Judges 2

-God’s displeasure with the Israelites

-three confrontations between God and Israel in the book of Judges this is the first

v.1-5

v.1

Observation:

-who confronted Israel?

-messenger, envoys of the Lord (YHWH), occurs 19 times in Judges

-spokesman of God

Judges 6:22–23 ESV

22 Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” 23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.”

-up from Gilgal

Joshua 4:19 ESV

19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.

-first place they camped after crossing the Jordan

-can you think of why this is important? where the conquest started

-Bokim = weepers, suggested as Bethel

Genesis 35:8 ESV

8 And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.

-God’s displeasure with them is through the lens of his past graces

-What did God do in the past that was so gracious?

-Reminded them that He brought them into a land that he had promised to their ancestors

-Yahweh promised to not break covenant with Israel; even though Israel broke covenant with Him

-covenant = agreement between two parties, contract

-Why does he say, my covenant?

v.2

-they had received God’s grace - that He made a covenant with them, that he gave them a land, that he took them out of slavery

-How did the Israelites show their appreciation?

-two commands they were to follow: make no covenant with those who live in the land, break down their idols

Exodus 34:11–15 ESV

11 “Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 12 Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst. 13 You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim 14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), 15 lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice,

Judges 1:24 ESV

24 And the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the way into the city, and we will deal kindly with you.”

v.3

-Yahweh’s response

-ceased to deliver them

-allowing the canaanites to have their way

Joshua 23:13 ESV

13 know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.

v.4-5

v.6-10

Observations

v. 11-13

Observations

-evil in the sight of the Lord, not the culture

-Notice a breakdown of the evil:

-served baals = often referred to Canaanite mythological god by the name of Hadad who they thought to be a weather god, had many titles, many manifestations, fertility of the land depended on

-Ashtaroth = goddess of love and war

-abandoned Yahweh

-pursued other gods and worshiped them

-they exchanged the one true God for worthless idols

v. 14-20

Observations

-anger of the Lord = his nose burned

-How should we think of this?

Deuteronomy 6:14–15 ESV

14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— 15 for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.

-the compassion of God

v.16-19

-rescuers - solely on his compassion, they did nothing to deserve it

-how did they respond to God’s grace?