor
with their gods. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make
you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a
snare to you.” (
Exodus 23:24, 27-33
).
God had placed His people in Canaan to hold back the tide
of moral evil, so that it would not flood the world. God would
give into the hands of the Israelites nations that were greater and
more powerful than the Canaanites. “You will dispossess greater
and mightier nations than yourselves. ... From the wilderness and
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