Israel Fails to Force Out the Canaanites

After Joshua’s death the Israelites asked Yahweh, “Who will go first to fight the Canaanites for us?”

When the Israelites were strong enough, they made the Canaanites do forced labor. But they did not force all of them out.

The Messenger of the Lord Reacts to Israel’s Failure

The Messenger of Yahweh went from Gilgal to Bochim. He said, “I brought you out of Egypt into the land that I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my promise to you.

While the Messenger of Yahweh was saying this to all the people of Israel, they began to cry loudly.

The Death of Joshua

Now, Joshua sent the people of Israel home. So each family went to take possession of the territory they had inherited.

The people served Yahweh throughout Joshua’s lifetime and throughout the lifetimes of the leaders who had outlived him and who had seen all the spectacular works Yahweh had done for Israel.

That whole generation had joined their ancestors in death. So another generation grew up after them. They had no personal experience with Yahweh or with what he had done for Israel.

The Sin of the Next Generation

The people of Israel did what Yahweh considered evil. They began to serve other gods—the Baals.

The Israelites abandoned Yahweh Elohim of their ancestors, the Elohim who brought them out of Egypt. They followed the other gods of the people around them. They worshiped these gods, and that made Yahweh angry.

So Yahweh became angry with the people of Israel. He handed them over to people who robbed them. He also used their enemies around them to defeat them. They could no longer stand up against their enemies.

Whenever the Israelites went to war, the power of Yahweh brought disaster on them. This was what Yahweh said he would do in an oath. So he made them suffer a great deal.

But the people wouldn’t listen to the judges. The Israelites chased after other gods as though they were prostitutes and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors who had obeyed Yahweh’s commands. They refused to be like their ancestors.

But when Yahweh appointed judges for the Israelites, he was with each judge. Yahweh rescued them from their enemies as long as that judge was alive. Yahweh was moved by the groaning of those who were tormented and oppressed.

The Lord Allows the Nations to Stay in Order to Test His People

Yahweh became angry with Israel. He said, “Because the people of this nation have rejected the promise I gave their ancestors and have not obeyed me,

I will test the people of Israel with these nations to see whether or not they will carefully follow Yahweh’s ways as their ancestors did.”

These are the nations Yahweh left behind to test all the Israelites who had not experienced any war in Canaan.

The Lord left them to teach Israel’s descendants about war, at least those who had known nothing about it in the past.

These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out if they would obey the commands Yahweh had given their ancestors through Moses.

The People Fail the Test

So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

The Israelites allowed their sons and daughters to marry these people. Israel also served their gods.

Othniel Defeats Cushan Rishathaim

The people of Israel did what Yahweh considered evil. They forgot Yahweh their Elohim and served other gods and goddesses—the Baals and the Asherahs.

Yahweh became angry with the people of Israel. He used King Cushan Rishathaim of Aram Naharaim to defeat them. So Israel served Cushan Rishathaim for eight years.

Then the people of Israel cried out to Yahweh for help. Yahweh sent a savior to rescue them. It was Othniel, son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz.

When the Ruach Yahweh came over him, he became the judge of Israel. He went out to war. Yahweh handed King Cushan Rishathaim of Aram Naharaim over to him, and Othniel overpowered him.

Ehud Defeats Moab

Once again, the people of Israel did what Yahweh considered evil. So Yahweh made King Eglon of Moab stronger than Israel, because Israel did what Yahweh considered evil.