Judges 1: 17-18
The Continuing Conquest of Canaan (continue)
17 And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they defeated the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath and devoted it to destruction. So the name of the city was called Hormah. 18 Judah also captured Gaza with its territory, and Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory.
The foundation of our faith is Jesus Christ and His love. Our allegiance and devotion are to Him, our Lord God and Savior. We love because He first loved us. In John 13:34-35, Christ gives us a new commandment, that we love one another. The Apostle Paul embodied this command in his word and in his writings. For example, in Romans 12:9-10, Paul says, “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” In the same way, we also must love one another, and placing their needs above our own.”
Today’s passage in Judges 1:17-18 begins by giving us a summary of two tribes that work together. This is Judah’s and Simeon’s conquests to conquer their territories in the land of Caanan. The two tribes made an alliance of sorts, in verse 1:3. If Simeon would go with Judah and help them in their conquest for their inheritance, then Judah would return the favor and help Simeon fight for their land. Additionally, this alliance benefited both tribes, for Simeon’s inheritance is right in the middle of Judah, just south of Lachish and Hebron.
The cities in Simeon’s inheritance were Beersheba, Ziklag, and Hormah. South of Beersheba was the Negeb of Judah, called the wilderness of Paran. Ziklag, to the west, was a city owned by the Philistines up until the time the city was given to David when he was in exile running away from King Saul (1 Samuel 27:6). Hormah was formerly known as Zephath. In Number 14:45, the Israelites went against God’s command and entered to take possession of the land from the Caananites and the Amalekites on their own strength, and by not relying on the Lord. However, the Caananites and Amalekites defeated the Hebrew armies and chased them as far as Zephath, that is, Horman. Then, in Numbers 21:2-3, the Israelites said if God would help them defeat the Caananites and Amalekites, then they would devote the cities they capture to utter destruction. This pleased God and He was with them. Therefore, the Hebrews renamed this area Hormah. in the Hebrew language, Hormah means “placing under a ban” or “being devoted to destruction,” which is what they did to this city. Verse 1:17 shows the exploits of the armies of Judah and Simeon after being in the wilderness for forty years. They enter the same region of the Negeb and retake the city of Zarephath. But this time, the tribe of Simeon takes possession of the city that they now renamed Hormah, some forty years ago.
This gives a good illustration of the parable that Jesus used when He said in Matthew 12:44-45, “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first.” Therefore, whatever we commit to do for the Lord, we must do wholeheartedly to completion. If we say we are devoted to God and do not commit our time and energy to our ‘spiritual disciplines so we can grow in grace, then all our efforts are in vain. And who knows, maybe our last state is worse than what we had before. We must follow through with our resolve to serve God. A good word in the English language to describe this is ‘gumption’, which means, shrewd or spirited initiative and resourcefulness. We need to have and use our gumption to follow through and get things done. Then, we, like the Apostle Paul, can say at the end of our lives, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Verse 1:18 is also very important to this historical narrative, which says, “Judah also captured Gaza with its territory, and Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory.” These three cities were owned by the Philistines. In our passage today, Judah was able to capture these three cities and their surrounding areas. However, the Philistines were not driven out of the land and they became a snare to Israel for many years. The five cities of the Philistines were Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gaza, Ekron, and Gath. Yet, the cities were returned to Israel during the time of the prophet Samuel. First Samuel 7:11-14 says,
11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines.
As we saw Simeon’s conquest in Hormah in verse 1:17, we now see Judah’s conquest in the western cities of the Philistines in verse 1:!8. It is important to note that Judah did not successfully drive out the Philistines as God commanded. Therefore they were a snare to Israel for many years and centuries to come. The Philistines retook their cities back and fought against Israel over and over again. The prophet Samuel prayed and led the armies to battle and they were able to retake possession in 1 Samuel 1:11-14. However, both King Saul and King David had to deal harshly with the Philistines throughout their reign as kings of Israel. Simeon was successful and totally annihilated their enemies and devoted them to destruction, as commanded by God. Judah, on the other hand, conquered but did not drive the Philistines out. Therefore, they became a snare to Israel. In the same way, must annihilate the sin that so easily binds and takes hold of us.
We can learn a lesson from this. We need to trust and obey God at all times. For to obey is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). When we make a resolve to serve God, we must complete our vows and serve Him with our whole being, wholeheartedly. Not that we are perfect. But we must ask, did we do our best for our Master?
><> ><> PRAYER <>< <><
My Sovereign and Omnipotent Lord, I am Your servant and You ransomed me at the cross of Calvary. I worship You as my Savior and my God, my only hope of eternal life. Thank You for Your instructions in the Word of God. Help me to be devoted to serving You and my brothers and sisters in Christ. Help me to love as You have loved. Help me to have a resolve and to serve you wholeheartedly. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen!
><> ><> HYMN <>< <><
Give Your Best to the Master, by Howard B. Grose in 1902
