Why did God decide not to drive out the remaining nations in Judges 2:21? Canonical Context The declaration, “I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died” (Judges 2:21), is set within a prose prologue (Judges 2:6–3:6) that explains why the idyllic conquest of Joshua gives way to the recurring cycles of the Judges. The text links God’s decision to Israel’s rapid covenant infidelity: “They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers… and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths” (Judges 2:11–13). Thus, verse 21 is both judgment and pedagogical strategy. Covenantal Sanctions and Judicial Consistency Deuteronomy had warned that covenant blessings were contingent on obedience and that disobedience would forfeit promised privileges (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 28). The retention of hostile nations is the concrete outworking of those sanctions—an enforcement, not a breach, of God’s word. His action is judicially consistent: “Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they prostituted themselves after other gods” (Judges 2:17). The unaltered moral fabric of the covenant undergirds the entire narrative. Divine Testing: The Hebrew Concept of Nāsâ Judges 2:22 states the purpose: “to test (nasot, ‘prove’) Israel.” In Scripture, nāsâ never seeks to make people fail; rather, it exposes, refines, and instructs (cf. Genesis 22:1; Exodus 16:4). The remaining nations become a crucible revealing whether later generations will “keep the way of the LORD” (Judges 2:22). Free moral agents face genuine choices; authentic love and obedience cannot be coerced. Pedagogy in Warfare Judges 3:1–2 elaborates another purpose: “to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not known the previous battles.” Earlier victories depended on supernatural intervention (Joshua 6; 10). Now God couples human responsibility with divine empowerment so Israel learns disciplined dependence rather than triumphal presumption—an anticipatory lesson for spiritual warfare defined in Ephesians 6:10–18. Instrumental Discipline and Ongoing Judgment The nations become rods of discipline (Isaiah 10:5–6 principle). Each oppression (e.g., Mesopotamia 3:8; Moab 3:12–14; Midian 6:1) is a tailored corrective, driving Israel back to repentance. This cyclical chastisement manifests covenant love (Proverbs 3:11–12; Hebrews 12:5–11). Missional and Redemptive Foreshadowing God’s retention policy paradoxically safeguards redemptive history. Through intermingling frontiers, Rahab and Ruth-like conversions remain possible, prefiguring Gentile inclusion (Matthew 1:5; Ephesians 2:11–22). The tension anticipates the Messiah who will decisively conquer sin rather than mere territory (John 18:36). Archaeological Corroboration of the Period • Merneptah Stele (c. 1208 BC) names “Israel” already in Canaan, aligning with Judges’ early Iron I setting. • Excavations at Hazor show destruction layers that synchronize with Joshua 11 and Judges 4. • Collared-rim pithoi and four-room houses appear in the highlands in this era, matching the settlement pattern implied by Judges 1. • Amarna Letters (14th century BC) speak of ‘Apiru disturbances, plausibly reflecting pre-monarchic Israelite infiltration described in Judges 1. These findings substantiate the book’s geographical and cultural matrix rather than mythic invention. Philosophical and Behavioral Implications 1. Moral Agency: Real virtue presupposes alternative choices. 2. Virtue Formation: Adversity cultivates courage, perseverance, and fidelity—traits impossible in a frictionless world. 3. Corporate Memory: Each generation must experientially embrace covenant truths; second-hand faith decays (Judges 2:10). Practical Exhortation Believers facing entrenched “nations” (habits, ideologies) should see them as divinely permitted arenas for growth, not evidence of abandonment. Persistent struggle is God’s invitation to lean on His strength and to manifest His glory (2 Corinthians 12:9). Summary God withheld a full purge of Canaanite nations to (1) execute covenant justice, (2) test succeeding generations, (3) train Israel in reliant warfare, (4) wield discipline that fosters repentance, (5) keep the stage open for Gentile redemption, and (6) display His sovereign patience. Archaeology, manuscript evidence, and coherent covenant theology converge to affirm that this decision is historically grounded, textually secure, and theologically rich—demonstrating, yet again, that “all His ways are justice” (Deuteronomy 32:4). |
    |