And afterward the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the Negeb, and in the lowland.
After Joshua's death, Israel held a land that was theirs by promise but not yet theirs in fact. Here Judah presses south against Canaanites who still held the high ground and the valleys. So why did a people already given a land have to fight for every part of it?
Given, Yet To Be Taken
The book of Joshua ends with the land divided among the tribes, but not emptied of enemies. One writer explains why the record can sound like it contradicts itself:
J. G. BellettThe land was fully divided, but not yet fully conquered. This was so because Israel had to be tested. The God of their fathers put them in possession of the land by His grace, but they were to keep it as a people bound to obedience.
Another writer reads the same pattern as a picture of the believer's life. Title is one thing; enjoyment is another:
J. N. DarbyAs to our title, we are seated in heavenly places in Christ, eating the grain of that land. But then the conflict begins. We hold our ground against the enemy, and we come to know the full sum of our privileges through every attack he makes on us.
Why Judah Goes First
The campaign in this chapter began with a question put to God, and God named the tribe. Commentators find meaning in the name itself:
Leslie M. GrantThe answer is "Judah shall go up," and God gives the decisive promise that He has delivered the Canaanites into Judah's hand (v. 2). Judah means "praise," and a spirit of praise to God is surely what should lead against any enemy, for it gives God the honour for winning the victory.
A Flaw Beneath The Victories
Before going down against the mountain, the south and the valley, Judah had asked Simeon to come along. Some writers see the first crack there. The fault was not an alliance with enemies. It was that a plain promise seemed to need help:
H. L. RossierJudah seems to mistrust his own strength. Instead of finding his resource in the God of Israel, he seeks it in Simeon, and so he really lacks confidence in Jehovah. True, he does not join with the enemies of God; when his faith fails he turns to his brother Simeon, and only to his brother. Yet under the excuse of pushing forward the work of God, we see, in principle, the dawn of human associations and alliances.
Commentators differ on how far to press this. Another is more careful:
An Outline of Sound WordsWe may not be able to say whether or not the failure of Judah was because he sought the help of his brother Simeon. In certain circumstances it is right and proper to seek the help of our fellow believers, but we should be sure that it is the Lord's mind for us to do so.
The Mountain Won, The Valley Lost
The verse names three regions: hill country, south and lowland. The chapter goes on to tell how far Judah got in each:
Leslie M. GrantHowever, Judah did drive out the people of the hill country, yet could not drive out the people of the lowland, because they had chariots of iron (v. 17). This was a poor excuse, for is God inferior to iron chariots? What Judah needed was the faith of a Caleb.
Another writer traces that limit back to Judah's own trust:
Numerical Bible NotesIt seemed that chariots of iron stopped almighty power. It often does seem so, and in a sense it is even true. The removal of difficulties often depends on a simple faith, and our faith is, sadly, so seldom simple… Judah has measured the might of Jehovah, and Jehovah measures the strength He puts out for him. So God's ways are even, and Judah loses the fullness of a blessing he cannot grasp.
One Man's Faith
Judah's next victory was at Hebron, and one man stood behind it:
H. L. RossierCaleb's energy, perseverance and faith on this occasion were such that his whole tribe bore the imprint of it… What an honour for Caleb, that Judah should have gained the victory! On the other hand, let us not forget that each one of us may help to imprint weakness on the people of God as a whole.
And what Caleb gained was not merely a hill town. Hebron carries its own meaning:
Leslie M. GrantHe therefore took possession of Hebron, typically possessing the communion with God to which every believer is entitled, but which many do not enjoy.
What It Asks Of Us
One writer turns this straight on the reader:
An Outline of Sound WordsIt may be that we, like Judah and the other tribes who had their inheritance in the land, have been content to let the enemy rob us of what God meant us to have. It takes spiritual energy to enter into what God has given us in His grace. And He has given us the full armour that makes us victorious over all our foes (Eph. 6:10-18).
Summary
- Given — God divided the land before Israel had conquered it, so He could test them in holding what grace had already given.
- Led — God named Judah, the tribe whose name means "praise," to go first, giving Him the honour for the victory.
- Weakened — Judah leaned on Simeon when God's promise needed no help. Commentators differ on whether that choice cost him later.
- Halted — Judah took the mountain but not the valley. The chariots of iron measured Judah's faith, not God's power.
- Possessed — Caleb's faith took Hebron and marked his whole tribe. One person's faith still decides how much of God's gift is enjoyed.