Judges 2:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept.

NIV: When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud,

NASB: Now when the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people raised their voices and wept.

CSB: When the angel of the Lord had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly.

NLT: When the angel of the Lord finished speaking to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly.

KJV: And it came to pass, when the angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

NKJV: So it was, when the Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept.

This is the right and proper response to hearing from the Lord that you have been disobedient, that He has noticed, and that you will suffer the painful and tragic consequences of your sin: tears, crying, and weeping.

The people mourned and sobbed over this rebuke from God (Judges 2:1–3). When no consequences immediately followed their refusal to drive the Canaanites out of their territories, they may have thought that God did not truly care. They had taken the easier path, and God had seemingly responded with silence. Perhaps they even took the Lord's silence and the temporary peace that came with not fighting God's enemies as evidence of His supposed approval.

Now, though, the Lord has graciously shown that His commands are meaningful. The consequence for breaking them is that He will act against Israel instead of acting for His people. Weeping is the most rational response to such news. Sadly, this incident highlights the difference between worldly, ultimately fruitless sorrow and the godly sorrow which leads to genuine change (2 Corinthians 7:10). Israel is saddened and unhappy, but the rest of the book of Judges shows they are not truly repentant. Over and over, they will ignore God's will and suffer the promised consequences (Judges 2:11–15).

Judges 2:1–5 reveals the conclusion to the reports from chapter one: the tribes of Israel did not drive the Canaanites from the Promised Land. The angel of the Lord appears to the people, speaking as the Lord. He reminds them how He has done good for them, and empowered them, yet they have broken their covenant with Him. Now, the wicked and ungodly Canaanites will become thorns and their false gods will ensnare Israel. The people weep and make sacrifices to the Lord. However, as the rest of the book of Judges shows, their weeping doesn't lead to any meaningful change.

The tribes of Israel committed great sin when they failed to drive the depraved, wicked Canaanites from the land. God rebukes them harshly, warning them of the consequences to follow. The people weep and offer sacrifices. And yet, the generations after Joshua abandon God. They worship false gods and perform heinous sins. The Lord burns with anger and uses Israel's enemies as punishment. When the suffering becomes intense, God rescues Israel through a human "judge." When the judge dies, the people return to their sin, deeper even than before.

Judges 2 follows reports about the failure of Israel to drive the Canaanites from each tribes' territories. Despite being rebuked by God, the generations after Joshua eventually abandon the Lord to worship the gods of the Canaanites: the Baals and the Ashtaroth. This establishes a pattern to be repeated in the chapters to come. Israel will worship Canaan's gods. God punishes the people through their enemies. God saves the people through a human judge. When the judge dies, the people return to their sin. This cycle continues throughout the rest of the book of Judges.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).