Confrontation and Repentance at Bokim
2:1 The Lord’s angelic messenger went up from Gilgal to Bokim. He said, “I brought you up from Egypt and led you into the land I had solemnly promised to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my agreement with you,
The Lord’s angelic messenger is the pre-incarnate Christ, the second person of the Trinity. The last time that the Angel of the Lord appeared was to Joshua at Gilgal. Now, he leaves Gilgal and goes to Bokim. Bokim means “the Oak of Weeping”.
The Angel of the Lord claimed that He brought Israel out of Egypt. Since Jehovah brought Israel out of Egypt, then the Angel of the Lord is Jehovah.
The Angel of the Lord claimed that He led Israel into the land. Since Jehovah led Israel into the land, the Angel of the Lord is Jehovah.
The Angel of the Lord also claimed that He made a promise to Israel’s ancestors. He said, “I will never break this agreement with you.” This eternal covenant was the Abrahamic Covenant. Since Jehovah made the Abrahamic Covenant and claimed that He would honor it forever, then the Angel of the Lord is Jehovah.
2:2 but you must not make an agreement with the people who live in this land. You should tear down the altars where they worship.’ But you have disobeyed me. Why would you do such a thing?
God told Israel not to make any agreement with the people in the land. He also told them to tear down their altars. The people disobeyed God in both of these commands. The question that the Angel of the Lord asked to Israel was, “How could you do this to me after all of the things that I have done for you?”
2:3 At that time I also warned you, ‘If you disobey, I will not drive out the Canaanites before you. They will ensnare you and their gods will lure you away.’”
The Angel of the Lord administered two judgments on Israel. First, since Israel failed to exterminate the Canaanites, then the Canaanites would now become thorns in their sides. Second, Israel would be seduced into idolatry.
2:4 When the Lord’s messenger finished speaking these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly.
The people had three reactions to God’s judgement. First, they wept loudly.
2:5 They named that place Bokim and offered sacrifices to the Lord there.
Second, they named the place “Bokin,” meaning “weeping.” Third, they offered sacrifices where the Angel of the Lord appeared. Sacrifices were allowed at locations of theophanies. Since God appeared at Bokin as the Angel of the Lord, sacrifices were permitted at this time and place.
The End of an Era
2:6 When Joshua dismissed the people, the Israelites went to their allotted portions of territory, intending to take possession of the land.
The history of Joshua 24 was repeated in this chapter. The Holy Spirit wanted to focus on the change of era for Israel. Joshua dismissed the people and commanded them to conquer the Canaanites and possess their land.
2:7 The people worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly men who outlived him remained alive. These men had witnessed all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.
This generation of Joshua was faithful to Jehovah.
2:8 Joshua son of Nun, the Lord’s servant, died at the age of one hundred ten.
Joshua died at 110 years of age leaving Israel without a leader.
2:9 The people buried him in his allotted land in Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
Joshua was buried in his tribal inheritance.
2:10 That entire generation passed away; a new generation grew up that had not personally experienced the Lord’s presence or seen what he had done for Israel.
Joshua’s generation died out. This new generation did not experience any of the miracles of Moses or Joshua. This was the third generation out of Egypt.
A Monotonous Cycle
2:11 The Israelites did evil before the Lord by worshiping the Baals.
The Hebrew word for “the Baals” is הַבְּעָלִֽים (ha-balim), a plural noun, meaning the Canaanite gods. As soon as Joshua died, the very next generation began worshiping Caananite gods.
Some of the Canaanite gods were El and Asherah, who were the father and mother of a pantheon of seventy Canaanite gods. Some of their children's gods were Hadad, the storm weather god (or the Rider of the Clouds). Mot was the god of death and the netherworld. Yam was god of the sea. Baal was the sun god and fertility god. He rode upon the clouds and was responsible for rain. Elijah will challenge Baal later during a time period of divine drought.
2:12 They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods – the gods of the nations who lived around them. They worshiped them and made the Lord angry.
Israel also began to worship the gods of other nations around them.
2:13 They abandoned the Lord and worshiped Baal and the Ashtars.
Ashtar appears in both the singular and plural forms. She was known in many cultures and languages. She was the female deity, the consort of Baal, and the goddess of the moon. She was also the goddess of fertility and war. She was known to the Greeks as Astarte, to the Assyrians and Babylonians as Ishtar, and to the Romans as Diana. The worship of Baal and Ashtar included temple prostitution. Later, it would merge with Judaism into a religion of syncretism.
2:14 The Lord was furious with Israel and handed them over to robbers who plundered them. He turned them over to their enemies who lived around them. They could not withstand their enemies’ attacks.
In Hebrew, this verse states that the nose of Yahweh burned. This would be like a mad bull snorting heat out of his nostrils. This is an expression of divine fury. Israel was issued three judgments. Enemies would attack, defeat, and plunder them.
2:15 Whenever they went out to fight, the Lord did them harm, just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do. They suffered greatly.
God became the enemy of Israel. Instead of God aiding Israel as He did in the days of Joshua, now God aided the enemy against Israel.
2:16 The Lord raised up leaders who delivered them from these robbers.
The leaders were the judges, or saviors, of Israel. The purpose of these judges was to deliver Israel from those who attacked, defeated, and plundered them.
2:17 But they did not obey their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned aside from the path their ancestors had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the Lord’s commands, but they did not.
Israel obeyed the judges for a while, but as soon as the judges died, they prostituted themselves with false gods. Israel was seen as the wife of Jehovah. She was to worship only her Husband. When Israel worshiped other gods, then she was committing spiritual adultery against God.
2:18 When the Lord raised up leaders for them, the Lord was with each leader and delivered the people from their enemies while the leader remained alive. The Lord felt sorry for them when they cried out in agony because of what their harsh oppressors did to them.
There is a cycle in the Book of Judges. Israel sins. God judges them. The Canaanites begin to kill them. Israel cries for help. God delivers a Judge to save them. Israel repents. The Judge dies. The cycle restarts again.
2:19 When a leader died, the next generation would again act more wickedly than the previous one. They would follow after other gods, worshiping them and bowing down to them. They did not give up their practices or their stubborn ways.
As soon as a judge died, the next generation would grow more wicked than the previous generation. Israel was not evolving, but devolving. Mankind is the same way. Mankind did not ascend from monkeys. He descended from the image of God. Man is growing worse and worse. Man will grow so wicked, that eventually he will reject God and worship the Antichrist.
This degradation was a spiraling cycle. Israel would improve after each judge, but their degradation the next cycle would be worse and their improvement would be less.
A Divine Decision
2:20 The Lord was furious with Israel. He said, “This nation has violated the terms of the agreement I made with their ancestors by disobeying me.
The Hebrew word for “nation” is הַגּ֣וֹי (ha-goy), meaning “the Gentile.” Jehovah was so furious at Israel, that instead of calling her His holy nation, His wife, His children, or His chosen people, He called them “Gentiles.” Even though Israel was given more light, she become worse than the Gentile nations who rejected God. Israel was just as pagan and just as evil as any Gentile nation in existence.
2:21 So I will no longer remove before them any of the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died.
Jehovah would no longer remove the Canaanites from the land. In the Book of Joshua, no new territory is ever gained. Israel recovers land that they formerly lost, but they never gained any land.
2:22 Joshua left those nations to test Israel. I wanted to see whether or not the people would carefully walk in the path marked out by the Lord, as their ancestors were careful to do.”
Joshua did not conquer all of the Canaanites on purpose. There were two reasons why God did not allow Joshua to drive all of the Canaanites out of the land. The first reason was that He would use the Canaanites to punish Israel for their sin. Second, God wanted to test Israel. He wanted Israel, the angelic world, and the people of the Bible to witness the treachery of Israel and the love of God.
2:23 This is why the Lord permitted these nations to remain and did not conquer them immediately; he did not hand them over to Joshua.
If Israel was obedient, God would continue His extermination program against the Canaanites. If Israel was not obedient, then the Canaanites would be the rod of discipline which God would use to spank Israel.