Joshua 24; Judges 1-2 Covenant Renewal and Judges

Thoughts

Joshua 24

Joshua assembles all the tribes of Israel at Shechem.

1. Call of Abraham: God took Abraham from beyond the Euphrates, gave him many descendants, including Isaac.
2. Jacob & Esau: Esau’s was given Sier and Jacob’s family went to Egypt.
3. Exodus from Egypt: Moses and Aaron sent and God cast plagues on Egypt, leading to deliverance through the Red Sea.
4. Wilderness wandering
5. Victory over Balak & Balaam: Balaam could not curse Israel.
6. The Promised Land: Defeat of the Amorites, Canaanites, and others; God sent the “hornet” ahead.
7. Gift of land and blessings: Israel received land, cities, and vineyards they did not work for

Joshua tells the people to serve and fear God.
“As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

The people answer: They recount God’s deliverance and pledge to serve Him.

Joshua warns: God is holy and jealous; turning away from Him will bring disaster.

Israel again says they will serve the Lord.

Joshua establishes a covenant with Israel and gave them rules written in the Book of the Lord.
He sets up a large stone under the oak as a witness.

Joshua dies at 110 years old and is buried at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. Israel served the LORD all Joshua’s days 

Joseph’s bones, brought from Egypt, buried at Shechem (fulfilling Genesis 50:25)

Eleazar dies and is buried at Gibeah, in the hill country of Ephraim. Now Phinehas is the high priest.

Judges 1

In Judges 1, the word “judge” as a title for a leader actually doesn’t appear yet , it shows up later in the book when the first actual shōpēṭ (שֹׁפֵט) is introduced. The word is closer in meaning to “leader” or “ruler” but has the root meaning “to judge” or “to govern”.

After Joshua’s death, Israel asks the LORD who should lead in attacking the Canaanites. The LORD answers: “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.”

Judah takes Simeon and they defeat 10,000 men and capture Adoni-bezek and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

Adoni-bezek means “lord of lightning”

The odd phrase “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me.” This is probably not 70 in the literal sense, but meaning “a great meany”.
This was a form of humiliation and incapacitation. Without big toes balance and speed in running are greatly reduced. Without thumbs a warrior could no longer carry a sword or spear. He admits he did this to others and now God is repaying him.

Jerusalem, Hebron, Debir captured.

Caleb giving his daughter Achsah in marriage already happened in Joshua 15:16–19, and then the same story is repeated in Judges 1:12–15.

Kenites settle in Judah’s territory , Hormah destroyed  and Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron captured 

House of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) send spies to Bethel, (formerly Luz). They strike the city but spare a man who led them in. They named a new city Luz. 

Here are all incomplete conquests:

Tribe	Cities/People Not Driven Out	Outcome	Verses
Judah	Inhabitants of the plain	Could not drive them out due to iron chariots	1:19
Benjamin	Jebusites in Jerusalem	Lived with them in Jerusalem	1:21
Manasseh	Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and surrounding villages	Canaanites persisted; later put to forced labor	1:27–28
Ephraim	Canaanites in Gezer	Lived among them	1:29
Zebulun	Kitron and Nahalol	Canaanites lived among them; put to forced labor	1:30
Asher	Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, Rehob	Lived among Canaanites instead of driving them out	1:31–32
Naphtali	Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath	Lived among Canaanites; Canaanites became forced labor	1:33
Dan	Amorites in the hill country	Forced into hill country; Amorites held territory; later put to forced labor	1:34–35

Judges 2

Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim: Gilgal was Israel’s first camp after crossing the Jordan. There they set up memorial stones, renewed the covenant through circumcision, celebrated Passover, and Joshua met the “commander of the LORD’s army,” often linked to the Angel of the LORD.

Angel of Lord in Hebrew: מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה mal’akh YHWH – “messenger YHWH”

He reminds them of the covenant to make no covenants with the inhabitants and tear down their altars and says Israel has disobeyed. God will no longer drive out the nations completely. 

People weep and offer sacrifices at Bochim בֹּכִים (“weeping”).

The chapter recounts Joshua’s death and says the next generation did not know the Lord.

God is angry and gives them into the hands of surrounding enemies. Whenever they go out to fight, God’s hand is against them for harm 

God raises judges (shōpəṭîm) to deliver them from enemies, yet they quickly turn back to idolatry after each judge dies.

The remaining nations will test Israel, to see if they will walk in the LORD’s ways.

Questions

Why did Joshua not appoint a leader after him? Was it assumed the high priest would take that role?

Why does it say the Lord was with Judah but they couldn’t drive out hill country inhabitants?

Same with Benjamin – didn’t God say He would help drive out everyone?
• God had promised in places like Exodus 23:30 and Deuteronomy 7:22 that He would give the land to Israel and help them drive out the nations. Does this mean they had lack of faith?

Was the Angel of the Lord stationed at Gilgal?

Was Angel of Lord saying these accusations the reason for the incomplete conquests in previous chapter? Or was this years later?

Application

What a difference between Joshua 24- Judges 2. We have Israel renewing their covenant and recounting all the things God did for them, and one generation later we have Israel worshipping other Gods and forsaking the Lord. How fast people can fall! It is so important that we raise up new generations to know all that God has done, as faithfulness is not inherited. Especially as parents, we must always be teaching and modeling God’s ways. If we let people forget what God has done, it will lead to disobedience.