One Story 33, Abimelech, Jephthah, Samson, Levites (Judges 9-21) [21CBL]

We must know exactly what God wants to say through the Bible. God revealed the power of God through the event of crossing the Red Sea in the war of Exodus, and God showed that He can do everything in the wilderness, before crossing the Jordan, when crossing the Jordan, and during the Canaanite War. The sun stopped at Joshua's request (Jos 10:12-14), and He saved the Israelites through Judge Barak, and worked through every element of nature (Jud 5:20-21). God could have annihilated the Canaanites, make them perish, and drive them all out before the Israelites entered the land of Canaan, either through “natural disasters” or “epidemic diseases”.
Then, He could have let the Israelites enter a place where there were no Canaanites and no traces of the idols they served, so that they could live according to the Word of God, focusing only on God. However, God commanded to destroy all (Deu 20:16-18) Canaanties, but He left some Canaanites tribes (Jud 2:21-3:4). No, he allowed the Israelites to leave some Canaanites. And He knows that the Israelites will become “Canaanites” because of them, serve their gods, and forsake God (Deu 31:20,21/ Jud 3:5,6). We must know that God is not trying to bring the Israelites into the land of Canaan and make the “Kingdom of God” that God intends.
Rather, the Bible reveals the reality of those who forsook God who gave victory from Egypt through the wilderness to the Canaanite war and quickly became Canaanites and served the gods of Canaan. And by judging them in history, He is telling us that the true salvation will be accomplished through the Savior Jesus Christ, not through temporary human judges and human kings on this earth. In addition, through history, the true kingdom of God is clearly revealed through history, as the eternal place God created before creation, the 'new heaven and new earth', that can be entered only through Jesus Christ, not through this world. There is no God's failure. It wasn’t that God expected the Israelites to do well in the land of Canaan, but was surprised by the Israelites' repeated sins. God is proceeding according to God's eternal purpose.
#Samson #Levites #Abimelech