Problematic Patterns- Judges 2:16-3:6

Today we are going to wrap up the introduction to the book of Judges. This final section of the opening passages will successfully set the table for what we can expect in the individual stories that will unfold in the remainder of this important work. In any good introduction of a paper or essay, the writer will highlight what will be discussed/argued by means of a thesis statement and outline of the major points. Here, in this final portion of the writer’s introduction of Judges, something like this occurs as three patterns are presented that will reemerge again and again in the rest of the book. What is described here is what the reader can expect to see in the remainder of the story (again and again). Therefore, let’s explore these patterns today and learn how important it is to give up pursuing what is prohibited while God is still standing in our way.

1) PATTERN #1: The Program-2:16-19

During this tumultuous period in Israel’s storied history, a certain pattern unfolded in the way that God dealt with his people and the way that God’s people responded. The program that develops is simple and two-fold: God would bestow graces upon his people that they didn’t deserve and then God’s people would fail miserably to respond positively to that grace. (Hey, I didn’t say it was pretty). Judges 2:16-3:6 serves as a kind of preemptive summary of the remainder of the book. The trends and themes introduced here will be revisited with each and every judge that is described in further detail as the book progresses.

As already introduced, the patterned program begins with God’s grace. In this case, God’s grace comes in the form of judges—“then the Lord raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them,…” (2:16). As already mentioned, “judges” are not “judges” in a judicial sense as much as they are military/tribal leaders who were responsible for giving God’s people moral direction during this period. It is obvious that in the appointment of these judges that God’s anger did not cause him to totally abandon his people (or his promises made to them). Instead, and even though they didn’t deserve it, God would “raise up” judges to provided much-needed leadership in troubling times in an effort to provide deliverance. Interestingly, “deliver” (יָשַׁע) can be translated “saved” along with the connotations of redemption. God sent leaders to provide redemption even/especially when the people receiving such did not deserve it.

You would think that such generosity and grace would engender allegiance and contrition in the minds and hearts of God’s people during this period. However, they responded to such in a very different way: “Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do as their fathers…” (2:17). In the face of grace, the people of God failed on many levels. First, they failed to listen to a message that was there to provide much needed guidance in a chaotic context. Second, they forsook their gracious God and ran around with other suitors who only took from them (their freedom, their blessing, etc.). Third, they abandoned the well-lit paths/examples of obedience in which their fathers walked and walked down the dark roads of wickedness. We are talking about failure in massive proportions. Rather than reaching newer and better heights of covenant relationship with their great God, they prostituted themselves and with every passing generation “reached new depths of corruption and became more stubbornly entrenched in its idolatry” (Chisholm, Judges and Ruth, 158).

You might say, well that is just one example. However, the same program repeats itself in the next verses (same song second stanza). First, God would extend grace: “When the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judges;…” (2:18a). Added to the description of the Judges here is the detail of what God empowered them to do. God did not just raise people up to lead; God himself was “with the judge” and by being “with” them he would “deliver them from the hand of their enemies.” In other words, He was providing much-needed leadership to those who had proved unfaithful and undeserved victory! Why? The rest of verse 18 explains “for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them,” (2:18b). The idea of the Lord being “moved to pity” is a major theme throughout the book with significant implications. The word (nahama-“to breathe deeply”) can take several different connotations (many of which might be present here). It can mean to perform mourning rites, regret/change one’s mind, or grieve/feel sorry for. While the last option appears to be the primary motivating action here, it is possible that, as God is depicted elsewhere, this is an example of God threatening his people with harm (see 2:15) but then changing his mind. Sometimes, God is said to change his mind when the threatened persons repent (see Jeremiah 18:8; 26:3, 13, 19; Jonah 3:9-10). Other times this happens when someone calls upon the Lord on behalf of the threatened (Exod. 32:12, 14; Amos 7:3, 6). In some cases God is said to cease punishing after he deems the extent of a consequence sufficient (2 Sam. 24:16). Finally, on other occasions, God is said to change his mind when his people agree to his will (Jer. 42:10) (options taken from note in Block, Judges, Ruth, 131). This backdrop reveals the extent of God’s mercy in this particular case in Judges—the people have not repented, no one is praying on their behalf, the punishment does not appear too severe, and the Israelites have not agreed to do anything remotely close to God’s will. In spite of this, God still extends the hand of grace!  WOW!

However, as already mentioned in verses 16-17, the love, mercy, and grace of God to move on behalf of his people does nothing to elicit obedience and repentance on behalf of Israel. Verse 19 reads, “But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways” (2:19). The program is as follows: disobedient and adulterous people whine—God extends grace—grace yields judges—judges lead victories—judges die—people grow even more corrupt. This program is a vicious, embarrassing, and altogether woeful cycle.

2) PATTERN #2: The Punishment-2:20-23

Perhaps this loathsome program is why “the anger of the Lord burned against Israel” throughout this period (2:20a). The idea of God’s anger as a burning fire was first introduced in 2:14 and is repeated here (to be seen again). God is, after all and “all-consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29)—a fire that can purify as well as burn and here, the intent is for latter (burning) to bring about the former.

God’s burning wrath and the decision made as result is put into words in verses 20-22 when it says, “‘Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not listened to my voice, I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it as their fathers did, or not,’…” (2:20-22). This statement might be divided out into three parts. First, God’s accusation is found in the last part of verse 20. “This nation” had broken (“transgressed”) his covenant and had “not listened” to Yahweh’s voice. Second God describes his reaction (2:21-“I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died”). Instead of going ahead of Israel to sweep away their enemies, God disengages his power and influence that would bring about forward progress. If you read ahead in the rest of the book, the battles fought are no longer offensive, but defensive. After the accusations and the reaction, God explains his motive—"to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it as their fathers did, or not,…” (2:22). Though, given what we’ve already read in this book, one can already predict the outcome of this test, what this test reveals is how the grace and patience of God provides opportunity after opportunity for his people to learn something (about God’s superiority) and finally get it right, in spite of a terrible track record.

This declaration is followed by a demonstration of the follow through—“So the Lord allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out quickly; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua,…” (2:23). Joshua? I thought he was dead? He is at this point. What the narrator is doing here is looking back to explain what God would use to judge his people. Those few nations that God did not hand over to Joshua while he was alive were initially left in the region to test Israel and see if they would follow up with what began under Joshua’s leadership. They failed miserably and so, as a result, God allowed those nations to remain and prove to be an instrument of judgement against his feckless people. The idea of “remaining” suggests that the nations were under no real threat and were allowed to “rest” right where they were. What is tragic here is that the very same rest God had achieved for Israel under the leadership of Joshua was now being granted to the Canaanites and other nations as they were allowed to “remain” and not be “driven out quickly.”

3) PATTERN #3: The Players-3:1-6

After describing the program that readers will see again and again in the book and the pattern of punishment that will ensue in the following passages, the writer introduces the reader to the players that will emerge repeatedly in the rest of this chapter of Israel’s history. Judges 3:1-2 reads as follows: “Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly)…” (3:1-2). The beginning of chapter 3 serves as a reminder of what was already explained at the end of chapter 2. The Lord left these nations here to test Israel—will they or will they not “accept Yahweh as their sovereign and their responsibility in fulfilling his agenda” (Block, Judges, Ruth, 137).

Which nations need to be rooted out? They are listed in verse 3—“These nations are: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath” (3:3). Let’s take a moment to learn a little about these characters as we will be seeing them time and time again in this book. The Philistines were originally a sea-faring people who had settled along the coastal plain of then Canaan. Eventually give major city-states emerged that worked independently and together to consolidate power in this region: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron (Josh 13:2-3). Sadly, it is not until a strong monarchy under David and Solomon that we will see an end to the Philistine influence in this region. The Canaanites, particularly “all the Canaanites” refers to all the people of this region at the time this was written, including the Sidonians. The Sidonians represent the people of Lebanon and Phoenicia, which bordered on the norther edge of Israel’s jurisdiction. The city-state of Sidon was a major seaport on the Mediterranean coast. Added to these are the Hivites which inhabited an area in the central hill country of Canaan ranging from Gibeon, near Jerusalem to Shechem and on north to Mount Hermon. North south, east west and central, God left people in every corner of this region that was supposed to belong to Israel to judge her for her idolatry. Once again, the narrator explains why these were left--"They were for testing Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses” (3:4).

How do they do on their test?

There is nothing worse as a teacher than going to grade and essay and realizing from the very beginning that the student has not read or has misread the prompt. From the start of their introduction it becomes clear that they are missing the focus of what was asked and have failed to do what I’ve requested. The same happens here as articulated in verses 5-6—“The sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.” Not only does Israel fail to drive out the enemies, they marry the enemy, give their daughters to the enemy, and served their gods. YIKES!

So What?

These three patterns demonstrate that one of the worst things that God could do is give us what we want. The people of Israel wanted to give up on their program of conquest and endorse a program of adoption—adoption of pagan people into their families and pagan gods into their worship. The people of Israel wanted to trade activities that would translate into blessings from God for those things that would incur his punishment and wrath. They wanted to trade the prospect of being set apart for settling to be one of many. Rather than stand in the way of these things and keep his people from the inevitable tragedy that these choices would bring, God says in the book of Judges “go ahead.”

Friends, one of the scariest things God could tell you to do today is the very same thing: “go ahead” or “have it your way.” Sometimes the things that we choose to pursue, some of the choices that we are trying to make, may be frustrated and difficult to achieve. We complain and wonder why it isn’t easier, and yet, have you ever stopped to consider that maybe it is God himself who is keeping you from that or standing in your way for your own good? This is especially true when we are pursuing those things that God’s word tells us that are wrong. It is God’s grace that keeps us from fulfilling those desires that are outside the scope of his will or against his Word. The worst thing that he could do in these situations is give you the green light. And if he does, watch out. Though it might bring our flesh relief to get the go ahead, just because God doesn't keep you from doing wrong doesn't mean we can afford to continue down that road in the long run. The implications of our endorsement of sin, though not always immediate, will lead to destruction and God is not above allowing us to experience a measure of that so that we re-learn who he is and what he desires (even if that means learning the hard way).