Judges 2:2
and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done?
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The angel's sharp question, "Why have you done this?" isn't just about disobedience; it's a profound accusation that Israel liked the forbidden pagan practices they were supposed to eradicate. Their failure wasn't just a missed instruction, but a dangerous embrace of the very things God wanted them separated from.
An angel of the Lord has appeared to confront Israel after they’ve entered the Promised Land, reminding them of God’s covenant and their immediate failure to obey His commands. This angel is calling them out for making alliances and failing to destroy the pagan altars, directly quoting the strict instructions God gave them before they even crossed the Jordan.
God reminds Israel of a solemn promise He made. But they broke theirs. What's the difference, and why does it matter?
God’s words to Israel here cut deep. He reminds them, 'I made you a covenant.' This wasn't just a casual agreement; it was God's solemn vow, His oath to be their God and bring them into the Promised Land. He kept His word, leading them out of Egypt and into Canaan.
But Israel, as the angel points out, failed to keep their end of the bargain. The commands were clear: 'make no league with the inhabitants of this land' and 'break down their altars.' These weren't suggestions; they were conditions for God's continued blessing and protection. Their disobedience wasn't a minor slip-up; it was a fundamental betrayal of their covenant relationship with God.
Israel was told to destroy all traces of Canaanite worship. Why was making 'no league' so critical, and what does it teach us about compromise today?
The command to make 'no league' and 'break down their altars' wasn't about hostility for hostility's sake. It was a fierce protection against spiritual contamination. The Canaanites’ religious practices were deeply entwined with their culture, often involving deeply immoral acts and idolatry that directly defied God.
Making a 'league' or allowing their altars to stand meant blurring the lines between God's people and the surrounding nations. It was an invitation for Israel to adopt their ways, to find their worship 'appealing' or 'convenient.' God knew that even a little tolerance for idolatry would inevitably lead His people astray, as history repeatedly shows.
God’s question, 'Why have you done this?' isn't just a rhetorical flourish. It carries the weight of profound disappointment and sorrow.
When the angel of the Lord asks, 'Why have you done this?' it’s more than just an inquiry; it’s an expression of God’s deep grief and astonishment at their disobedience. It’s like a parent asking their child, 'Why would you do something that hurts both of us so much?'
Understand the original words
mizbeach · Hebrew Noun
A raised structure, usually of earth or stone, used for offering sacrifices and burnt offerings as an act of worship, atonement, or consecration to a deity. In the Old Testament, God commanded the destruction of foreign altars to prevent idolatry.
shama' qol · Hebrew Verb
To hear, listen, and pay attention with the intention of obedience. It implies not just cognitive reception but a responsive action following the expressed will of God.
This rebuke highlights a critical failure at the very start of Israel's settlement in the Promised Land. Their initial disobedience in not fully obeying God's commands about the Canaanites set a pattern of compromise that would plague them for centuries.
c. 1400 BC
Israel Conquers Canaan
Following their exodus from Egypt and wilderness wandering, the Israelites, under Joshua's leadership, enter and begin conquering the Promised Land.
c. 1400-1350 BC
Incomplete Conquest of Canaan
Despite initial victories, the Israelites fail to drive out all the inhabitants of Canaan, leaving significant Canaanite populations within their territory.
c. 1350 BC— this verse
Angel of the LORD's Rebuke at Bochim
An angel of the LORD confronts Israel at Bochim, rebuking them for their disobedience in making covenants with the Canaanites and failing to destroy their altars.
c. 1350 BC
Israel Weeps and Sacrifices
In response to the divine rebuke, the people weep and offer sacrifices at Bochim, acknowledging their sin and seeking reconciliation with God.
This passage lays out the original command to Israel not to make covenants with the inhabitants of the land, highlighting the direct disobedience addressed in Judges 2:2.
Deuteronomy 7:2Similar to Exodus, this verse reiterates the prohibition against making alliances and emphasizes the danger of the surrounding nations corrupting Israel's worship.
Joshua 23:13This passage serves as a prophetic warning from Joshua, echoing the same theme that the remaining Canaanites would become snares and scourges if Israel did not remain obedient.
Romans 6:16This New Testament passage draws a parallel between slavery to sin and obedience to righteousness, reflecting the core idea in Judges that choosing to disobey God leads to bondage to other powers.
bensonJudges 2:2: "And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?"
Jdg 2:2-5 . Ye shall make no league, &c. — These express and frequently-repeated commands of God they had disobeyed. Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out, &c. — That is, I have now taken up this peremptory resolution. They shall be as thorns in your sides, &c. — This signifies what they were assuredly to expect in brea…
gillJudges 2:2: "And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?"
And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land,.... This the Lord charged them not to do, when he covenanted with them, and assured them of bringing them into the land; and yet they had done it, as some instances in the preceding chapter show, which were the occasion of the angel's coming to them to rebuke them, see…
The angel's sharp question, "Why have you done this?" isn't just about disobedience; it's a profound accusation that Israel liked the forbidden pagan practices they were supposed to eradicate. Their failure wasn't just a missed instruction, but a dangerous embrace of the very things God wanted them separated from.
An angel of the Lord has appeared to confront Israel after they’ve entered the Promised Land, reminding them of God’s covenant and their immediate failure to obey His commands. This angel is calling them out for making alliances and failing to destroy the pagan altars, directly quoting the strict instructions God gave them before they even crossed the Jordan.
An angel of the Lord has appeared to confront Israel after they’ve entered the Promised Land, reminding them of God’s covenant and their immediate failure to obey His commands. This angel is calling them out for making alliances and failing to destroy the pagan altars, directly quoting the strict instructions God gave them before they even crossed the Jordan.
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This question underscores the wickedness of their hearts and their ingratitude. After all God had done—delivering them from slavery, promising them a land flowing with milk and honey—they chose to disobey Him and embrace the very practices He had warned them against. Their actions brought sorrow not only because they broke God’s law but because they rejected His love and protection, inviting ruin upon themselves.
c. 1350 BC - 1070 BC
Period of the Judges Begins
This event marks the beginning of the era known as the Judges, characterized by cycles of Israelite apostasy, oppression by surrounding nations, and deliverance through divinely appointed leaders.
"and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done?" — The angel's sharp question, "Why have you done this?" isn't just about disobedience; it's a profound accusation that Israel liked the forbidden pagan practices they were supposed to eradicate. Thei…
