Judges: The Continuing Conquest of Canaan

Yesterday I gave anyone reading a homework assignment. Read the first chapter of Judges. This is the first part of the prologue. In this section, we will cover Israel's failure to completely conquer Canaan. as the Lord had commanded them. Before we get going, I want to try to bring you up to speed on how they got here.

As you all know, there was a man named Abraham. God spoke to him, and said, leave your mother and father, I'm going to give you land. I'm going to give you a son. Your son will lead to a nation that's the nation of Israel in the promised land. They live there, it belongs to them. Then there was a famine. In the days of a man named Joseph, at the end of the book of Genesis, God's people go to Egypt, for a time so that they can survive the famine. This lasted over 400 years. Eventually, God's people are enslaved by a demonic, horrific, counterfeit of Jesus Christ named Pharaoh. God then delivers his people cry out to him, and God hears and answers their cry in their prayer. He then raises a deliverer named Moses who is a judge. He's literally a judge. He's the beginning of the judges. And then he does supernatural signs and wonders to deliver God's people to freedom. For 40 years, they've been wandering around the wilderness, sinning, complaining, rebelling, and God's trying to teach them to trust him, but they keep resisting him. Eventually, that generation dies in the wilderness on the threshold of the promised land, and it is the next generation led by Joshua who brings them into the promised land. Now, the problem is they've not been there for over 400 years. So that land is now occupied by their enemies and their adversaries. The Canaanites, the Amorites, you're going to read about all

the "ites". The "ites" are all the bad guys in the book of Judges. And so what God tells them in Deuteronomy, particularly in chapter seven and chapter 12, when you get there, either displace everyone or destroy everyone. These people are evil and demonic. They are the counterfeit of being filled with the spirit. They're filled with Satan. They either need to leave or they need to leave this world. This is prophesied repeatedly by God in Deuteronomy. What happens is they enter into the promised land, but they don't do what God said. They let all the enemies stay there. They let all the demonic counterfeit religions continue to exist. They allowed all the cultural corruption and sexual perversion to continue. And rather than displacing or destroying their enemies, they

enslaved them. They used them for profit and gain. And what this allowed was the worship

of this demon God, Baal, which was a chief Canaanite deity to continue to be worshiped in

Israel. Baal is the anti-God. When the people of God turn from God, they turn to Baal. And Baal is literally the highest-ranking demon in the unseen realm. He works directly for Satan

himself. His name is referred to as master or Lord or owner. When demons are named, he is

almost always named first because he is of the highest rank. As you read Judges, you're going to see continually that when the people turn from God, they turn to Baal. In addition, you will hear of the Baals, plural. The Baals are other demons that work under Baal. We don't know their name, but they have what would be the equivalent of a family name. The bales would be a family of demons that are working together just like your family and my family. We have a last name and that speaks of everyone who's a member of that extended family. Those are the Baals.

This is how Judges is integral to our study of the return of the gods. In Judges, the pattern is revealed. When people turn from God or disobey God, or incompletely follow God, the Baals step into their lives to fill the void with all manner of evils. But, since God is merciful, faithful, and true, He hears a penitent cry and helps His own.

1:1-2 "Now after the death of Joshua, it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the Lord saying, 'Who shall be first for us to go up against the Canaanites?' And the Lord said, 'Judah shall go up. Indeed, I have delivered the land into his hand.'" The fact that the Lord appointed Judah to go up first corresponds to the Divine preeminence of Judah in Jacob's patriarchal blessing. You should note that the Lord also says He has given them into Judah's hands, a proclamation of victory.

Judah links up with Simeon. If Simeon will help Judah, then Judah will likewise help Simeon conquer his inheritance as well. Judah goes forth and the Lord does as He said, He delivers the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands. They killed 10,000 at Bezek. While there, they found Adoni-Bezek (the King of Bezek) fought against him and defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites, but Adoni-Bezek fled. This guy was the one who had subdued 70 other kings of the cities surrounding them. He was known for cutting off the thumbs and big toes of his defeated enemies. When they captured him, they cut off his thumbs and big toes too! After this in verse 7, Adoni-Bezek is quoted saying, "Seventy Kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to gather scraps under my table, as I have done so God has repaid me." Then he was brought to Jerusalem where he died.

Judah then fought against Jerusalem and took it.(Although the city was taken, they did not occupy it until David recaptured it in 1000 BC. (2 Sam 5:6-9) According to Joshua 15:63, Judah failed to clear out the Jebusites though they initially took Jerusalem.) They then fought the Canaanites in the South, the mountains, and the lowlands. They also went to Hebron. ( Formerly Kirjath Arba) There they killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. These three were the sons of Anak. A giant. We will eventually get into Genesis 6 and the Giants but not today. These were enormous men of great physical strength, might, and power. It would have been the equivalent of killing 3 Goliaths.

From there they went to Debir (Kirjath Sephir). Caleb had said that whoever took Debir, would be given his daughter, Achsah in marriage. Othniel (the 1st judge and son of Caleb's brother Kenaz) did just that. So he was given Achsah as his wife. With her, Othniel was also given land in the south, upper, and lower springs of water.

Judah and Simeon continued their conquest in Zephath, Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron. Three of the major cities were occupied by the Philistines. The Lord was with Judah as they drove out the inhabitants of the mountains but could not drive out the inhabitants of the lowlands because they had chariots of iron. They gave Hebron to Caleb as Moses had instructed.

The house of Joseph went up against Bethel next. The Canaanites that dwelt there called it Luz. They sent out spies. The spies encounter a man coming out of the city and they offer to give him mercy if he shows them the entrance to the city. He showed them the entrance and though they struck the city with the sword they did spare the man and his family. The man went to the land of the Hittites (another tribe of the Canaanites) and built the new city of Luz. (There are many commentaries you can find online for further historical maps that show the location of the Hittite empire.)

In the next section, we will cover the tribes that did not take the land as they were instructed. This failure to completely conquer the land of Canaan brought about many troubles for the Israelites to this very day. And because they didn't eradicate them, their religion continued with them. So not only would the Canaanites persist in being a problem to them but also their religion would be a snare to turn the hearts of the Israelites from God to serve other gods.

Manasseh didn't drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean or Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, or Megiddo because the Canaanites there were determined to stay in the land. When Israel was strong, the Canaanites there were put under tribute, but were not driven out.

Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites of Gezer, and they dwelt among them there. Same with Zebulun and the Canaanites of Kitron and Nahalol. Asher didn't drive out the inhabitants of Acco or Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. The Canaanites again, dwelt among them. Naphthali also couldn't drive out the inhabitants of their lands. (Beth Shemesh, Beth Anath). They were again, put under tribute instead of being annihilated or forced to leave. And Dan was forced into the mountains by the Amorites, for they wouldn't even allow them to come into the valley. The Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim; but when the house of Joseph became greater, they were then put under tribute.

I realize that sometimes if you're studying all of these places and names just leave you bored and scratching your head. But all of these locations are important because if they had possessed them all here when they were supposed to, Israel's holding would have been much greater. A lot of Israel's problems stem from these incomplete conquests. But as we progress deeper into the history and spiritual backdrop of these verses hopefully, you can discern the problem it has created for the rest of the world as well. Down through time. To even our current day, replete with all the current cultural issues arising in our nation today. It also goes back even further into the annals of time. To a choice made by Abraham to allow foreign women to be his "baby mamas." We will search out and discover how this choice, led to the family feuds that still rock the world today. We will discover the demonic entities behind these rivalries, and why they want to "push Israel into the sea." As well as the atrocious anti-semitism that has run from the Middle East and spread around the globe. As Paul said, "For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." -1 Corinthians 13:9-10

This study may take a while. Bear with me as you study and learn. It is all connected. Together, we can search out the truth and Jesus said, the truth shall make us free.

Be blessed. And read Chapter 2!