A victory…then failures

The book of Judges begins with victory - Israel sought the Lord’s direction, and obeyed, Judah went to conquer the land, the Lord was with them, and Judah was victorious. This conquest looked promising - surely, this pattern of victory would continue! But if we’ve read Judges before, we know this did not continue.

Shortly after, we see how tribe after tribe, the Israelites “did not drive out the inhabitants” of the land. The failure of the Israelites to do so does not sound that bad on the surface. After all, the Israelites still conquered big parts of the land. But what seemed like a small issue had set the stage for what would impact Israel for generations to come. We see the decline of their faith quite quickly - once Joshua and the elders passed away, the next generation began to worship the gods of the people living among them (Judges 2:11–12). What had happened? In failing to drive the inhabitants out, the Israelites had created the very conditions that would facilitate their future disobedience, causing them to fail God time and time again in the book of Judges. In fact, God, through Moses, had already forewarned the Israelites about this very risk! 

But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. (Num 33:55)

The danger of compromise

Was it the case that the Israelites simply lacked the military strength to defeat the Canaanites? We know that if it was God’s instruction, God would surely help them complete it, just as He helped Judah drive out the inhabitants of their allotted territory completely. But it was that the Israelites lacked the resolve to fully obey God. They faced difficulties, but they were no longer determined to rely on God to overcome those challenges. Having already driven out a majority of the Canaanites, they convinced themselves that leaving a little unconquered would not matter. Satisfied with their earlier successes, they gradually became less proactive in completing the task God had given them, and compromised.

We know this was a compromise, because when the Israelites eventually grew stronger, they still did not drive the inhabitants out. Instead, they put them under tribute (Judges 1:28). Now, it was not their lack of military prowess that held them back, but rather the economic benefit of not driving out the inhabitants. When they saw they could gain from not driving them out completely, they no longer held on to the word of God. 

The book of Judges serves as a warning for us in our faith. When we compromise in order to gain some immediate benefit, things may appear to be peaceful for a time, yet it may be that we have sowed the seeds of future trouble. Often, when we face challenges or difficult situations, even though we know clearly what the Lord teaches, we choose to compromise rather than hold firmly to His word. We think of partial obedience as enough since we’ve already done something. But the incomplete conquest of Canaan challenges that thinking - incomplete obedience to God is disobedience. 

For example, we may hold on to certain habits, attitudes, or environments because they give us some advantage, perhaps comfort, pleasure, or acceptance. We rationalise within ourselves that doing part of what God wants is good enough, that as long as we have things under control, there is no urgency to deal with the compromises we have made. But failing to do so will only be a snare to us. The call of God is not merely to resist sin when it is before us, but to remove the conditions that allow sin to grow (Rom 13:14). 

May we have the firmness of heart to obey God completely, for He will give us the strength to do what He has commanded. 

Questions for reflection:

1. Are there areas in my life where I practice ‘partial obedience’ to God? 

2. What habits, attitudes, or environments might I need to remove so that I can obey God more fully?