Judges 2:11-15

Israel's Apostasy Judges 2:11-15

11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim:
12 And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger.
13 And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
14 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.
15 Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.

10.

What were Baalim? Judges 2:11 cf. Judges 3:7

They were Canaanite gods, including Dagon, Baalberith, Baal-zebub, and others mentioned specifically. The word Baalim is a transliteration of a plural form of Baal. Such a reference suggests the Israelites had not only forsaken God, but they had embraced a multitude of pagan deities. Such was the heinousness of their sin.

11.

What was the nature of the worship of Baal and Ashtaroth? Judges 2:13

In this case the singular Baal is connected with the plural Ashtaroth, because the male deities of all the Canaanitish nations, and those that bordered upon Canaan, were in their nature one and the same deity, viz. Baal, a sun-god. Baal, as such was the vehicle and source of physical life and of the generative and reproductive power of nature.

Ashtaroth, from the singular (Ashtoreth), which only occurs in 1 Kings 11:5; 1 Kings 11:33, and 2 Kings 23:13, in connection with the Sidonian (Astharte,) was the general name used to denote the leading female deity of the Canaanitish tribes. She was a moon-goddess, who was worshiped as the feminine principle of nature embodied in the pure moonlight and its influence upon terrestrial life. She corresponded to the Greek Aphrodite, whose celebrated temple at Askalon is described in Herodotos 1, 105. In Judges 3:7, (Asheroth) is used as equivalent to Ashtaroth, which is used here (see Judges 10:6; 1 Samuel 7:4; 1 Samuel 12:10). The name Asheroth was transferred to the deity itself from the idols of this goddess which generally consisted of wooden columns, and are called (Asherim) in Exodus 34:13. (See also Deuteronomy 7:5; Deuteronomy 12:3; Deuteronomy 16:21). On the other hand, the word Ashtoreth is without any traceable etymology in the Semitic dialects and was probably derived from Upper Asia, being connected with a Persian word signifying a star.

12.

When had God said that He would be against Israel? Judges 2:15

Moses had especially warned the people against falling away from the Lord. He told them that if they turned their backs on Him they would suffer, although He held out to them many blessings if they obeyed God, Moses also told them how disobedience would bring an equal number of curses (see Leviticus 26). He had repeatedly warned them in this manner. His last speeches were especially filled with statements about how God would be against them if they turned away from Him (see Deuteronomy 28). The theme of Joshua's addresses was of similar nature. In his farewell address, he had warned them to be faithful to God. He told his people that when they turned their backs on Him, God would be against them (see Joshua 23, 24). It is an everlasting principle which all nations need to learn that God will be against them when they turn away from following Him.

13.

What action did God take? Judges 2:14-15

God allowed the enemies of Israel to overcome them. As the Scripture records, there were spoilers that spoiled them. God sold them into the hands of their enemies. This was evidenced as they were no longer able to win victories in the field of battle. They were no longer able to overcome the temptations which were presented to them by the surrounding pagan nations. Everything Israel tried to do seemed to fail.