Judges 1 and 2

Read Judges 1 and 2 at Bible Gateway.

The Hebrew paragraph divisions for today’s chapters are:

Jud 1:1-7 {p} The Canaanites of Bezek with their lord delivered into Judah’s hand;
Jud 1:8-15 {p} The Canaanites of Jerusalem + Hebron + Debir delivered into Judah + Caleb’s hand;
Jud 1:16-21 {p} The Kenites/ Judah conquered Hormah + Gaza + Ashkelon + Ekron + mountains/ Benjaminites;
Jud 1:22-26 {p} The house of Joseph conquered Bethel;
Jud 1:27-28 {s} Manasseh did not drive out the Canaanites in their land;
Jud 1:29 {s} Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites in Gezer;
Jud 1:30 {s} Zebulon did not drive out the Canaanites in their land;
Jud 1:31-32 {s} Asher did not drive out the Canaanites in their land;
Jud 1:33-36 {p} Naphtali did not drive out the Canaanites / Amorites forced Dan to dwell in the mountains;
Jud 2:1a {p} 2:1 Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim;
Jud 2:1b-5 {p} As Israel did not drive out the Canaanites, neither will the LORD drive them out;
Jud 2:6-10 {p} The generation who knew the LORD + death of Joshua + the generation who did not know the LORD;
Jud 2:11-23 {p} Summary of Judges: Israel forsook the LORD + oppression + judges who delivered them + repeat.

The strong theme in today’s chapters:

Jud 1:27-36 {sx4+p} Manasseh + Ephraim + Zebulon + Asher + Naphtali + Dan did not drive out the Canaanites;

Chapters 1 and 2 of Judges is like a summary of the detailed history that we will be reading in Judges: Israel drove out some of the inhabitants, but not all. So they did evil in the sight of the LORD, were oppressed because of it, but then God raised up a judge for them. When the judge died, they again did evil in the sight of the LORD. Rewind and repeat.

The narrative of Judges opens with the two tribes, Judah and Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) who successfully and actively sought to drive the Canaanites out of their territory. Judah received the birthright of the firstborn, and he is leading the other tribes by his example of courage, to go up and defeat the Canaanites, for the LORD is will be with you. (Today Judah has returned to the Land first, in advance of the other dispersed tribes, and must throw off the narrative of political correctness and possess his land, for the LORD will be with him.) But the rest of the tribes got complacent after Joshua’s death, and ceased trying to drive the Canaanites out, despite Moses’ warning, and despite Joshua’s warning.

Then something curious happened. Here is the chiastic structure:

Jud 2:6-10 {p}

1a) Jud 2:6-7, Israel possessed the land + served the LORD in the generation who had seen the LORD’s great works;

1b) Jud 2:8, Joshua the servant of the Lord, died when he was one hundred and ten years old;

central axis) Jud 2:9, “And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash;” 

2b) Jud 2:10a, When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers;

2a) Jud 2:10b {p} Another generation arose who did not know the LORD nor His works.

We find from the next paragraph, that the generation who knew the LORD and His works, served the LORD. But the generation who did not know the LORD and His works, did not serve the LORD. They forsook the LORD and served the idols of the Canaanites. They forsook the LORD’s commandments and did not walk in His ways.

How could such a thing happen? How could the children not know what the LORD did for the fathers? If the fathers did not do as the LORD instructed in Deu 6:21, to teach the children His word diligently, then they would not know. If the fathers were not careful to celebrate the LORD’s feasts, each one with its specific memorials of the LORD’s great works that He did among Israel, then the children would not know. In other words, the generation of the fathers served the LORD, except in that which He commanded them to do with their children, and as a result, the culture and worldview of the parents was not passed down to become the culture and worldview of the children. These things were written for our instruction, parents (1 Cor 10:11)!