By Ezekiel Kimosop
INTRODUCTION
In our previous devotional study, we examined Judges 1 where the people sought God's divine direction on the conquest of Canaan following the passing on of Joshua. God spoke and directed that Judah should lead Israel in driving out the Canaanites.
The people of Judah teamed up with the tribe of Simeon and together they drove away the Canaanites from their respective territories. God's hand was with them.
The rest of the tribes of Israel however failed in their war efforts and instead chose to dwell with the Canaanites. Why did they fail? Keep this question in mind as we journey on through Judges 2.
In Judges 2:1-6, we are introduced to a historical setting that precedes Judges 1. This indicates that the Book of Judges does not necessarily follow a chronological order.
In this passage, Joshua is still at the helm of leadership at this point. This study will now focus on the moral lessons that we can draw from our study of this brief passage.
ISRAEL'S DISOBEDIENCE PROCLAIMED
Judges 2:1-2 says, "Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and 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 tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?"
Some Bible scholars say that the phrase "Angel of the LORD" is an indirect reference to the pre-incarnate Christ. They say that Christ was acting as an archangel and that His identity was divinely concealed until His incarnation.
My view is that this claim is difficult to reconcile with the text of Scripture. Whereas the eternity and divinity of Jesus Christ are plainly outlined in Scripture (cf. John 8:58, Revelation 1:8), His pre-incarnate activities are largely obscure. It is therefore difficult to determine with certainty if indeed "the Angel of the LORD" mentioned in Judges 2:1 was the pre-incarnate Christ by any other description. This angelic being could as well have been an archangel of God in the manner that Michael and Gabriel were (cf. Daniel 9:20-27,10:21, 12:1).
For the sake of our devotional study, we shall not pursue the theological inquiry on the identity of "the Angel of the LORD" beyond this point.
The Bible reveals that the angel traveled from Gilgal to Bochim. Gilgal was the first assembly point for the Israelites when they first crossed the Jordan. This is where the covenant was renewed under Joshua and the twelve stones set up as a memorial to God's faithfulness. It was also at Gilgal that the children of Israel circumcised their males as a mark of their covenant relationship with God (see Joshua 4:1-24, 5:1-12). This was a solemn reminder to Israel that God was closely observing their covenant commitment. It is therefore significant that Gilgal is mentioned by the writer.
The Bible proceeds to describe the place of Israel's solemn gathering as Bochim, a Hebrew word that means "weeping" or "place of weeping." The name was coined in reference to the solemn gathering. It is a memorial to Israel's shame and their turning point from spiritual rebellion as God's covenant people.
As we shall notice later in this passage, the people lifted up their voices [Hebrew reference to wailing] and sorely wept following God's condemnation for their moral disobedience.
Now back to Judges 2:1, we learn that God reminded the people about His covenant oath and His faithfulness since their redemption from Egyptian bondage. Numbers 23:19 says that God is not a man that He should lie and neither the son of man that He should repent.
In Judges 2:2, we learn that God had given His people clear instructions. They were commanded to tear down the heathen altars and to refrain from making any covenants with the Canaanites. They failed to heed God's voice on both counts.
God was sorely displeased with the people. Judges 2:3 conveys God's judgment on them. God determined to subject them to the snare of the Canaanites who will become a thorn in their side. They will afflict them with wanton! He further swore that the people of Israel would not drive out the Canaanites under their rebellion. We learn from this passage that God can permit some afflictions on God's people as a way of chastising them for their disobedience.
Judges 2:3-4 says, "Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’” 4 So it was, when the Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept.
5 Then they called the name of that place Bochim; and they sacrificed there to the Lord. 6 And when Joshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land."
In this closing section of our passage, we learn about the reaction of the children of Israel on hearing God's rebuke. They wept bitterly and repented of their evil ways and sacrificed to God in order to appease His divine wrath. A broken heart always weeps before God as evidence of remorse. However, the fruit of repentance must be evident to God.
Did the Children of Israel truly repent in this context? Did they forsake their evil ways after God openly rebuked them?
Keep these questions in mind we proceed to examine the succeeding passage of Judges 2:7-23 in our next study.
MORAL LESSONS FROM THE PASSAGE
What moral lessons can we distill from this passage?
1. God is faithful. He keeps His covenant promises in all generations of God's covenant people.
2. God is deeply offended by our sinful disobedience and rebellion.
3. God punishes sin. We should therefore repent of our sin and turn away from it in truth.
4. Godly leadership leads people to God. Joshua led the people in their corporate repentance after they were rebuked by God.
5. We cannot overcome our challenges and afflictions of life without God's enabling grace.
In our next study, we shall examine the passage of Judges 2:7-23.
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2022
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