The tribe of Judah is partnered with the tribe of Simeon to gain control of more territory on the west side of the Jordan River. They've undertaken this endeavor not only to benefit themselves but to benefit the other tribes. Earlier in our chapter we found them conquering fortified cities in territories belonging to other tribes. They are working on behalf of their fellow citizens, not just on their own behalf, which displays the type of attitude the Apostle Paul told us the people of God should have: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." (Philippians 2:3-4)
"The descendants of Moses' father-in-law, the Kenite, went up from the City of Palms with the people of Judah to live among the inhabitants of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad." (Judges 1:16) The Kenites have remained closely allied to the Israelites. They dwelt among the Israelites in the wilderness and they crossed the Jordan River with the Israelites. Now that the tribe of Judah has conquered more territory, the Kenites are invited to choose a dwelling place for themselves within the borders of Judah. They settle in the desert near Arad where they will have plenty of room for expansion. Later we'll find the Kenites mixing with the heathen Amalekites but, due to the kindness they showed Israel in the past, they will be given a warning to escape the city of Amalek before the army of Israel attacks it in 1 Samuel 15.
After seeing the Kenites safely settled in the Desert of Judah, the tribes of Judah and Simeon make further raids on the pagan settlements within the borders of Israel. "Then the men of Judah went with the Simeonites their fellow Israelites and attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they totally destroyed the city. Therefore it was called Hormah. Judah also took Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron---each city with its territory. The Lord was with the men of Judah." (Judges 1:17-19a)
The Lord was with the men of Judah. The Lord was with all the fighting men of Israel, yet the remainder of our chapter mainly deals with areas the Israelites did not conquer. The majority of Bible scholars attribute this failure to a lack of faith, for the Lord was willing and able to deliver every inch of the land into their hands, yet we do not find them holding control over every inch of the land. Judah has been valiant in battle up until now but does not dislodge the people of the plains who have advanced military equipment. "They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had chariots fitted with iron. As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak. The Benjamites, however, did not drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites." (Judges 1:19b-21)
Could the God who enabled Caleb to defeat three giants not enable the soldiers of Judah to defeat men with chariots? Of course; there was nothing lacking on His part. I think what happened is that the fearsome chariots caused a faltering of faith. They've been killing giants for a while now, on both sides of the Jordan River, and they have a confidence borne of experience that the Lord is able to defeat giants. But chariots? Those fast and furious vehicles of war threw the fighting men of Judah for a loop, mentally and emotionally and spiritually. We have all been guilty of what I think the men of Judah are guilty of: sending more time considering the power of the enemy than spending time considering the power of their God. When we place more focus on the problem than on our God, the next thing you know it seems as if the problem is bigger than our God.
The men of Ephraim and Manasseh are fierce fighters but they too fail to conquer all the heathen settlements in their territory. "Now the tribes of Joseph attacked Bethel, and the Lord was with them. When they sent men to spy out Bethel (formerly called Luz), the spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, 'Show us how to get into the city and we will see that you are treated well.' So he showed them, and they put the city to the sword but spared the man and his whole family. He then went to the land of the Hittites, where he built a city and called it Luz, which is its name to this day. But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land." (Judges 1:22-27)
Naturally the Canaanites did not want to be dislodged from the land. They were determined to fight for it at all costs. But their determination would have made no difference if the soldiers of Israel were equally determined to trust in the power of the Lord. I'm convinced the main reason our enemy often gets the upper hand over us is because we have not firmly settled it in our minds that the Lord will empower us to do whatever He has commanded us to do. Our faith falters when we compare our puny human strength to the strength of the enemy of our souls. However, as the children of the living God, we are not going up against the enemy solely in our own strength. We'd surely lose a battle like that. But we are commanded to go forth in the strength of the Lord our God, and with Him on our side no enemy can stand before us. This is why James, the brother of Jesus, gave this advice to the church: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7) In our own strength we can't command the enemy to depart from our presence, but if we are submitted to God, committed to God, and trusting in God, we can stand firm in the power of God and our enemy will flee from the presence of the God who is with us.
The Israelites are powerful enough to force the Canaanite tribes to become their subjects. If that extra measure of faith had been added in, they would have eradicated them entirely from the land. "When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely. Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them. Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living it Kitron or Nahalol, so these Canaanites lived among them, but Zebulun did subject them to forced labor. Nor did Asher drive out those living in Akko or Sidon or Ahlab or Akzib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob. The Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land because they did not drive them out. Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath; but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them. The Amorites confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain. And the Amorites were determined also to hold out on Mount Heres, Aijalon and Shaalbim, but when the power of the tribe of Joseph increased, they too were pressed into forced labor. The boundary of the Amorites was from Scorpion Pass to Sela and beyond." (Judges 1:28-36)
I've found it's not always the big things (the giants) that cause me to struggle with doubts and fears. A lot of times it's the small things (the Canaanites, if you will) that get the better of me. There's something about facing down a mighty foe that rallies our spirits to trust in the power of a mighty God, but the little day to day annoyances or the small to medium sized trials that keep happening one after another without any breathing room in between---those have the ability (if we let them) to wear us down. The chariots with their iron fittings were less of a fearsome foe than giant warriors who stood anywhere from nine to twelve feet tall, but those chariots were loud and they were fast and they were disconcerting and they were something the Israelites never arrayed themselves against in battle before. So they did what we all do from time to time: they learned to live with the Canaanites. In some cases they managed to keep a modicum of control over them, just as we may manage to barely keep a lid on a situation in our lives. In other cases they compromised their values and mingled with them, just as we may allow ourselves to be taken captive by some type of sin or bad attitude or unhealthy obsession. This is why we need to take all our problems to the Lord for help, even when the problems seem quite small, and not put them off or ignore them or compromise with them. (Just as no problem is too big to bring to God, no problem is too small to bring to Him either.) The Israelites didn't fully deal with the Canaanites the way the Lord commanded them and those Canaanites who remain are going to be a problem for them later. Some will remain the Israelites' mortal enemies and will attack them whenever possible. Others will intermarry with them and lead them into idolatry. The problem of the Canaanites could have been avoided altogether, just as many of our meltdowns and seasons of discouragement could have been avoided altogether. So let's bring our giants to the Lord and let Him handle them. And let's bring our day to day annoyances and inconveniences to Him too. He will put us in the right frame of mind.
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