Chapter 53—The Earlier Judges
This chapter is based on
Judges 6
to
8
;
10
.
After the settlement in Canaan the tribes made no vigorous effort to
complete the conquest of the land. Satisfied with the territory already
gained, their zeal soon flagged, and the war was discontinued. “When
Israel was strong, ... they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not
utterly drive them out.”
Judges 1:28
.
The Lord had faithfully fulfilled, on His part, the promises made
to Israel; Joshua had broken the power of the Canaanites, and had
distributed the land to the tribes. It only remained for them, trusting
in the assurance of divine aid, to complete the work of dispossessing
the inhabitants of the land. But this they failed to do. By entering into
league with the Canaanites they directly transgressed the command of
God, and thus failed to fulfill the condition on which He had promised
to place them in possession of Canaan.
From the very first communication of God with them at Sinai, they
had been warned against idolatry. Immediately after the proclamation
of the law the message was sent them by Moses concerning the nations
of Canaan: “Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them,
nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and
quite break down their images. And ye shall serve the Lord your God,
and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness
away from the midst of thee.”
Exodus 23:24, 25
. The assurance was
given that so long as they remained obedient, God would subdue
their enemies before them: “I will send My fear before thee, and will
destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come; and I will make all
thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. And I will send hornets before
thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite,
from before thee. I will not drive them out from before thee in one
year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply
against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before
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thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.... I will deliver the
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