04: A Divine Decision & the Exemplary Judge Othniel (Judges 2:21 – 3:11)

Since they continued to serve other gods, the Lord decided to leave the remaining Canaanites in the land to test Israel. Whenever they worshiped idols and sinned against the Lord, their enemies would invade and plunder the land, serving as a clear indicator of their sins.

πŸ‘‰ Read Judges 2:21 – 3:11


Q1. What made the Lord decide not to remove the remaining Canaanite nations before Israel? 

They violated the covenantal terms. Because they broke the covenantal relationship, the Lord was no longer obligated to remove their enemies. The literal translation of the Hebrew phrase "by disobeying me" is "by not listening to my voice." The Lord wasn’t just saying they violated a command or two; He was emphasizing that they had completely disregarded His words and ignored Him altogether.

It was to test Israel. Before, they were supposed to be eradicated from the land. But now, the purpose of the existence of the Canaanite nations is to test Israel.

“This nation” the Lord calls Israel ‘this nation ( Χ’ּΧ•ֹΧ™)’, not ‘this people ( Χ’ַם )’. Israel became just like one of the other Canaanite nations. A chosen nation lost its distinctiveness. 



Q2. These were the Lord’s two purposes in leaving the Canaanite nations according to 3:1-4. It was to (           ) Israel if they would (              ) the commands and to (             ) them how to conduct (           ).

These were the Lord’s two purposes in leaving the Canaanite nations. It was to ( test  ) Israel if they would ( obey ) the commands and to ( teach ) them how to conduct ( holy war  ).

Through their experiences of failure, they will learn that they are sinful and need to trust in the Lord’s words rather than relying on their own experiences. They will learn through failures and suffering. 

To learn about war means to realize that, as the people of the Lord living in the land of Canaan, the success or failure of visible battles depends on the unseen spiritual warfare.

Verse 6 summarizes the essence of their sins: intermarriage with the Canaanites and idol worship.



Q3. As they forgot the Lord and worshiped the Baals and Asherahs, the Lord put them under Cushan Rishathaim for (       ) years. As they cried for help, God raised (               ) to deliver them. They had rested for (            ) years as Othniel was alive.

As they forgot the Lord and worshiped the Baals and Asherahs, the Lord put them under Cushan Rishathaim for ( eight  ) years. As they cried for help, God raised ( Othniel  ) to deliver them. They had rested for ( forty   ) years as Othniel was alive.

The land experienced shalom only when the Judge was alive. Othniel was a model leader, but the subsequent judges became increasingly less ideal.


God’s divine plan to deal with sinful people. So is today for us.

  • To test: to reveal their sinfulness which they deny
  • To teach how to live as God's people in a sinful world.
  • Through the One whom God’s Spirit empowered.


They should not assume they must live in harmony with the remaining Canaanites simply because the Lord allowed them to remain in the land. Instead, they needed to be even more diligent in obeying the Lord’s commands, because the temptation to disobey and worship idols was greater due to the presence of these divinely permitted Canaanites.

When God places us in a certain environment, it doesn’t mean we are to conform, thinking, "God put me here, so I should accept this situation." Rather, we must be even more focused on following Jesus’ way. Such environments often expose our sinfulness and awaken us spiritually.

We must not forget God’s purpose in these situations. We need to learn how to fight the spiritual battle and grow in faith.


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