Judges

Judges Chapter 2

Israel's Disobedience

Judges 2:1 And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.
2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?
3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.

I never did quite understand these passages until recently. First by listening to someone explain how some previous civilizations lived. He explained that sexual immorality was a norm and people did those things in relation to worshiping idols and being in false religions which associated sexual behavior with the worship of false gods. This included murder; for human life was not regarded as precious. Pedophilia was common. They did things most of us could never imagine; even had relations with beasts. Violence was a sport.

I now understand why God may have destroyed the first world with a flood. Now we are seeing this all come back. Human trafficking, child sex trafficking is in even countries like the United States. They are trying to change genders with puberty blockers, hormones and operations. It is getting so crazy. If it was half as bad as it's getting now, I understand why God was angry here. By not driving out the wicked, the seed of evil will continue and become a snare. Former civilizations were very wicked and violent. They did not respect human life or God as a creator just like some are doing today. SAD.

Judges 2:4 And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.
5 And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.

They were burnt out, battle weary and didn't finish what the Lord commanded. This later comes back to haunt them. In the United States the biggest mistake they made was to cast God out of the schools back in 1963. Everything went down hill from there. Without God evil has an open door. Ten years after God was cast out by the supreme court, abortion was legalized. Now in 2025, we have pedophilia, human trafficking, gang rapes, lawlessness, riots, drug addiction, school shootings and corruption is at an all time high. Rigged elections, disease, and media that can no longer be trusted sources of truth but have political agendas that seek to divide and control the population. I had to stop watching them because I never know who is telling the truth.

The Death of Joshua

Judges 2:6 And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land.
7 And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel.
8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.
9 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.

After the death of Joshua and that generation, we see some of the saddest words in the bible: "There arose another generation which knew not the Lord."

Judges 2:10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

This is the one the saddest verses in the bible. A generation arises that knew not the Lord. "Oh Lord help us to teach our children of you."

This is also recorded in the book of Joshua: 24:31

Joshua 24:31 And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel.

So it was the generation after the elders that outlived Joshua who knew the works God did for all of Israel where God was known and the works of God were known. After they died apostasy sets in.

Israel's Unfaithfulness

Judges 2:11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:
12 And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.
13 And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

This may have been the result of not driving out all the former inhabitances like God originally instructed them to do. Getting lazy and quitting might have caused the other nations to influence this generation since they obviously were not taught about how they got there and the works of God.

Judges 2:14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.
15 Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.

God withdrew His hand of protection that they had under Joshua. That allowed the enemies they failed to drive out, begin take from them. Deuteronomy chapter 28 tells us why this happened at this time.

The Lord Raises Up Judges

Judges 2:16 Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.
17 And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so.
18 And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.

The Lord raises up judges and was with the judges who delivered them out of the hand of the enemies. As soon as the judges died though they return to their wicked ways.

Judges 2:19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.
20 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;
21 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:
22 That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.
23 Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.

Sad that this happened over and over as we see in the study of the Judges. They reap what they sow and the law of reaping and sowing is still in effect today.

Ezekiel explains about this also:

Ezekiel 6:5 And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.
6 In all your dwellingplaces the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.
7 And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
8 Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries.
9 And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.
10 And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.

Evil nations rise and fall. Usually when God allows one nation to conquer another, it is because of the type of evil that, if not stopped it destroys future generations. Usually a point of no return begins, innocent babies and children are victims of violence and harm. This stuff has always happened with people who are corrupt and evil but when a nation has leaders that do not bring those that do evil to justice but instead pass laws to support evil especially the evil that harms the children, the days of that nation may be drawing to a close.

If we do not correct and reprove those that do evil, the judgment falls on us as well as the evil doers. God expects law and order. Not stupid laws that harm the good people but laws that protect the innocent. When we instead pass laws that cancel out the law of God, we are in trouble. When a nations harms those that believe in God, in the gospel of Jesus and forbids the teaching of the word of God, that nation will eventually be judged severely. We can read the book of Revelation to see this.

So judgment comes when a nation gets so evil that the innocent children are hurt or they forbid the gospel to be preached and harm those that bring the gospel. Woe to that government or nation. There is a point of no return where eventually the nation is destroyed. History is full of nations falling that once existed.

Even today in the United States we see censorship on social media that will suppress any truth that goes against the narritive that is popular in the culture we presently live in. The free speech guaranteed in the constitution is null and void when it comes to going against the what they think is the norm. DC

Judges Chapter 3