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Judges 2

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1 And the angel of Jehovah came·​·up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go·​·up out of Egypt, and have brought you to the land which I promised to your fathers; and I said, I will not make· My covenant with you ·of·​·none·​·effect* to eternity.

2 And you shall not cut a covenant with them dwelling·​·in this land; you shall tear·​·down their altars; but you have not obeyed My voice; what is this you have done?

3 And I have also said, I will not drive· them ·out from before you, and you shall have them at the sides, and their gods shall be for a snare to you.

4 And it was, when the angel of Jehovah spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, that the people lifted·​·up their voices and wept.

5 And they called the name of that place Bochim; and they sacrificed there to Jehovah.

6 And Joshua sent·​·away the people, and the sons of Israel went, a man to his inheritance, to possess the land.

7 And the people served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who prolonged their days after Joshua, who had seen all the great deeds of Jehovah that He did for Israel.

8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died, a son of a hundred and ten years;

9 and they buried him in the border of his inheritance, in Timnath-cheres in the mountain of Ephraim, on the north of Mount Gaash.

10 And also all that generation was gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them which knew not Jehovah, nor also the deeds He did for Israel.

11 And the sons of Israel did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and served the Baalim.

12 And they forsook Jehovah, the God of their fathers who brought· them ·out from the land of Egypt, and they went after other gods of the gods of the peoples that were all around them, and bowed·​·down unto them and provoked Jehovah.

13 And they forsook Jehovah, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

14 And the anger of Jehovah was·​·fierce against Israel, and He gave them into the hand of pillagers and they pillaged them, and He sold them into the hand of their enemies all around them, and they could not any more stand before their enemies.

15 Whithersoever they went·​·out, the hand of Jehovah was against them for evil, as Jehovah had spoken, and Jehovah had promised unto them; and they were· exceedingly ·distressed.

16 And Jehovah raised·​·up judges, and they saved them from the hand of those who pillaged them.

17 But also to their judges they would not hearken, but they committed·​·harlotry after other gods, and bowed·​·down to them; they turned·​·aside hastily from the way which their fathers walked, who hearkened to the commandments of Jehovah; they did not so.

18 And when Jehovah raised·​·up judges for them, then Jehovah was with the judge, and saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for Jehovah repented because of their groaning from before those who subjugated them and thrust upon them.

19 And it was, on the death of the judge, that they turned·​·back and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, to go after other gods, to serve them and to bow·​·down to them; they did not fall away from their actions, and from their hardened way.

20 And the anger of Jehovah was·​·fierce against Israel; and He said, Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto My voice;

21 I also will not continue to dispossess from before them a man of the nations that Joshua left when he died:

22 to tempt Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of Jehovah to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it or not.

23 And Jehovah let· these nations ·stay, without dispossessing them hastily; neither gave He them into the hand of Joshua.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

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Exploring the Meaning of Judges 2

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Judges 2: Israel’s disobedience and Joshua’s death.

This chapter opens with a reprimand from the Angel of the Lord. The Israelites had been commanded not to make any treaties with the people of Canaan, and to tear down their altars. The Angel warned that Israel had broken their covenant to the Lord, so the Lord would not drive out the other inhabitants of the land; they would be thorns in Israel’s side, and their gods would be a snare. Israel wept, and sacrificed to the Lord.

After the Israelites had gone to their assigned territories, it mentions Joshua’s death and burial (yet Joshua had died at the end of the book of Joshua!). All Israel had followed the Lord during Joshua’s time, and understood what the Lord had done for Israel. But the older generation died away, and a new generation arose who did not know the Lord, nor what He had done for Israel.

The chapter then spells out the terrible plight in which the people of Israel had entangled themselves. They had begun to worship Baal and Ashtaroth, the gods of the Canaanites, and they turned away from the Lord who had done so much for them. So, the Lord allowed their enemies to attack them, and Israel could not stand against them. This theme of straying from the Lord, and in turn being punished, will return through the next few chapters.

In the midst of this, the text says that the Lord raised up judges who delivered Israel. However, when each judge died, the people reverted to worshipping other gods. This seems to anticipate the events ahead in Judges.

*****

This chapter really marks the first of many transgressions committed by the Israelites in the book of Judges. The first three verses of this chapter feature the Angel of the Lord, who appears many times throughout the Word, and for many reasons: sometimes to bless, but in this case, to admonish the children of Israel for their disobedience. The Angel of the Lord stands firm and resolute, and represents truths from the Lord revealed in our hearts and minds (see Swedenborg’s work, Divine Providence 96[6]).

The spiritual meaning of ‘weeping’ can mean various things, depending on the context. Here, the people wept because of the Angel’s warning, in momentary recognition of their wrongdoing. This is not real repentance (a ‘change of heart’), but fear along with a sense of our own self-love, which may lead us into more disobedience (see Swedenborg’s work, Heaven and Hell 153).

The death of the older generation and rise of a new one represents a change of state in us. The older generation - Joshua and the elders - served as a connection between the people and the Lord, since they had seen the Lord’s blessings on Israel in their own time. However, when we lose that connection, both our love of obedience and understanding of why we must obey the Lord fall away.

Our changes of state usually happen quickly; we suddenly get angry, feel fear, become selfish. When we turn to the Lord for help during these times, we quickly enter a state of humility in which the Lord can reach us (see Swedenborg’s Doctrine of Life 21).

After Joshua’s death, the children of Israel began to worship other gods, and the Lord punished them. In our lives, this would be like turning back on our devotion to the Lord to instead focus on worldly things, and do just as we please. There is no punishment from the Lord, only the consequences of our actions. We become weak, easy prey for doubts and anxieties, completely at the mercy of the hells (see Arcana Caelestia 7373).

Although the Lord raised judges to lead the people, the Israelites would would return to their old ways once the judge had passed away. This gives us a valuable spiritual truth that even in our sorry state of self-interest, we are still, at times, able to see the mess we are in. We may feel alarmed for a while, but this subsides and we grow complacent once again. The Lord raises up judges so that we can hold ourselves accountable.

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Judges 2

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1 And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?

3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.

4 And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

5 And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.

6 And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land.

7 And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel.

8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.

9 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.

10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:

12 And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.

13 And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.

15 Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.

16 Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.

17 And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so.

18 And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.

19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.

20 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;

21 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:

22 That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.

23 Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.