After Joshua’s Death
Judges 1:1-36
INTRODUCTION: Joshua has died. But unlike the case of Moses, there is no strong leader to take Joshua’s place. The bulk of the land was conquered but many pockets of the Canaanites remained. The Israelites begin well by inquiring of the Lord and taking some of these pockets. But they soon get mired down in the difficulties of full conquest. How often do Christians fall short of full victory and then return to the ways of the world! The book of Judges has many warnings for us.
I. THE CONQUEST OF ADONIBEZEK (1:1-8)
A. Judah Conquers Bezek (v.1-4)
1. The children of Israel inquire of the Lord (v.1)
2. The Lord chooses Judah to go up (v.2)
3. Judah requests the help of Simeon (v.3)
4. The Lord delivers the enemy into their hands (v.4)
B. Judah Takes Adonibezek Captive (v.5-8)
1. Adonibezek (lord of Bezek) flees the battlefield (v.5-6a)
2. They cut his great toes and thumbs off (v.6b)
3. Adonibezek admits the justness of his punishment (v.7; Leviticus 24:19-20; 1 Samuel 15:33; Matthew 7:1-2)
4. Jerusalem had been taken by Judah (v.8)
5. NOTE: Joshua had conquered the king of Jerusalem but not the city (Joshua 12:10). The tribe of Judah conquered the city (v.8) but only part of it, since the Jebusites remained there (Judges 1:21; 19:10-11). It was not until the time of David that the entire city was taken (2 Samuel 5:6-9).
II. THE MARRIAGE OF OTHNIEL AND ACHSAH (1:9-15)
A. Othniel Wins Caleb’s Daughter (v.9-13)
1. Judah fights against the Canaanites of Hebron (v.9-10)
2. Caleb offers his daughter to the victor over Kirjathsepher (v.11-12)
3. Caleb’s nephew, Othniel, takes the city (v.13)
B. Achsah Gains a Double Blessing (v.14-15)
1. Achsah moves her husband to ask Caleb for a field (v.14a)
2. Achsah asks her father for a spring to go with the land (v.14b-15a)
3. Caleb gives Achsah both the upper and the lower springs (v.15b)
C. The Lesson of Achsah’s Faith
1. The weakness of Achsah
a. She was a woman
b. Her name means anklet; as in a ring of gold, silver or ivory worn around the ankles. She was considered something pretty to look at but not very important.
c. She was given to Othniel as a battlefield prize; not a very flattering appraisal of her authority
2. The boldness of Achsah (see Ephesians 3:12; Hebrews 4:16)
a. In moving her husband to ask for a field
b. In approaching her father for the springs
3. The reward of Achsah
a. She received the field her husband requested
b. She received the springs she requested
c. She received an additional springs; receiving more than she asked (Jeremiah 33:3; Ephesians 3:20-21)
III. THE REMAINING INHABITANTS OF THE LAND (1:16-36)
A. A Halt in the Conquest of the Land (v.16-21)
B. The Taking of Bethel by the House of Joseph (v.22-26)
C. Their Failure to Complete the Conquest (v.27-36)
Explanation of this Passage: God had promised the Israelites that He would go before them and drive out the inhabitants of the land (Ex.33:1-2). The Israelites needed but to trust in Him and fight with His help. Yet, they were warned against failure. God told them, “But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell” (Num.33:55).
In the passage before us, the conquest under the leadership of Joshua is over. He is dead. However, there are still pockets of the Canaanites and others throughout the land. The Israelites still must drive them out. God had told them, “I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land” (Ex.23:29-30). They were to finish the job over a period of time.
But something happened. The tribe of Judah conquered several cities, “but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron” (v.19). They tried but failed. Then, instead of seeking God’s face until the victory was won, they gave up. Pretty soon the remainder of the tribes just stopped trying. Judah “could not” but the others “did not.” We read this about Benjamin (v.21), Manasseh (v.27), Ephraim (v.29), Zebulon (v.30), Asher (v.31) and Naphtali (v.33). Even when Israel became strong, they simply collected tribute instead of driving the people out as they had been told (v.28). And, as the remainder of the book of Judges proves, these people did become pricks in their eyes and thorns in their sides.
In a picture, God saves us and brings us into the promised land. Yet, there remain pockets of resistance in our lives. We still have besetting sins, weaknesses of character, bad habits that give way to the world, flesh and devil. God expects us to fight against these enemies and to ever strive to grow in grace. Yet, many believers decide the battle is too difficult. They choose the easy way of compromise. They decide that the pockets of resistance are small and not worth the trouble.
Yet, these areas of our lives continually trouble us. They keep us from a victorious life. God would help us if we would just continue in the fight. But we quit on God. Have you made peace with a besetting sin in your life? Have you given up on the battle? Have you given your flesh a win by default—because you did not even show up? Then repent of your sin of not fighting and return to the battlefront. Give yourself to God afresh. He is still there. He will still give the victory!
CONCLUSION: Our Christian life is often compared to warfare. Even after the general conquest of the land, there were still battles to fight. The Israelites faced this problem and so do we. Are you going to do as the Israelites and settle for less than the best in your life for God? Or, are you going to keep fighting the battles and give Christ the preeminence in your life?
Copyright © 2002
Antioch Baptist Church Knoxville, Tennessee