Bro. Bruce's commentaries for the books of Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus are
now available in hard copy for $7.50. Just mail your request for COMMENTARY ON GENESIS to the address above.

JUDGES

CHAPTER 2

1 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 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 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 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 And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.

When we see the term "angel of the Lord" in the Old Testament, we must remember that this is more than likely an appearance of Christ Himself. Who else could make the statements in verses 1-3 with the personal pronoun "I?"
It was God Himself Who brought Israel out of slavery into the Promised Land. And it is God only Who can make a covenant not to be broken.
The message He brings is that they have backslidden, and failed to obey His commands. God had told them not to "make league" (verse 2) with the peoople of the land. God had commanded that they "utterly destroy" the inhabitants (Deuteronomy 7:1-2). But they had allowed the inhabitants to be placed under the tribute and remain (Judges 1:27-36).
Now God's prophecy is that this will become "thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you" (verse 3).
The keny thing to remember here, as Christians, is that obedience brings peace and blessings from God, but disobedience causes us to fall into the devil's traps.

6 And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. 7 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 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. 9 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash. 10 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.

Evidently the "angel of the Lord" did not appear until after Joshua's death, and after the deaths of the leaders who followed Joshua's commandment (Joshua 24:15-28).
Verse 7 tells us that the leaders AFTER Joshua faithfully followed God. But the, the next generation "knew not the Lord."
How can that happen? Can we be good examples of faith, and yet not pass on the faith? Is it possible for a generation of faithful believers to LIVE in Christ, and yet not DISCIPLE new believers to Christ?
Yes. It is sad to say, but it can happen. Back in chapter 1, verses 17-33, a statement was made in the notes that ownership and possession of salvation are two distinctly different things.
If we love the Lord, live in truth, make our decisions based on His desires - and yet do not WINTESS and TESTIFY and DISCIPLE others, then we are babies in faith that never grew up! And children who never grow up cannot procreate.
Therefore, look at what verse 11 says.

11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: 12 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 And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. 14 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 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.

They "did evil in the sight of the Lord,..." They "forsook" the Lord God of their fathers, and they began to corrupt their worship by accepting the false gods of those people whom they had conquered.
By these statements, we can see that we do "evil in the sight of the Lord," when we respect such things as luck, superstitions and horoscopes.
We find in these verses (verses 12, 14, 15) that God is angry when His people do such things. Not only is God angry, but He provides disciplinary action by allowing forces of evil to come against us. BUT ....

16 Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.

God is MERCIFUL. He will "raise up" prophets and judges to admonish us and lead us correctly. God LOVES people and wants to see them saved from the sins of the world. God does not desire that we suffer under evil forces. So He is always sending prophets to tell us and judges to show us the way of deliverance.

17 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 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 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. 20 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 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died: 22 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 Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.

Why is it that man, even saved man, prostitutes his spirituality by chasing after false gods? Because it is in the nature of mankind, by our own volition, to do evil!!
We desire to run things OUR way. Mankind is quick to turn away from the Lord God our Creator and to try and run things our own way. We are quick to rationalize God and try to make Him be what WE WANT Him to be, rather than to let Him MAKE US what HE WANTS us to be.
THANK GOD FOR HIS MERCY!!
He sent them judges, and His power was WITH the judges to help them deliver the people.
But here we see a pattern. Just as soon as the judge died, the people again would turn to evil. That pattern is in all the world - not just Israel.
After they turned away from God, He would become (as a loving Father does) angry with His children. But then, in His inexhaustive mercy, God would again send a judge to deliver them.
The last 3 verses of this chapter tell us a little about God's quest with mankind. God did not help them to drive out all the inhabitants of the land, because He realized they were lacadaisical in attitude and would not "earnestly contend for the faith."
Therefore, God left the corrupt people, and the Israelites had to contend with them.
Isn't that the way it is in the world today? Why doesn't God just remove evil people so that the saved can live lives of peace?
Because if faith is not "tested" it does not become strong. Just as metal to be tempered must first go into the fire, then the water, then the fire, etc. God tempers man's faith. It is not for God's benefit, it is for our benefit.
Human beings tend to fight for those things they consider of great value. We cannot learn the value of faith to overcome adversity if it is never tested WITH adversity.
Through surrender to Christ as LORD of our lives we recieve the forgiveness of sins, and the FAITH to be delivered from the power of sin.
It is not God's fault that even though we have faith we are so sin-sick we fall right back into it each time we are delivered. It is OUR OWN fault! God provides faith so that we can come back to Him. And THAT'S why faith is VALUABLE!!
Faith ENDURES! Paul said in 1Corinthians 13:13, "And now abideth FAITH, HOPE, CHARITY, these three..."
Faith WILL ENDURE forever.
How could we face death in surety of faith, if faith had never before been tested?
And the REWARD of faith, one day, will be to SEE God face to face. In His GLORY all evil shall fade away, and we shall be purged from not only the power of sin but from the very presence of sin!!
Until then, let us continue to strive and overcome sin with the power of faith that God gives us.

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:-12)