The Angel's Warning at Bochim
Study note
The angel of the Lord traveled from Gilgal, where the Israelites had first camped after crossing the Jordan, to a place called Bochim. The angel reminded Israel that God had kept every promise he made to their ancestors but accused them of breaking their part of the agreement by not tearing down the pagan altars. As a consequence, God would no longer drive out the Canaanites, and their false gods would become a trap for Israel. The people wept loudly, which is why they named the place Bochim, meaning 'weepers.'
1 The angel of the Lord went from Gilgal to Bochim. He gave this message to the Israelites: "I brought you out of Egypt. I led you to the land I had promised your ancestors. I said, 'My covenant with you will never be broken.'" 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 "I also commanded you, 'Never make treaties with the people living in this land. Tear down every one of their altars.' But you did not do what I said. Why did you disobey me?" 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 "Because of this, I am telling you now that I will not drive these people out ahead of you. They will be like thorns poking your sides, and their gods will become traps that catch you." 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.
4 The angel of the Lord said these things to all Israel. Then the people began to cry out loud. 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 They called that place Bochim, which means "weepers," and they offered sacrifices to the Lord there. And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.
Joshua's Death and a New Generation
Study note
This section flashes back to summarize what happened after Joshua dismissed the people to settle their territories. As long as Joshua and the elders who had seen God's mighty works were alive, Israel served the Lord faithfully. Joshua died at the age of 110 and was buried in his allotted territory. But after that entire generation passed away, a new generation grew up that had no personal experience of what God had done for Israel.
6 Joshua sent the people away. Each tribe left to take over their own part of the land. And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land.
7 The Israelites served the Lord faithfully during Joshua's whole life. They also served him during the lives of the older leaders who lived longer than Joshua. These leaders had seen with their own eyes all the amazing things the Lord had done for Israel. 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 Joshua son of Nun, who had served the Lord faithfully, died at the age of one hundred and ten. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.
9 He was buried on his own land at Timnath-heres, in Ephraim's hill country, on the north side of Mount Gaash. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.
10 All of Joshua's age group died. A new group grew up. They did not know the Lord. They did not know what he had done for Israel. 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.
Israel's Cycle of Sin and Rescue
Study note
This passage describes the pattern that repeats throughout the entire book of Judges. Israel turned away from God and worshipped the Baals and Ashtaroth, the Canaanite fertility gods. God became angry and allowed enemies to defeat them. When the people cried out in despair, God raised up judges who delivered them. But as soon as each judge died, the people went back to their sinful ways, often worse than before. The word 'judge' in Hebrew means more than a courtroom official. These judges were military leaders, governors, and spiritual guides.
11 This new group of Israelites began doing things that the Lord saw as evil. They started worshipping the false gods called Baals. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:
12 They turned their backs on the Lord, the God who had rescued their ancestors from Egypt. Instead, they chased after the gods that the surrounding nations worshipped and bowed down to them. All of this made the Lord furious. 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 They completely abandoned the Lord and gave their worship to Baal and the goddess Ashtaroth. And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
14 The Lord burned with anger toward Israel. He let raiders come in and rob them. He allowed their surrounding enemies to defeat them, and the Israelites could no longer defend themselves in battle. 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 Every time Israel tried to fight, the Lord worked against them, exactly as he had warned them he would. The people were suffering terribly. 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.
16 Even so, the Lord raised up leaders called judges. They came to the rescue and saved the people of Israel from those who attacked them. Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.
17 But the people refused to listen even to these judges. They were disloyal to God by worshipping other gods and bowing before them. They quickly abandoned the obedient path that their ancestors had walked. 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 Each time the Lord chose a judge, he stood with that judge. He saved the people from their enemies as long as the judge was alive. The Lord felt sorry for the people because he heard them crying. They suffered under those who hurt and crushed them. 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.
19 But every time a judge died, the people slid back into sin even worse than before. They would run after other gods, worship them, and bow down to them. They refused to change their evil behavior or their stubborn attitudes. 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.
God Leaves Nations to Test Israel
Study note
Because Israel had broken their covenant with God, he decided to stop driving out the nations that remained in the land after Joshua's death. These nations would serve as a test to see whether future generations of Israel would obey God's commands or not. This set the stage for all the conflicts described in the rest of the book.
20 The Lord's anger blazed against Israel. He declared, "This nation has violated the covenant I established with their ancestors and has refused to listen to me." 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 "Therefore, I will no longer remove any of the nations that were still in the land when Joshua died." I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:
22 "I will use those nations to test Israel. I want to see if they will follow my ways like their ancestors did, or if they will not." 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 So the Lord allowed those nations to remain in the land. He chose not to remove them quickly and had not let Joshua conquer them all. Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.