Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Judges Chapter 2 mean?

The first verses of Judges chapter 2 are best understood as an extension from chapter 1. Israel failed, tribe by tribe, to drive the Canaanites from the land as God had commanded them. This seems to have been from some combination of indifference or fear. In response, God appears to the people at a place later named Bochim for its association with “weeping.” References to “the angel of the Lord” suggest a physical presence of God—likely God the Son before His incarnation in Jesus Christ. This angel speaks to the people, as the Lord, using first-person terminology. He reminds them that He brought Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. He kept His word to them and promised never to break His covenant with them so long as they did not break theirs. Despite promises made to Joshua (Joshua 24:23–24), the Israelites did break the covenant with the Lord. They imitated and accepted the depraved people of Canaan. They left pagan altars intact. They did not obey the voice of their God (Judges 2:1–2).

As a response, God announces that He will not drive out the Canaanite people. By the end of the chapter, it will become clear that this happens in two ways: the people will be tempted and troubled by the Canaanites living in their territories, and they will be attacked and plundered by the territories they have not yet captured. The people the Israelites have allowed to stay in the land, and their false gods, will cause trouble and temptation for Israel. In response to God’s rebuke, the people of Israel weep loudly and offer sacrifices to God. As the following verses show, this sorrow is short-lived and ultimately meaningless (Judges 2:3–5).

Starting in verse 6, the writer of Judges seems to re-introduce the storyline. He provides a key to understanding what will follow in the later chapters: the pattern repeated time and again between God and the people of Israel. To do this, the writer goes back to Joshua, who was faithful to the Lord. This information effectively repeats the content of Joshua 24:28–31. Joshua’s leadership not only produced great victories in Canaan, but it also kept the people in faithful obedience to God. When Joshua and his peers died out, however, the following generations did not acknowledge the Lord or the miracles He had done for Israel (Judges 2:6–10).

Instead of following the Lord and keeping the covenant, the new generation of Israelites abandoned Him. As God predicted (Deuteronomy 20:16–18), the people began to worship the false gods of the people of Canaan. They honored idols such as Baal and Ashtaroth—Canaanite fertility gods—and performed all the degrading acts associated with those religions. This would have included things like temple prostitution and even human sacrifice (Judges 2:11–13).

God, provoked to great anger, would then use Israel’s enemies as punishment. Unconquered enemy groups (Judges 3:1–4) would raid and enslave Israel, until the people were in great distress. Then the Lord would raise a deliverer, named using a Hebrew word loosely translated as “judge.” These leaders combined spiritual, civic, and military efforts, specially empowered by God, to save Israel from the nations afflicting her. The Lord would continue to guide His people through that human judge until the judge died (Judges 2:15–18).

Sadly, once each judge died, the pattern would begin again. The Israelites would go back to worshiping other gods. In fact, with every cycle, their sin became even worse than before. Once again, God’s anger would burn. Once again, Israel’s enemies would conquer her. The people would suffer. Another new judge would come and save the people, a peace lasting only until the judge’s death. In response to their persistent sin, God stops enabling Israel’s conquest of more territory in the Promised Land. He also leaves them to the consequences of allowing the Canaanites to persist in the land. He will continue to use those enemies to demonstrate whether Israel will turn and obey in response to suffering (Judges 2:19–23).

Chapter 3 begins with a brief explanation of the two main groups which will antagonize Israel during the era of the judges. Attacks, enslavement, and oppression come from the unconquered nations surrounding Israel (Judges 3:1–4). Temptation and idolatry come from the people living among Israel in the captured territories (Judges 3:5–6).

Chapter Context
Judges 2 follows reports about the failure of Israel to drive the Canaanites from each tribes’ territories. Despite being rebuked by God, the generations after Joshua eventually abandon the Lord to worship the gods of the Canaanites: the Baals and the Ashtaroth. This establishes a pattern to be repeated in the chapters to come. Israel will worship Canaan’s gods. God punishes the people through their enemies. God saves the people through a human judge. When the judge dies, the people return to their sin. This cycle continues throughout the rest of the book of Judges.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you,

The previous chapter ended by listing the many tribes of Israel, followed by the words “did not drive out the inhabitants.” God had commanded Israel to purge the wicked Canaanites and devote them to complete destruction (Deuteronomy 20:16–17). God’s reason for this was the deep danger of Canaanite religion, and the temptation for Israel to imitate their evil (Deuteronomy 20:18).

Scripture does not give explicit reasons why Israel failed to complete their mission. Context provides a few possibilities. Israel may have encountered resistance, at first, and simply given up. It was likely easier to let the locals stay than go to war with them. Some might have been so intrigued with Canaanite culture that they didn’t want to eliminate it. The reports in chapter 1 did not give a reason, aside from the few mentions of the Canaanites resisting and pushing the Israelites back.

Whatever the reason, God has associated Israel’s lack of follow-through as disobedience. In the event depicted here, it seems representatives from Israel are gathered. The angel from the Lord arrives to speak to them at a place which will soon be named Bochim (Judges 2:5). Some scholars believe this to be near Bethel (Genesis 28:19).

Scholars speculate about the exact identity of the angel from the Lord. Since this figure speaks as the Lord, with “I” statements, many scholars suggest that this is a “theophany:” when God appears in some human form. When this form is associated with the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, such an event is called a “Christophany.”

The Angel is said to have come up from Gilgal. No explanation is given for why this Person should have been in Gilgal, where Israel first camped after crossing the Jordan River (Joshua 4:19). Most likely, this is symbolic, as God is appearing to deliver a devastating message about Israel’s disobedience. That begins with a reminder about how the Lord rescued them from slavery in Egypt. God brought them into the Promised Land.

God points out that He has done great things for the people of Israel. He promised to never break His covenant with them. He also guaranteed the nation wonderful benefits—but only if they continued to obey His very specific instructions (Judges 2:2). Israel’s suffering in the centuries to come will be a direct result of their refusal to honor God’s covenant agreement.

Context Summary
Judges 2:1–5 reveals the conclusion to the reports from chapter one: the tribes of Israel did not drive the Canaanites from the Promised Land. The angel of the Lord appears to the people, speaking as the Lord. He reminds them how He has done good for them, and empowered them, yet they have broken their covenant with Him. Now, the wicked and ungodly Canaanites will become thorns and their false gods will ensnare Israel. The people weep and make sacrifices to the Lord. However, as the rest of the book of Judges shows, their weeping doesn’t lead to any meaningful change.

Verse 2. and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done?

The Lord is speaking to Israel in the form of the angel of the Lord. This is some material appearance of God, possibly a pre-incarnate presence of God the Son. He has reminded them of His faithfulness and provision for them, along with His promise to never break His covenant with them (Judges 2:1). Now, though, the Lord describes Israel’s side of their covenant agreement—which the people have broken.

God clearly told Israel not to integrate into the people of the land (Exodus 23:32–33). Instead of letting the Canaanites stay, Israel was to break down their altars to false and foreign gods. Part of God’s reason for sending Israel into the land was to judge the wickedness of the Canaanites in the worship of their false gods (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4–5).

In direct disobedience to this, the Israelites had made covenants with some of the Canaanites. They let them stay in exchange for help or slavery. They had left pagan altars standing. They had not acted with the Lord’s help to drive them from the land. This is exactly what God wanted to avoid when His people entered the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 20:16–18). Israel has not obeyed the overt commands of their God. In the following verse, God will tell the people what they have done and what their disobedience has cost them (Judges 2:3).

Verse 3. So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”

God is appearing in some physical, visible form. This might be as a generic human being, or even as a pre-incarnate presence of God the Son. These appearances are often described as “the angel of the Lord.” He has come to rebuke the people of Israel for failing to keep their covenant with Him (Judges 2:1–2). They have disobeyed by not driving out the Canaanites from the Promised Land. They have not torn down the altars to false gods. They have made covenants with the people, instead.

God had warned Israel from the beginning what the consequences of this would be: “You shall make no covenant with them and 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 23:32–33).

That’s why God wanted Israel to completely rout and destroy the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 20:16–17), to keep His people from getting drawn into the worship of their gods: “…that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 20:18).

Now the Lord declares that He will not work to remove the evil Canaanites. Instead, they will remain and become a source of great misery. Likewise, their false religion will become a disastrous temptation for Israel. The next few centuries will be much more difficult, much more tragic, than if they had obeyed the Lord. These hardships make up much of the content of the rest of the book of Judges.

Verse 4. As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept.

This is the right and proper response to hearing from the Lord that you have been disobedient, that He has noticed, and that you will suffer the painful and tragic consequences of your sin: tears, crying, and weeping.

The people mourned and sobbed over this rebuke from God (Judges 2:1–3). When no consequences immediately followed their refusal to drive the Canaanites out of their territories, they may have thought that God did not truly care. They had taken the easier path, and God had seemingly responded with silence. Perhaps they even took the Lord’s silence and the temporary peace that came with not fighting God’s enemies as evidence of His supposed approval.

Now, though, the Lord has graciously shown that His commands are meaningful. The consequence for breaking them is that He will act against Israel instead of acting for His people. Weeping is the most rational response to such news. Sadly, this incident highlights the difference between worldly, ultimately fruitless sorrow and the godly sorrow which leads to genuine change (2 Corinthians 7:10). Israel is saddened and unhappy, but the rest of the book of Judges shows they are not truly repentant. Over and over, they will ignore God’s will and suffer the promised consequences (Judges 2:11–15).

Verse 5. And they called the name of that place Bochim. And they sacrificed there to the Lord.

The Lord has just appeared to Israel in some visible, human form (Judges 2:1). He has rebuked Israel for disobeying His voice by not driving the Canaanites from the land as He commanded them to. Instead, the Israelites have allowed many of the Canaanites to live among them (Judges 2:2–3). They have allowed the Canaanites to continue to worship their false gods instead of Israel tearing down their altars and utterly destroying the depraved people (Deuteronomy 9:4–5; 20:16–18).

The result will be exactly as God warned them it would be. He would no longer participate in driving their Canaanite enemies from the land. The inhabitants of the land and their false gods would become bitter enemies, oppressors, and spiritual poison to the Israelites for years to come.

The people assembled here are likely leaders of Israel’s tribes. They have responded to the Lord with tears, lifting their voices in great mourning. In fact, the crying is so loud and pervasive that the place is called Bochim, which means “place of weeping.” In addition, the people perform animal sacrifices. These are a sign of humble repentance and desire for God’s forgiveness and restitution. However, their repentance before God seems to have been short-lived. This is the last time the book of Judges notes tears and sacrifices in response to the Lord’s rebuke.

Most of the book of Judges is taken up describing a centuries-long cycle of sin, rescue, and disobedience. Despite repeated reminders of God’s power and the danger of sin, Israel will persistently disobey and suffer as a result (Judges 2:11–15).

Verse 6. When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land.

There is a significant break between the events of Judges 2:1–5 and verse 6. Joshua was not at Bochim when the angel of the Lord rebuked the people. The events which inspired God’s rebuke happened after Joshua’s death (Judges 1:1). Rather, the writer of Judges makes a poetic choice to re-tell how Israel came to enter a cycle of sin and oppression (Judges 2:11–15). This passage provides the context of what God is doing, through the people’s sin and a series of rescuers: the judges.

To set this stage properly, the writer of Judges goes back to Joshua and repeats some of the information from Joshua 24. The initial campaign to take the land of Canaan has ended. Joshua sends the tribes to take possession of their specific territories in the land and to begin to drive out the Canaanites (Joshua 24:29–31).

Context Summary
Judges 2:6–10 is almost a second introduction to the book of Judges. It reiterates the end of Joshua’s life, when he sent the tribes to occupy their territories and drive the people from the land (Joshua 24:29–31). The people continued to follow the Lord all the days of Joshua’s life and his generation. He died and was buried on his allotted land in the territory of Ephraim at 110 years old. The generations following Joshua’s death did not acknowledge God or the work He had done for Israel.

Verse 7. And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel.

The writer of Judges is staging a second introduction to his book (Judges 2:6). To illustrate how Israel has fallen from their intended purpose, he has gone back to before Joshua had died. The passage here creates a context critical for understanding the rest of the book (Judges 2:11–15).

Joshua was a great leader for the Israelites. He served the people well after the death of Moses. He led them both in breaking the Canaanite stronghold on the land and in remaining faithful to the Lord. Under his leadership, the people continued to serve the Lord, until the day of his death (Joshua 24:27–31). In fact, Israel continued to serve the Lord while Joshua’s fellow elders lived. These were the people who had seen firsthand some of the miraculous deeds God had performed in His care of Israel.

Verse 8. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years.

Moses’ lieutenant Joshua, the son of a man named Nun, turned out to be one of Israel’s great leaders. Though he felt insecure at first about stepping into Moses’ position, he obeyed the Lord’s command to be strong and to have good courage. He led the people to obey the Lord in all things (Joshua 1:7–9). Joshua had made some mistakes, but under his faithful-to-the-Lord leadership, Israel had been strong. The people had followed Joshua’s example, for the most part, and had remained faithful to the Lord themselves (Judges 2:6–7).

Eventually, though, Joshua died at the age of 110 years old. Moses had lived to 120 years old. The lifespans reported in the Scriptures are growing shorter over time.

Joshua’s death has already been recorded in Scripture (Joshua 24:29–31), along with Israel’s disobedient failure to take over the Promised Land (Judges 1). Here, after recording a rebuke from God (Judges 2:1–6), the writer provides a reminder of how Israel has fallen from her intended purpose.

Verse 9. And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.

The death of Israel’s great leaders often marked the start of a new era in the people’s lives. Moses’ death outside the Promised Land began—at long last—Israel’s conquest of the land God had promised to His people so many years before. In much the same way, Joshua’s death begins a new season in the history of Israel. Unfortunately, this is a season of Israel falling into sin, crying out for rescue, and being temporarily led by “judges” raised up by God (Judges 2:11–15).

Before that pattern begins, Joshua is buried in the territory of his own tribe Ephraim at 110 years old. Specifically, Joshua is laid to rest at Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. Bible scholars put Joshua’s portion of the land about 15 miles, or 24 kilometers, southwest of Shechem, right in the heart of Israel.

Verse 10. And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

This sad verse represents the fear of every generation faithful to the Lord. How do you raise those who will come after you to be faithful to Him, as well? In this case, the writer of the book of Judges is going back, repeating information which was already recorded (Joshua 24:28–31). The first verses of Judges explained how Israel failed to follow through on their mission to take the Promised Land. The early part of chapter 2 included a rebuke from God (Judges 2:1–5). This passage (Judges 2:5–9) re-introduces the story, to give context for all that happens in the future.

Joshua, Israel’s great and faithful leader, died at an old age and was buried. All the people of his generation soon die off, as well. They are said to be “gathered to their fathers,” meaning that they join the previous generations who have died.

Now the next generation takes over. These children and grandchildren of Joshua’s generation are said to “not know” the Lord. In this context, that simply means they didn’t acknowledge God’s authority. They did not experience firsthand some of the mighty works that the Lord had done for Israel. They did not carry the same commitment to the Lord that Joshua had demonstrated during his years of service. Add to that the temptations of the Canaanites’ religious and immoral culture, and the results will be disastrous (Deuteronomy 20:16–18).

The rest of chapter 2 is a coarse synopsis of the book of Judges: Israel sins, falls into oppression, is rescued by a God-appointed “judge,” then sins again once that judge is gone (Judges 2:11–15).

Verse 11. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals.

The second part of this re-introduction to the book of Judges takes a painful turn. Joshua’s generation was faithful to the Lord, but the generation that followed was not. Verses 1–5 explain their first sin: They failed to drive out the Canaanites from the Promised Land. This is exactly what God had warned them would happen if they failed to purge the territory of this evil culture:

“But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded, that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 20:16–18).

Despite a clear command from God, Israel allowed the depraved Canaanites to stay. Those remnants almost immediately began to convert the people to follow a series of false gods, known as Baals, instead of Yahweh. The Hebrew word ba’al carries a broad range of meanings, but implies lordship, mastery, or ownership. In some ways, the term fits into Semitic language much as “God” or “god” does into English. In the Bible, this refers to idols in general, or to a specific fertility deity often worshipped in Canaan.

Context Summary
Judges 2:11–15 summarizes the source of Israel’s troubles in the book of Judges. This passage describes the rebellion of Israel against Yahweh after the time of Joshua. They abandon faithfulness to God and worship the gods of the Canaanites. Names associated with those false gods include Baal and Ashtaroth. As He promised, the Lord allows the faithless Israelites to be attacked and plundered. They suffer until they are in terrible distress. As the following passage describes, this is followed by God sending a rescuer—referred to as a “judge.” Yet, when that rescuer is gone, Israel returns to their sin (Judges 2:16–19). This cycle will continue for centuries.

Verse 12. And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger.

Before Israel came to the Promised Land of Canaan, God gave them both instruction and a warning. The Lord made it clear that Israel was to entirely purge the depraved, evil Canaanite culture from the region. Israel was not to tolerate, absorb, or accept them. A major reason for this was the danger of Israel learning to imitate the Canaanite’s evil practices (Deuteronomy 20:16–18). Another further reason was that God’s judgment on Canaanite sin was meant to come through conquest by Israel (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4–5).

Instead, Israel abandoned the Lord. The God of their Fathers dramatically and miraculously rescued them from slavery in Egypt (Judges 2:10). He was far and above more powerful, of course, than the false gods of the people of the land they would choose who worship, instead. Rather than worship God, the people worshiped Canaanite idols. This passage twice uses the term “abandoned,” implying the Israelites did not slowly drift into idolatry. They jumped into it, deliberately choosing the gods of Canaan over the God of Abraham. These false deities are referred to using names such as Baal and Ashtaroth.

The result of these choices is a phrase that should be terrifying: “…they provoked the LORD to anger.” Joshua had warned the people about this before he died, putting it in the harshest terms possible, “If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good” (Joshua 24:20). At that time, the people had claimed they would “serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:21). Instead, they will see what God will do when they reject Him.

Verse 13. They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth.

Israel failed to heed God’s warnings (Deuteronomy 20:16–18). As expected, their choice to live side-by-side with the depraved Canaanites meant a corruption of their spiritual lives. The people of Israel began to imitate the wicked practices of the Canaanites. This included worship of deities referred to using names such as Baal and Ashtaroth.

In Semitic languages, the term ba’al implies a master or lord. Used in a religious context, it can either mean one of many idols (Judges 2:11) or a specific fertility deity, which the Bible refers to simply as Baal. The female equivalent to these Baals were the Ashtaroth, likely related to the pagan goddess Astarte (Judges 2:13).

Scholars and historians describe many variations between these gods. In the most common version, Baal was the god of fertility and war. He was understood to have a sexual relationship with his female consort, Ashtoreth. The result of their sexual encounters was thought to bring fertility to those who worshiped them, along with abundant crops and herds and the financial security which they brought.

Worship of these Canaanite deities involved depraved practices such as temple prostitution. As is common even today, sexual temptations and the promise of greater wealth are powerful lures, drawing people away from faith in God. In some instances, worship of Canaanite idols included human and child sacrifice. The temptation to sacrifice innocent lives for the sake of prosperity is faced by modern culture, as well, in the form of aborting the unborn.

Verse 14. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies.

The sin of the Israelites went beyond merely bowing down to other gods. That, alone, would have been enough to earn the Lord’s anger (Judges 2:11–13). Israel went further, though, imitating the depraved practices of the Canaanites, as God had commanded them to avoid (Deuteronomy 20:16–18). This would have included participating in extreme sexual immorality associated with the worship of Baal and Ashtaroth, as well as human or child sacrifice.

With His anger burning, the Lord took steps to actively punish Israel, just as Joshua said He would if they worshiped other gods (Joshua 24:20). The Lord allowed raiders to come against the tribes. These oppressors would take belongings and, likely, people. God allowed the Israelites to fall into the hands of their enemies, such that Israel could not resist those who attacked.

Scripture doesn’t yet say who these antagonists are. The early verses of chapter 3 will give a broad summary of the nations who troubled Israel. To a large extent, their identity isn’t important. Israel’s sin was against God; He used the wicked nations around them to cause harm in punishment for breaking their covenant with Him.

Verse 15. Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.

When Israel first entered the land of Canaan, the “Promised Land” meant for Israel, the hand of God was with them. God’s plan and purpose was to purge the depravity of Canaanite culture from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4–5). When they attacked other peoples, they often won easily, even against overwhelming odds, because the Lord fought for them.

Now the exact opposite has come to pass. It’s not that the Lord has stopped fighting for Israel against her enemies. It’s that the hand of the Lord is against His chosen people to harm them. He batters Israel with her enemies, just as He promised to do if the people broke their covenant with Him by worshiping other gods. The Lord was true to His word.

The final sentence of this verse may be an understatement: As a direct result of abandoning the Lord and participating in the wicked worship practices of other gods, the Israelites were in terrible distress at the Lord’s hand.

Verse 16. Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them.

Everything between Judges 2:6 and Judges 3:6 is an introduction. This segment of the Old Testament summarizes the pattern of God’s relationship with the Israelites in their early years in Canaan. Verses 16 through 23 give a concise rundown of the cycle Israel will experience for the next several centuries. They abandoned God to worship idols, following the horrific evils of the Canaanites (Judges 2:11–15). In righteous anger, the Lord allowed Israel to be hammered by her enemies until she could not even stand.

This does not mean God completely abandoned Israel. The nation was not allowed to die or dissolve. Rather, when the people reached a point of terrible distress, God would send a rescuer, or group of rescuers. These figures are labeled using the Hebrew term sōpetim’, from the root word shaphat. This expression is translated into English as “judge,” but carries a much broader meaning. The original word includes concepts such as vindication, vengeance, defense, rescue, and advocacy.

These figures were leaders wielding power in civic, military, and spiritual ways. Each served their purpose in a unique manner. Their primary role was as “deliverers;” they were not necessarily presiding over courts of law. In some cases, they were called on to render judgment. For the most part, the “judges” were men and women supernaturally enabled by God to save Israel from oppression by other nations. Famous names associated with these Old Testament heroes include Samson (Judges 13—16), Gideon (Judges 6—8), and Deborah (Judges 4—5).

The chapters to follow describe a pattern consistent between the careers of each judge. Israel will abandon God and participate in idolatry and sin. The weakened nation will suffer and fall to an oppressive enemy. When Israel cries out, God will send a “judge” to rescue the nation, to save Israel from their antagonists and their sinful ways. Eventually, when the judge dies, Israel will again slide into the moral abyss; the cycle will begin again. Each time, Israel’s path sinks lower and lower, spiraling down into catastrophe (Judges 21:25).

Context Summary
Judges 2:16–23 describes the pattern developed and repeated after the death of Joshua. The Israelites begin with freedom and faithfulness towards God. Then they fall into idolatry and sin. In response, they are overcome by their enemies. When the suffering of the Israelites becomes great, God raises up judges—military and civic leaders—to save Israel from their enemies. When the judge dies, the Israelites soon return to their sinful worship of Canaan’s gods. Each time, Israel’s idolatry worsens, and their faith becomes weaker.

Verse 17. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so.

The writer of the book of Judges is describing a pattern that will repeat throughout the chapters ahead. The Israelites will abandon the Lord and worship other gods. The Lord’s anger will burn, and He will use the nations of Canaan to punish His own people. Once His people are in great distress, the Lord will raise up human rescuers—”judges”—to save the people from their attackers.

Each time a judge arises to rescue the people, they temporarily turn back to God. Unlike previous generations who mostly obeyed the Lord’s commandments, and sometimes drifted into serious sin, the Israelites living in Canaan will mostly reject God. As this verse emphasizes, Israel will not maintain spiritual faithfulness.

Those reading the Old Testament for the first time are often shocked by the harsh, almost rancid language used to describe sins such as idolatry. In many cases, Scripture refers to the word “whore:” an aggressively negative term associated with prostitution or depraved sexuality. The original Hebrew word is zānāh. Some translations politely render this as “played the harlot.” There is a purposeful sense of God’s distaste—even disgust—in such descriptions.

Such terms connect to the Bible’s perception of spiritual adultery, especially as it relates to Israel’s relationship with God. God’s intent was to have a committed, one-on-one relationship with Israel. He made a covenant with the nation comparable to a marriage. He would do good for them so long as they were faithful and obedient to Him. When Israel worshiped and served other gods, the Lord’s anger is described as righteous indignation. This is very deliberately compared to the wrath of a spouse whose partner is having sex with others.

Verse 18. Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them.

Showing great mercy, God pitied Israel when their suffering became great. This is despite their suffering being the result of their own sin; God was merely allowing them to experience the natural consequences of idolatry and depravity. Still, when their affliction was intense and they cried out for rescue, God would raise up “judges” (Judges 2:16) to save His people. The Lord would work powerfully through the judge, protecting and saving Israel through them.

The following verses explain the unfortunate pattern that emerged in Israel’s early years in Canaan. When rescued, the people would repent, to a point, and be faithful to God for a time. That repentance was always short-lived, as they soon went back to their old ways (Judges 2:19). In fact, Israel’s sin became worse and worse over time, spiraling downward into deeper darkness.

Verse 19. But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.

The pattern being described here (Judges 2:11–18) repeats over and over in the following chapters. The Israelites will abandon God, committing spiritual adultery by worshiping other gods, and participate in the horrific evils of the people of Canaan. The Lord will grow angry and allow them to be attacked and enslaved. When their suffering reaches a critical point, God will send a deliverer—known as a “judge”—to save Israel from their affliction. Unfortunately, this is never a lasting solution.

God would continue to faithfully protect Israel, through that judge, all the days of his or her life. But as soon as that influence is removed, the Israelites turn back to worshiping other gods, starting the pattern over again. The people were troubled and somewhat sorry, but never truly transformed (2 Corinthians 7:10). In fact, the only noticeable change was for the worse; each generation grew more and more corrupt as they moved deeper into their sinful worship of other gods. Despite God’s persistent intervention, their wickedness escalated.

Verse 20. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice,

This brings us back to a similar pronouncement, from God, made at the beginning of this chapter (Judges 2:1–5). Because of Israel’s failure to purge the evil Canaanites from the land, He will stop aiding them in their conquest (Judges 2:21).

There are two ways to read the beginning of this verse. It’s possible to read the phrasing to mean either “in this way,” or “for this reason.” Either fits the meaning of the passage. The Lord’s anger against Israel is expressed in allowing them to suffer oppression and violence from surrounding nations (Judges 2:16–19). At the same time, Israel’s suffering is earned by their constant disloyalty to God, choosing to follow the evil sins of the Canaanites (Judges 2:11–15).

Likewise, there are two levels in which these verses are applied, in practice. Because Israel failed to follow God’s directions for purging the Promised Land of evil (Deuteronomy 20:16–18), God allowed the local Canaanites to remain. This led to temptation and corruption of the people of Israel. At the same time, God chooses to no longer aid Israel in conquering territory which is part of the Promised Land. The growth of Israel, in the Old Testament, stops well short of the borders guaranteed in God’s covenant with their ancestors. Israel will not control their fully allotted territory until the end times (Joshua 1:4; Revelation 20:1–6).

Verse 21. I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died,

A pattern in the relationship between God and Israel repeats over and over in the book of Judges:

• The people abandon the Lord to worship idols, often in perverse or violent ways.
• The Lord’s anger burns at His people Israel for their unfaithfulness to Him; this is “spiritual adultery.”
• In His anger, the Lord uses Israel’s enemies to bring the people to their knees.
• When Israelite suffering is terrible, God sends a judge—a deliverer—to save the people.
• God maintains His protection so long as that judge lives.
• When the judge dies, the people fall further into sin than before.

Here, the Lord promises not to drive out any of Israel’s enemies that were still in the land when Joshua died. The implication is that God would have allowed Israel to take all her allotted territory if they had remained faithful. That was the goal He communicated to them. That was not the path they followed. As a result, they would never come close to possessing all the territory to which they were entitled (Joshua 1:4). Only in the end times will Israel realize full possession of the Promised Land (Revelation 20:1–6).

Those living in unconquered territories will be persistent oppressors and raiders against Israel (Judges 3:1–4). The groups living in conquered territories—those whom Israel failed to destroy (Deuteronomy 20:16–18)—will be a constant source of temptation and spiritual poison (Judges 2:22; 3:5–6).

Verse 22. in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.”

Because of Israel’s repeated unfaithfulness to Him with other gods, the Lord has declared that He will not drive out Israel’s enemies. Had they been faithful, and obedient (Deuteronomy 20:16–18), they could have conquered all the land promised to their ancestors (Joshua 1:14). Instead, the Lord will leave those enemies thriving in the land of Canaan, so they can test Israel. Some will live among Israel in captured lands, tempting the people to idolatry and sin (Judges 3:5–6). Others will remain in their un-disturbed kingdoms, launching raids and war against the tribes of Israel (Judges 3:1–4).

The “testing” performed here is really more of a “proving.” God knows exactly what the results will be. Creating these opportunities, however, makes it clear whether the Israelites will turn to Him when their enemies torment them—or if they will remain unfaithful. The Lord will leave hostile nations intact to test—really, to demonstrate—Israel’s lack of repentance over their sinful ways.

Verse 23. So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

This verse offers a partial explanation for why Joshua did not complete a conquest of the entire Promised Land (Joshua 1:4) prior to his death. Even though Joshua was faithful to the Lord, and the Lord’s hand was with Joshua, the people of Israel were not so loyal. Thanks to Israel’s complacency and disobedience (Deuteronomy 20:16–18), God allowed some of Israel’s enemies to survive. These foes rose against Israel later, as God’s chosen people rebelled against their Lord.

In this way, the Lord will use these enemies to test His people—in truth, to prove beyond all doubt—whether they would begin to obey Him again when they were under duress.

End of Judges 2

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