Judges 3

Judges 3

Verse 1

Here, the remaining nations of Canaan are left as a test to future Israelites and also to teach them warfare. In Judges 1 and 2, they're left because the Israelites cannot and/or do not wipe them out. When the Israelites fail, God uses it.

So extrapolating, when we fail, God can use it. Far be it from me to say I know he always uses it but at least we know that when we fail, God can redeem our failure.

Verse 6

Here we see linked the intermarriage between the Israelites and the Canaanites and the Israelites' serving other gods. I believe the Torah forbade intermarriage and we can see why. It had nothing to do with racial or ethnic purity but rather faith purity. Marrying other people seems to imply marrying their gods.

I think it's one reason so much emphasis (at least this is how I see it) is put on marrying other Christians. When you marry, your lives are joined together. If it's not impossible (actually I think it is), it's at least very difficult to join the lives of a Christian, whose purpose is to love God and enjoy Him forever, to a non-Christian, whose idea of God may be anywhere from atheism to absolute indifference.

Rest of Judges 3

. . . is the blueprint for most of the rest of Judges. Israelites do evil in the eyes of the Lord so God allows foreign nations to rule over them. Israelites get tired of it (read: are heavily oppressed) and cry out to God. God relents and raises a judge to save them. Land enjoys peace. Repeat from beginning.

The only wonder is that God relents again and again. It is an amazing testimony to His patience and love for the Israelites.

Without thinking terribly hard, we can see that this is what God does for every individual (read: every member of the human race past, present, and future with at least one exception). He relents again and again even though no one deserves it.

P.S. I realize we're not exactly sticking to a weekly schedule. Oh well. Whenever we have time . . .