The Angel of YHWH Judges
Judges 2The Angel of YHWH came up from Gilgal to Bochim. He said, “I brought y’all out of Egypt, and have led y’all to the land which I swore to give y’all’s ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with y’all. Y’all must not make a covenant with the inhabitants of this land. Y’all must break down their altars.’ But y’all have not listened to my voice. Why have y’all done this? I also said, ‘I will not drive them out from before y’all. They will ensnare y’all, and their gods will be a snare to y’all.’”
When the Angel of YHWH spoke these words to all the children of Israel, the people lifted up their voice and wept. They called the name of that place Bochim,+2:5 “Bochim” means “weepers”. and they sacrificed there to YHWH.
The Death of Joshua
Now when Joshua had sent the people away, the children of Israel each went to their inheritance to possess the land. The people served YHWH all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of YHWH that he had worked for Israel. Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of YHWH, died, being one hundred ten years old. They buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath Heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash.
A Pattern of Unfaithfulness and Rescue
After all that generation were gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who didn’t know YHWH, nor the work which he had done for Israel. The children of Israel did that which was evil in YHWH’s sight, and served the Baals. They abandoned YHWH, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; and they provoked YHWH to anger. They abandoned YHWH, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. YHWH’s anger burned against Israel, and ʜᴇ delivered them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. Hᴇ sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. Wherever they went out, YHWH’s hand was against them for disaster, as YHWH had spoken had sworn to them. So they were very distressed. YHWH raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they didn’t listen to their judges. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They quickly turned away from the way in which their fathers walked, obeying YHWH’s commandments. They didn’t do so. When YHWH raised up judges for them, then YHWH was with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for it grieved YHWH because of their groaning by reason of those who oppressed them and troubled them. But when the judge was dead, they turned back, and dealt more corruptly than their fathers in following other gods to serve them and to bow down to them. They didn’t cease what they were doing, or give up their stubborn ways. YHWH’s anger burned against Israel, and ʜᴇ said, “Because this nation transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not listened to my voice, I also will no longer drive out any of the nations from before them that Joshua left when he died, so that by them I may test Israel, to see if they will keep YHWH’s way to walk therein, as their fathers kept it, or not.” So YHWH left those nations, without driving them out hastily. He didn’t deliver them into Joshua’s hand.