Temporary victory

Regarding the battle at Jerusalem, verse 8 briefly states, “Then the sons of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.” However, the battle for Jerusalem is of great significance, so let us examine it in more detail. (1) During the time of Joshua, five kings of the southern coalition were killed, including the king of Jerusalem (ref. Josh. 10:23-28). (2) However, even though the king was killed, the city of Jerusalem itself remained intact. (3) In today’s passage, the tribe of Judah finally destroys Jerusalem, resulting in its capture. (4) Since Jerusalem was within the territory of the tribe of Benjamin, Judah did not settle there but entrusted the subsequent management to the tribe of Benjamin. However, the tribe of Benjamin was weak and could not establish their control over Jerusalem. (5) As a result, the Canaanites (Jebusites) once again settled in Jerusalem and successfully rebuilt it. Their resistance continued until the time of David. (6) Ultimately, David destroyed the Jebusite city and made it the capital of Israel. Until then, the Jebusites continued to live in Jerusalem. 

Lessons for us

The Lord had commanded through Moses, “So be aware today that it is the Lord your God who is crossing over ahead of you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so that you may drive them out and eliminating them quickly, just as the Lord has spoken to you” (Deut. 9:3). However, the Israelites, as seen in the example of Jerusalem, did not fully execute this command. It could be attributed to their lack of power to overcome their enemies, but the greatest problem was their lack of faith. They also underestimated the danger of coexistence with the Canaanites. Let’s think of ourselves. Do you have any sinful habits that are left unconquered? Or perhaps, you may be underestimating the impact of sin? Let us remember the words of the Apostle Paul: “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals'” (1 Cor. 15:33).