COMMENTARY ON JUDGES 2:1-5

BIBLE / OLD TESTAMENT / JUDGES

A small passage, but it has HUGE ramifications: 

Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you,  and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done?  So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”  As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept.  And they called the name of that place Bochim. And they sacrificed there to the Lord.

- Judges 2:1-5 ESV

The story here is simple, as it is tragic.  When God brought the Jews out of Egypt, he told them, multiple times, that they were to completely wipe-out all the people that were living in the Promised Land,  but they refused to do this.  Instead, they allowed them to continue living in the land, and even started hanging out with them, and inter-marrying with them.  This was a direct violation of God's command, and God was not happy.  As a result of their compromise, the Jews brought unnecessary pain and suffering upon themselves.  

Amongst today's bible scholars, God is often criticized for his no-compromise policy with the evil inhabitants of the promised land.  He is called, by some, a genocidal maniac, and a monster.  Killing all the people of a given land offends our modern sensibilities.  But God told the Israelites multiple times that these people needed to be killed, because they were evil.  The Israelites were to carry out God's wrath on a people who were anti-God,  but they refused. 

So what can we learn from this passage here in the 21st century?  

What we can learn is this: we must never, ever compromise with those things that will take us from a pure and focused devotion to God.  Once you start compromising with the things of the world, you will end up in a world of hurt.   

As Christians, we know there are a bunch of things in this world that are far less than Christian, even (sadly) other Christians!   Many of these things are obvious: illicit sex, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, pornography, violence, godless political movements, and so on.   But in this world of mass media and high speed internet access, we must always be on guard for all sorts of things that can easily upset our equilibrium.  

It's no fun playing defense constantly.  It's tiresome, boring, frustrating, and it just plain wears you out.  Hence, one needs to adopt the policy that God gave to the Jews: you are to go on the offense.  You are to take no prisoners.   You are to conquer all that is laid out before you, and be victorious.  And God will grant you victory.   

Now that does not mean that you have license to finish the job that the Jews left unfinished, and go kill every ungodly person or wishy-washy woke-a-doke "Christian" you can find.  The rules have changed since the time of Moses and Joshua, though the mission has not. You must confront godlessness where-ever you find it.  And the primary "land" that you have been given to conquer is yourself, your family, and your household.   

The weapons of are warfare are not swords, guns or knives.  Rather the offensive that we are to engage in requires bibles, prayer, spiritual books, wise men and woman, sacred music, good churches, and even more prayer.  Our battlefield is the spiritual realm, and we fight our battles on our knees.  But it's much easier to fight those battles when you empty your life of all distractions from your task.   

Be merciless in getting rid of anyone or anything who is exerting a negative influence in your life.  

Be merciless in getting rid of any TV or radio show that just pushes your buttons and manipulates your emotions.   

Be merciless in getting rid of any books or magazines that don't feed your soul and refresh your mind.  

Be merciless in getting rid of any internet podcast, blog or website that isn't telling you the absolute truth.   

Be merciless in avoiding any company trying to sell you things that openly supports the cultural Marxism of wokism.  

Be merciless in working against any politician or political leader who pushes a cultural Marxist / woke agenda.  

Be merciless in getting rid of any food or beverage that provides empty calories without any healthy benefits.   

Be merciless in getting rid of any music or movies that don't encourage you and lift you up.   

Be merciless in your pursuit of discipline, prayer, spiritual reading, and godly people.   Hold on to such things tightly!

Be merciless in your pursuit of God.  Do not allow anything to get in your way, but pursue Him no matter what.  

And be merciless in raising your voice and condemning the godless sin and violence that has overtaken the earth at this hour.  

When God saw that that Jews were happily compromising with the very people he wanted dead, he brought pain and suffering on them all.   Eventually, God will have had enough of the evil in this world, and he will act.  There's no doubt about it.

Right now you need to choose who's side you want to be on.  There have always and forever been just two sides: that of the world, or that of God.   Choose wisely!   And the consequences of your choice will be felt not only here on earth, but in the life to come, and for all of eternity. 

2023-03-21
- Pseudo Boethius