To Prove Israel Judges 3 -a

Judges 3:1 "Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan:"

The nations: Philistines, Canaanites, Sidonians, Hivites v2 (perhaps some were part of nations since the verse is specific i.e five lords of philistines.

The original command was to eradicate the inhabitants of Canaan and not to mix with them. We find here that not all of the original residents were defeated or cast out of the land. What's more Israel intermarried with them.

v6 "And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods."

The very things that were warned against have now happened. Plan A was not followed so, in a manner of speaking we have a Plan B.

v4 And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses."

And, of course, as quoted above in v6, we see that they failed the test. There is always consequence for sin. Disobedience being sin.

v8 "Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-risbathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years."

Here we start a series where Israel disobeys, suffers, then is rescued by a judge. Here is a good place to stop and read Psalm 107. It shows how the LORD repeatedly preserved Israel.

Tomorrow we will try to get the rest of the chapter which deals with three judges.

Apostasy: A renunciation or abandonment of a former loyalty (i.e. as to a religion). Webster.
Remember the word, it comes up often.

Psalm 121:8 "The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.:

keywords: Judges, Bible Study, Old Testament, Israel, Milton Southerland