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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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ISRAEL FAILED TO
COMPLETE THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN (Judges 1:16-36)
6/12/13 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert
(adapted from Expositor’s Bible Commentary) I. REVIEW A. History of the Promised Land B. Joshua’ Death (1-2) C. Judah is Victorious (3-10) D. Caleb’s Challenge (11-15) II. JUDAH’S SUCCESS (16-20) A. Kenites Joins Judah (16) 1. The Kenites, an ancient Canaanite people
(Gen 15:19) connected with the Amalekites, had been friendly to Israel during
the wilderness wanderings. Moses had, in fact, married a Kenite girl. The
Kenites left Jericho, the “City of Palms” (3:13), and joined some people of
Judah living near Arad, an important city sixteen miles directly south of
Hebron. Moses had defeated the king of Arad as Israel skirted southern
Palestine (Num 21:1–3), and Joshua later counted Arad’s king among his
victims (Josh 12:14). B. Judah Captures Zephath (17) 1. Judah together with Simeon successfully captured Zephath,
renaming it Hormah. Hormah was allotted to Simeon by Joshua (Josh 19:4).
Since the name means “total destruction,” it may be the same Hormah
demolished by Moses near Arad (Num 21:1–3). The complete destruction recalls
the Lord’s command to wipe out the Canaanites and their livestock and give
all the articles of silver and gold to the sanctuary (Deut 7:1–2; 20:16–17;
Josh 6:17–19). C. Judah Captures Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron (18) 1. The capture of Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron by Judah must have
been temporary (cf. v.19). These were Philistine cities along the coast,
though the main migration of the Philistines did not reach Palestine till
1200 b.c. The order of the three
cities suggests an invasion from the south. During Samson’s time the cities
were once again under Philistine control (cf. 14:19; 16:21; 1 Sam 5:10; et
al.) D. Judah Fails to Control the Plains (19) 1. While notably successful in the hilly regions of central Palestine,
Judah failed to control the plains. The Israelites were no match for the iron
chariots that functioned effectively on the level terrain along the coast. In
chapters 4–5 the importance of these Canaanite chariots is dramatically shown
in battle against Deborah. E. Hebron Given to Caleb (20) 1. Taking Hebron represented the key achievement of Judah, and
v.20 attributes its capture to Caleb. Hebron was also a city of refuge
belonging to the priests (Josh 20:7; 21:11), but its fields and suburbs were
Caleb’s own possession (Josh 21:12). III. BENJAMIN’S FAILURE (21) 1. Benjamin’s main city was Jerusalem, but neither Benjamin nor
Judah could dislodge the Jebusites. An alternate name for Jerusalem is
“Jebus” (19:10), which attests to the long attachment of the Jebusites to
this natural stronghold. 2. Many associate them with the Hurrians,
who were particularly influential in Mesopotamia and Asia Minor during the
second millennium b.c. (Expositor’s
Commentary) IV. HOUSE OF JOSEPH’S SUCCESS (22-26) A. Ephraim and Manasseh Capture Bethel
(22-23) 1. The two tribes (Ephraim and Manasseh) probably cooperated in
the capture of Bethel, since the attack is attributed to “the house of
Joseph.” However the city was within Ephraim’s territory. Bethel means “house
of God.” It was the name that Jacob gave, after God’s revelation to him there
(Gen 28:19). As God promised to protect the patriarch, so he “was with” the
Joseph tribes here. 2. To capture Bethel, Israel followed the
strategy used earlier at Jericho. Spies were sent there (v.23), and they
found a man willing to show them the entrance to the city. This may have been
a secret tunnel, perhaps connected with the water system B. An Informant Helps Them and is Spared (24-26) 1. In return for his cooperation, the spies
promised safety for the informer. The idiom to treat “kindly” (cf. v.24) is
the word ḥeseḏ which refers to “loyalty” to the terms of
an agreement. The same idiom was applied in Rahab’s case (Jos 2:12). The word
often is used of God’s faithfulness to his covenant promises. 2. The informant and his family were spared
and given safe passage. They migrated into land controlled by the Hittites,
where they built a city and named it “Luz.” Though somewhere in present day
Syria and Palestine, It has yet to be located by archaeologists. V. MANASSEH’S FAILURE (27-28) A. Manasseh Fails to Take Beth-shean, Taanach, and its villages, Dor, Ibleam,
and Megiddo 1. Manasseh’s allotment included several key
cities in the Valley of Jezreel, which extended from the Sea of Galilee to
the Mediterranean. Joshua 17:16 mentions the “chariots of iron” which
contributed to Manasseh’s failure. 2. Beth Shan was an important fortress
controlling a trading route across the Jordan. Egyptian troops were stationed
there well into the twelfth century. 3. Taanach was five miles southeast of
Megiddo, and the two cities frequently are mentioned together (cf. 5:19).
Megiddo, located on the main route from Egypt to the north (the “way of the
sea”), controlled the pass at the entrance to the Jezreel Valley. It too
remained under Egyptian domination till about 1150 B.C. Dor lies along the
Mediterranean coast south of Carmel; Ibleam is situated at the southern end of
the Jezreel Valley near Dothan. 4. Joshua had defeated the kings of Taanach,
Megiddo, and Dor (Josh 12:21, 23), but a permanent Israelite occupation did
not follow. The Canaanites, like the Amorites in vv.34–35, were determined to
keep their living areas and resist Israel. B. Canaanites Become Forced Laborers (28) 1. The most the Israelites could do was to
exploit the Canaanites as a cheap labor force. 2. Moses earlier had instructed the nation
to use the residents of peaceful cities near Canaan as forced laborers, but
the peoples of Canaan were to be totally destroyed (De 20:11–17). VI. EPHRAIM’S FAILURE (29) A. Ephraim failed to gain possession of
Gezer, a city strategically located in the foothills, eighteen miles west of
Jerusalem. B. Ephraim could not defeat Gezer, but put
them to forced labor. Gezer was one of the last major cities to come under
full control of Israel. VII. ZEBULUN’S FAILURE (30) A. Zebulun’s territory was north of Manasseh’s.
They did not defeat Kitron and Nahalol, but subjected them to forced labor. B. These cities have not been positively
identified, but, they likely were situated on the northern edge of the
Jezreel Valley. VIII. ASHER’S FAILURE (31-32) A. The tribe of Asher was unable to drive out
the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab,
Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. B. The northern part of their territory
became known as Phoenicia. Here, Tyre and Sidon led a strong Canaanite
culture steeped in Baal worship. Their culture and religion had a strong
influence on Israel, especially during the reigns of Solomon and Ahab. IX. NAPHTALI’S FAILUE (33) A. Naphtali followed suit and did not drive
out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh or
Beth-anath. The also forced them to labor. Beth-shemesh is different from the
more famous Beth-shemesh located in Judah (1Sa 6). The name means “house of
sun” probably for its worship of the “sun god.” B. Beth Anath, contains the name of Anath,
the Canaanite goddess of war and both consort and sister of Baal. It has been
identified with modern el-Ba‘neh near Naphtali’s western border. X. DAN’S FAILURE (34-36) A. The fortunes of the tribe of Dan have a
certain prominence in Judges (see ch. 18). Their difficulties stemmed from
Amorite pressure to keep them out of the plains and valleys (v.34), where
most of their inheritance lay. The Amorites, normally found in the hill
country (Num 13:29), are at times associated with the Philistines (1 Sam
7:14). They kept control of Aijalon, eleven miles northwest of Jerusalem, and
nearby Shaalbim (v.35, or Shaalabbin). Mount Heres (“sun” mountain) is
probably the Beth Shemesh fifteen miles west of Jerusalem. In Joshua
19:41–42, Ir Shemesh (ʿîr šāmeš, “city of the sun”) is listed right
before Shaalabbin and Aijalon. After the Danites migrated north, the nearby
tribe of Ephraim finally subjugated the Amorites. B. The final statement in the chapter (v.36)
shows how much land was in the hands of the Amorites. The “Ascent of
Akrabbim” (cf. NIV mg.), or “Scorpion Pass,” is located south of the Dead
Sea, at the southern border of the Promised Land (Josh 15:2–3). XI. OBSERVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS A. God, as Lord over the earth and everything
in it, had sovereign right to give His land to the Israelites. B. When Israel was sent to take the land,
they were to first offer peace to that city. Those that were peaceful could
be used in forced labor, not slavery (De 20:10-11). This was God’s mercy. C. However, if that city rejected the Lord
and His people, Israel was to besiege it. The men were to be killed, but
women and children could be kept as the spoils (De 20:12-15). D. If the city was part of the Lord’s
inheritance to Israel, they were to utterly destroy them (De 20:16-17). E. The reason for utter destruction was so
that Israel was not influenced by them to sin against the Lord (De 20:18). F. God has the right to punish those who
rebel against Him. He has the right to use any means of punishment (Israel)
He desires. God also has the sovereign right to punish the wicked to any
degree He determines, including death. |
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