Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 58
46
IMMERSE
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KINGDOMS
2:17–3:10
attackers. Yet Israel did not listen to the judges but prostituted themselves by worshiping other gods. How quickly they turned away from
the path of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s
commands.
Whenever the Lord raised up a judge over Israel, he was with that judge
and rescued the people from their enemies throughout the judge’s lifetime.
For the Lord took pity on his people, who were burdened by oppression
and suffering. But when the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them. They
went after other gods, serving and worshiping them. And they refused to
give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
So the Lord burned with anger against Israel. He said, “Because these
people have violated my covenant, which I made with their ancestors, and
have ignored my commands, I will no longer drive out the nations that
Joshua left unconquered when he died. I did this to test Israel—to see
whether or not they would follow the ways of the Lord as their ancestors
did.” That is why the Lord left those nations in place. He did not quickly
drive them out or allow Joshua to conquer them all.
These are the nations that the Lord left in the land to test those Israelites
who had not experienced the wars of Canaan. He did this to teach warfare
to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle. These are the
nations: the Philistines (those living under the five Philistine rulers), all
the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the mountains of
Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. These people were
left to test the Israelites—to see whether they would obey the commands
the Lord had given to their ancestors through Moses.
So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites,
Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and they intermarried with them. Isra
elite sons married their daughters, and Israelite daughters were given in
marriage to their sons. And the Israelites served their gods.
The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot about the Lord
their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles. Then
the Lord burned with anger against Israel, and he turned them over to
King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim. And the Israelites served
Cushan-rishathaim for eight years.
But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord
raised up a rescuer to save them. His name was Othniel, the son of Caleb’s
younger brother, Kenaz. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he