Then Joshua released the people to go take possession of their territorial inheritance.
The people faithfully worshiped YAHWEH all the days of Joshua and through all the days of the elders who outlived him. They had all experienced the many astounding miracles YAHWEH had done for Israel. YAHWEH’s servant, Joshua son of Nun, died at the age of one hundred and ten and the people buried him on his own parcel of land in the hill country of Ephraim at Timnath Serah, north of Mount Gaash. Eventually, after that entire generation died and was buried, the next generation forgot YAHWEH and all that he had done for Israel.
The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of YAHWEH and worshiped the images of Baal. Israel deserted YAHWEH, the God of their ancestors, who had rescued them from Egypt. They found new gods to worship—the gods of the people around them. They bowed down to them and provoked YAHWEH to anger. They completely abandoned YAHWEH to serve Baal and the images of the goddess Astarte. They caused the anger of YAHWEH to be kindled against Israel, and he handed them over to invaders, who plundered them. He surrendered them to their enemies on all sides, and they could no longer defend themselves. Every time they went into battle, YAHWEH raised his hand against them to their undoing, just as he had warned them, and they were in great distress.
Nevertheless, YAHWEH raised up deliverers from among them who rescued them from the marauding bands. Rather than listen to their deliverers, they prostituted themselves to other gods and bowed down to worship them. This new generation quickly turned from the good path and refused to be like their ancestors who actually listened to YAHWEH’s commands.
Yet, whenever YAHWEH raised up a hero for them, his presence and power were with that leader, and he would rescue the people from their enemies as long as that deliverer lived. YAHWEH had mercy and pitied them because of their cries of distress and groanings under the grip of their oppressors.
But when their champion died, then the people would relapse into their former idolatry. They would worship other gods, bow down to them, and refuse to give up their evil ways. And each generation behaved worse than the one before it. Then YAHWEH became furious with Israel, saying, “Because this nation has violated the covenant that I commanded their fathers to keep, and because they no longer listen to my voice, I will no longer drive out any of the nations that remained in the land after Joshua died.”
Over and over YAHWEH tested Israel to see if they would faithfully walk in his ways, as their ancestors had done. So YAHWEH intentionally left pagan nations in the land instead of driving them all out at once, and he did not give Joshua the victory over them, nor did he drive them out after Joshua’s death.
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