March 30 - Evening
"Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David.
He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him.
He said to David, 'Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?' And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 'Come here,' he said, 'and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!'
David said to the Philistine, 'You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.'
As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground."
- First Samuel 17:41-49
He said to David, 'Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?' And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 'Come here,' he said, 'and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!'
David said to the Philistine, 'You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.'
As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground."
- First Samuel 17:41-49
David and Goliath
The armor of Goliath does not match the images of Philistine weaponry seen in Egyptian reliefs and the feathered headdresses of the Philistines seen at Medinet Habu. Instead, every piece of Goliath’s armor, or panoply, is comparable to the Greek culture of the Aegean and the Mycenaeans of this time. The reason Goliath’s armor is given in such detail in this biblical account is because it is not the normal appearance of a warrior in the Middle East at this time.
The style of fighting Goliath is armed for is close range, hand-to-hand combat. But, David’s sling stone is a long-range missile that effectiveness is increased with David’s rapid movement towards his enemy.
A duel is normally begun with psychological warfare implemented by boasting of the strength and advantages of the one doing the boasting while scorning and ridiculing the enemy, their strategy and drawing attention to their weaknesses.
Goliath mocks David and his “sticks” while failing to recognize his five “long range missiles.” David counters by recognizing Goliath’s strengths (“sword and spear and javelin”), but compares them to “the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
Besides winning the long-range missile attack, David also won the pre-duel psychological battle, which may have itself, stunned Goliath. The lack of fear in David’s voice and his rapid advance toward Goliath caught Goliath off guard. David followed his pre-battle banter with a stone shot with the force of a large bullet into Goliath’s skull. This ended the duel before Goliath had a chance to implement either the offensive, or defensive, portion of his battle plan.
Strouthion (Gr) – Sparrow (Eng) – strouthion is a Greek word that means “a sparrow.”
Strouthion is used in Matthew 10:29, 31 and Luke 12:6-7. There is an ancient opened-air pool
from the time of the New Testament still visible in the Western Wall tunnels on the
northwest corner of the Temple Mount that was called “Strouthion Pool.” It was covered
over with arches and pavement by Emperor Hadrian in 135 AD.
(Details, video.)
Do I use the tools and the wisdom that God has provided for me?
I will take advantage of the available equipment, tools, knowledge and insight that are at my disposal.
Bible Reading Descriptions Here
Personal
Eyes to see needs that you can meet
Church
Favor with man
Nation
Welfare
World
Cape Verde Island Cayman Islands
Beautiful ancient mosaic's at the Heptagegon Church at Tabgha on the northwest shore of Galilee. This is a church from 350 AD that is built over the rock that is believed to have been where Jesus multiplied the five loaves and two fishes. This is based merely on tradition. (Details here, here and here.)
Someone to Quote
"A mature man of God will manifest God's will and ways in his own thoughts, words and deeds."
- Galyn Wiemers
- Galyn Wiemers
Something to Ponder
Around 48 AD James compares the human tongue to a rudder in James 3:4. Amenemope, a Egyptian scribe around 1300-1000 BC, wrote a similar comparison. (See Amenemope compared with Proverbs here.)
James 3:6 describes the tongue as a fire. This same images was used by the Roman philosopher Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) and Plutarch, the Roman historian from 46-120 AD.
Like Jesus, James also said honest men do not need to take oaths, because their word should be true and in agreement with what they intend to do (James 5:12) Epictetus, the Greek philosopher, speaks like this in 55-135 AD (XXXVII here.)
James 3:6 describes the tongue as a fire. This same images was used by the Roman philosopher Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) and Plutarch, the Roman historian from 46-120 AD.
Like Jesus, James also said honest men do not need to take oaths, because their word should be true and in agreement with what they intend to do (James 5:12) Epictetus, the Greek philosopher, speaks like this in 55-135 AD (XXXVII here.)
Here’s a Fact
David had a personal body guard (2 Samuel 23:23) which was made up of soldiers from Crete (Kerethites) and Philistia (Pelethites) according to 1 Kings 1:38. They remained loyal to David during three revolts:
1. Absolom, 2 Sam.15:18
2. Sheba, 2 Sm.20:7
3. Adonijah, 1 Kg.1:38
It was common to hire foreigners as a personal body guard since they were less likely to get involved in internal affairs and conspiracies. Pharaohs and national leaders hired foreigners as personal body guards, also.
1. Absolom, 2 Sam.15:18
2. Sheba, 2 Sm.20:7
3. Adonijah, 1 Kg.1:38
It was common to hire foreigners as a personal body guard since they were less likely to get involved in internal affairs and conspiracies. Pharaohs and national leaders hired foreigners as personal body guards, also.
Proverb
“Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise:
Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;
hyraxes are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags;
locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks;
a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces."
- Proverbs 30:24-28
Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;
hyraxes are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags;
locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks;
a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces."
- Proverbs 30:24-28
Coach’s Corner
If you don’t say it, you can’t be quoted!
Jeremiah 47
New International Version (NIV)
A Message About the Philistines
47 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:
2 This is what the Lord says:
“See how the waters are rising in the north; they will become an overflowing torrent. They will overflow the land and everything in it, the towns and those who live in them. The people will cry out; all who dwell in the land will wail
3
at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds, at the noise of enemy chariots and the rumble of their wheels. Parents will not turn to help their children; their hands will hang limp.
4
For the day has come to destroy all the Philistines and to remove all survivors who could help Tyre and Sidon. The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.
5
Gaza will shave her head in mourning; Ashkelon will be silenced. You remnant on the plain, how long will you cut yourselves?
6
“‘Alas, sword of the Lord, how long till you rest? Return to your sheath; cease and be still.’
7
But how can it rest when the Lord has commanded it, when he has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”
____
Jeremiah 48
New International Version (NIV)
A Message About Moab
48 Concerning Moab:
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined. Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured; the stronghold will be disgraced and shattered.
2
Moab will be praised no more; in Heshbon people will plot her downfall: ‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.’ You, the people of Madmen, will also be silenced; the sword will pursue you.
3
Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim, cries of great havoc and destruction.
4
Moab will be broken; her little ones will cry out.
5
They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping bitterly as they go; on the road down to Horonaim anguished cries over the destruction are heard.
6
Flee! Run for your lives; become like a bush in the desert.
7
Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive, and Chemosh will go into exile, together with his priests and officials.
8
The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape. The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the Lord has spoken.
9
Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste; her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them.
10
“A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord’s work! A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed!
11
“Moab has been at rest from youth, like wine left on its dregs, not poured from one jar to another— she has not gone into exile. So she tastes as she did, and her aroma is unchanged.
12
But days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will send men who pour from pitchers, and they will pour her out; they will empty her pitchers and smash her jars.
13
Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.
14
“How can you say, ‘We are warriors, men valiant in battle’?
15
Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded; her finest young men will go down in the slaughter,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.
16
“The fall of Moab is at hand; her calamity will come quickly.
17
Mourn for her, all who live around her, all who know her fame; say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter, how broken the glorious staff!’
18
“Come down from your glory and sit on the parched ground, you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon, for the one who destroys Moab will come up against you and ruin your fortified cities.
19
Stand by the road and watch, you who live in Aroer. Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping, ask them, ‘What has happened?’
20
Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered. Wail and cry out! Announce by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.
21
Judgment has come to the plateau— to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath,
22
to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,
23
to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,
24
to Kerioth and Bozrah— to all the towns of Moab, far and near.
25
Moab’s horn is cut off; her arm is broken,” declares the Lord.
26
“Make her drunk, for she has defied the Lord. Let Moab wallow in her vomit; let her be an object of ridicule.
27
Was not Israel the object of your ridicule? Was she caught among thieves, that you shake your head in scorn whenever you speak of her?
28
Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks, you who live in Moab. Be like a dove that makes its nest at the mouth of a cave.
29
“We have heard of Moab’s pride— how great is her arrogance!— of her insolence, her pride, her conceit and the haughtiness of her heart.
30
I know her insolence but it is futile,” declares the Lord, “and her boasts accomplish nothing.
31
Therefore I wail over Moab, for all Moab I cry out, I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.
32
I weep for you, as Jazer weeps, you vines of Sibmah. Your branches spread as far as the sea; they reached as far as Jazer. The destroyer has fallen on your ripened fruit and grapes.
33
Joy and gladness are gone from the orchards and fields of Moab. I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy. Although there are shouts, they are not shouts of joy.
34
“The sound of their cry rises from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz, from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah, for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.
35
In Moab I will put an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods,” declares the Lord.
36
“So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe; it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone.
37
Every head is shaved and every beard cut off; every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth.
38
On all the roofs in Moab and in the public squares there is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants,” declares the Lord.
39
“How shattered she is! How they wail! How Moab turns her back in shame! Moab has become an object of ridicule, an object of horror to all those around her.”
40 This is what the Lord says:
“Look! An eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Moab.
41
Kerioth will be captured and the strongholds taken. In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
42
Moab will be destroyed as a nation because she defied the Lord.
43
Terror and pit and snare await you, you people of Moab,” declares the Lord.
44
“Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit, whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare; for I will bring on Moab the year of her punishment,” declares the Lord.
45
“In the shadow of Heshbon the fugitives stand helpless, for a fire has gone out from Heshbon, a blaze from the midst of Sihon; it burns the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of the noisy boasters.
46
Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed; your sons are taken into exile and your daughters into captivity.
47
“Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come,” declares the Lord.
Here ends the judgment on Moab.
New International Version (NIV)
A Message About the Philistines
47 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:
2 This is what the Lord says:
“See how the waters are rising in the north; they will become an overflowing torrent. They will overflow the land and everything in it, the towns and those who live in them. The people will cry out; all who dwell in the land will wail
3
at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds, at the noise of enemy chariots and the rumble of their wheels. Parents will not turn to help their children; their hands will hang limp.
4
For the day has come to destroy all the Philistines and to remove all survivors who could help Tyre and Sidon. The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.
5
Gaza will shave her head in mourning; Ashkelon will be silenced. You remnant on the plain, how long will you cut yourselves?
6
“‘Alas, sword of the Lord, how long till you rest? Return to your sheath; cease and be still.’
7
But how can it rest when the Lord has commanded it, when he has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”
____
Jeremiah 48
New International Version (NIV)
A Message About Moab
48 Concerning Moab:
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined. Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured; the stronghold will be disgraced and shattered.
2
Moab will be praised no more; in Heshbon people will plot her downfall: ‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.’ You, the people of Madmen, will also be silenced; the sword will pursue you.
3
Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim, cries of great havoc and destruction.
4
Moab will be broken; her little ones will cry out.
5
They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping bitterly as they go; on the road down to Horonaim anguished cries over the destruction are heard.
6
Flee! Run for your lives; become like a bush in the desert.
7
Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive, and Chemosh will go into exile, together with his priests and officials.
8
The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape. The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the Lord has spoken.
9
Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste; her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them.
10
“A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord’s work! A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed!
11
“Moab has been at rest from youth, like wine left on its dregs, not poured from one jar to another— she has not gone into exile. So she tastes as she did, and her aroma is unchanged.
12
But days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will send men who pour from pitchers, and they will pour her out; they will empty her pitchers and smash her jars.
13
Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.
14
“How can you say, ‘We are warriors, men valiant in battle’?
15
Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded; her finest young men will go down in the slaughter,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.
16
“The fall of Moab is at hand; her calamity will come quickly.
17
Mourn for her, all who live around her, all who know her fame; say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter, how broken the glorious staff!’
18
“Come down from your glory and sit on the parched ground, you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon, for the one who destroys Moab will come up against you and ruin your fortified cities.
19
Stand by the road and watch, you who live in Aroer. Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping, ask them, ‘What has happened?’
20
Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered. Wail and cry out! Announce by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.
21
Judgment has come to the plateau— to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath,
22
to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,
23
to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,
24
to Kerioth and Bozrah— to all the towns of Moab, far and near.
25
Moab’s horn is cut off; her arm is broken,” declares the Lord.
26
“Make her drunk, for she has defied the Lord. Let Moab wallow in her vomit; let her be an object of ridicule.
27
Was not Israel the object of your ridicule? Was she caught among thieves, that you shake your head in scorn whenever you speak of her?
28
Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks, you who live in Moab. Be like a dove that makes its nest at the mouth of a cave.
29
“We have heard of Moab’s pride— how great is her arrogance!— of her insolence, her pride, her conceit and the haughtiness of her heart.
30
I know her insolence but it is futile,” declares the Lord, “and her boasts accomplish nothing.
31
Therefore I wail over Moab, for all Moab I cry out, I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.
32
I weep for you, as Jazer weeps, you vines of Sibmah. Your branches spread as far as the sea; they reached as far as Jazer. The destroyer has fallen on your ripened fruit and grapes.
33
Joy and gladness are gone from the orchards and fields of Moab. I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy. Although there are shouts, they are not shouts of joy.
34
“The sound of their cry rises from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz, from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah, for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.
35
In Moab I will put an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods,” declares the Lord.
36
“So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe; it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone.
37
Every head is shaved and every beard cut off; every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth.
38
On all the roofs in Moab and in the public squares there is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants,” declares the Lord.
39
“How shattered she is! How they wail! How Moab turns her back in shame! Moab has become an object of ridicule, an object of horror to all those around her.”
40 This is what the Lord says:
“Look! An eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Moab.
41
Kerioth will be captured and the strongholds taken. In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
42
Moab will be destroyed as a nation because she defied the Lord.
43
Terror and pit and snare await you, you people of Moab,” declares the Lord.
44
“Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit, whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare; for I will bring on Moab the year of her punishment,” declares the Lord.
45
“In the shadow of Heshbon the fugitives stand helpless, for a fire has gone out from Heshbon, a blaze from the midst of Sihon; it burns the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of the noisy boasters.
46
Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed; your sons are taken into exile and your daughters into captivity.
47
“Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come,” declares the Lord.
Here ends the judgment on Moab.
1 Samuel 11
New International Version (NIV)
Saul Rescues the City of Jabesh
11 Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you.”
2 But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.”
3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you.”
4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept aloud. 5 Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, “What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?” Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.
6 When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. 7 He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out together as one. 8 When Saul mustered them at Bezek, the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and those of Judah thirty thousand.
9 They told the messengers who had come, “Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be rescued.’” When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated. 10 They said to the Ammonites, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever you like.”
11 The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions; during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.
Saul Confirmed as King
12 The people then said to Samuel, “Who was it that asked, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Turn these men over to us so that we may put them to death.”
13 But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today, for this day the Lord has rescued Israel.”
14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingship.” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal and made Saul king in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.
New International Version (NIV)
Saul Rescues the City of Jabesh
11 Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you.”
2 But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.”
3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you.”
4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept aloud. 5 Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, “What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?” Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.
6 When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. 7 He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out together as one. 8 When Saul mustered them at Bezek, the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and those of Judah thirty thousand.
9 They told the messengers who had come, “Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be rescued.’” When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated. 10 They said to the Ammonites, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever you like.”
11 The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions; during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.
Saul Confirmed as King
12 The people then said to Samuel, “Who was it that asked, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Turn these men over to us so that we may put them to death.”
13 But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today, for this day the Lord has rescued Israel.”
14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingship.” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal and made Saul king in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.
Judges 2
New International Version (NIV)
The Angel of the Lord at Bokim
2 The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? 3 And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.’”
4 When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, 5 and they called that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.
Disobedience and Defeat
6 After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. 7 The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.
8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.
16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
20 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” 23 The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.
New International Version (NIV)
The Angel of the Lord at Bokim
2 The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? 3 And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.’”
4 When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, 5 and they called that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.
Disobedience and Defeat
6 After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. 7 The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.
8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.
16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
20 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” 23 The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.