Judges 1:16-21
16 Now the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the city of palms with the sons of Judah, to the wilderness of Judah which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people.
17 Then Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they struck the Canaanites living in Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. So the name of the city was called Hormah.
18 And Judah took Gaza with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory.
19 Now the Lord was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had iron chariots.
20 Then they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had promised; and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak.
21 But the sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem; so the Jebusites have lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
The Battle of Judah and Simeon
The Kenites
The Kenites were non-Israelites, but they were allowed to dwell among the people of Israel. Who were the Kenites? Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, was a Midianite, and his son was named Hobab. Hobab was Moses’ brother-in-law. The descendants of Hobab were the people known as the Kenites. They went up with the tribe of Judah from the city of palms (Jericho) to the wilderness of Judah, which is located south of Arad, and dwelt there with the tribe of Judah. The Kenites maintained a friendly relationship with Israel throughout. Those who seek peace are blessed. Let us examine ourselves to see if we have opposed God’s plan and or rebelled against the authority established by God. Let us remember the words of the Lord Jesus. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9).
Other battles
(1) The tribes of Judah and Benjamin joined forces to attack the Canaanites who were living in Zephath, and they renamed the city Hormah. Previously, the Israelites had attacked the same city towards the end of their journey in the wilderness and named it Hormah. Now they attacked the city once again. (2) Next, the tribe of Judah achieved victory in the coastal plain of the Philistines. They captured Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, and the surrounding region from the Philistines. However, this victory was temporary, as the Philistines eventually regained control of those cities and began to afflict the Israelites. (3) Furthermore, the tribe of Judah occupied the hill country, but because the inhabitants of the valley had chariots of iron, Judah were prevented from completely driving them out. (4) The tribe of Judah destroyed Jerusalem, but the tribe of Benjamin were unable to drive out the inhabitants of the city, the Jebusites. Jerusalem belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. The victories of the Israelites were partial and limited. Several possible reasons can be thought of for this. Fear of the enemy’s military strength, lack of faith, underestimating the harm of idol worship, greed to enslave the Canaanites, and more. What lessons can you learn from the compromised lifestyle of the Israelites?
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, please grant me not partial victories over sin but complete victory. Help me obey fully to Your guidance again today. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.