What is the meaning of Judges 2:6? After Joshua had dismissed the people • Joshua’s final act of leadership was to send the nation home once the covenant had been renewed at Shechem (Joshua 24:25-28; cf. Joshua 22:6). • His dismissal signals a transfer of responsibility: the people must now walk in personal faithfulness without their long-time leader, just as Moses had earlier prepared Joshua (Deuteronomy 31:7-8). • The verse reminds us that godly leadership equips but does not replace individual obedience. the Israelites went out • The tribes immediately acted on Joshua’s release, showing initial eagerness to obey the Lord’s charge (Numbers 33:53; Deuteronomy 1:21). • Their movement underscores that faith responds with action—leaving the assembly to live out the covenant in daily life (James 2:17). • Sadly, Judges will reveal how quickly that zeal fades when corporate worship gives way to personal routines. to take possession of the land • “Possession” echoes God’s covenant promise first given to Abraham (Genesis 12:7; 17:8) and reaffirmed to Moses and Joshua (Deuteronomy 34:4; Joshua 21:43-45). • It highlights both a gift and a mandate: the land is already granted by God, yet Israel must actively claim it (Joshua 18:3). • Spiritual parallel: believers receive every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3) but are called to “lay hold” of them through obedient living. each to his own inheritance • The phrase looks back to the allotments detailed in Joshua 13-19, where God assigned territory to every tribe and even to individual families (Numbers 26:52-56). • Personal inheritance carried a responsibility to drive out remaining Canaanites (Judges 1:27-36), maintain distinct worship (Deuteronomy 12:1-7), and pass the land to future generations (Joshua 14:9). • It also foreshadows the believer’s eternal inheritance kept in heaven (1 Peter 1:4), emphasizing both security in God’s promise and accountability in stewardship. summary Judges 2:6 bridges the conquest era and the judges period. Joshua releases the nation, the people set out, God’s promise stands ready for possession, and every Israelite has a personal stake. The verse affirms God’s faithfulness, the necessity of ongoing obedience, and the reality that blessings entrusted to God’s people must be actively embraced and faithfully guarded. |
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