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APRIL 18
with other gods, and bowed down to them.
They turned quickly from the way in which
their fathers walked, in obeying the command-
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2:1 the Angel of the LORD. One of 3 preincar- ments of the LORD; they did not do so. And
nate theophanies by the Lord Jesus Christ in when the LORD raised up judges for them, the
Judges (see 6:11–18; 13:3–23). This same LORD was with the judge and delivered them
Divine Messenger had earlier led Israel out of out of the hand of their enemies all the days of
Egypt (see Ex. 14:19). I will never break My the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by
covenant with you. God would be faithful their groaning because of those who oppressed
until the end, but the people would forfeit them and harassed them. And it came to
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blessing for trouble,due to their disobedience pass, when the judge was dead, that they
(see v. 3).
reverted and behaved more corruptly than
their fathers, by following other gods, to serve
them and bow down to them. They did not
of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices cease from their own doings nor from their
and wept. stubborn way.
Then they called the name of that place Then the anger of the LORD was hot against
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Bochim; and they sacrificed there to the LORD. Israel; and He said, “Because this nation has
And when Joshua had dismissed the people, transgressed My covenant which I command-
6
the children of Israel went each to his own ed their fathers, and has not heeded My voice,
inheritance to possess the land. 21 I also will no longer drive out before them
So the people served the LORD all the days any of the nations which Joshua left when he
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of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who died, so that through them I may test Israel,
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outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great whether they will keep the ways of the LORD,
works of the LORD which He had done for Is- to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or
rael. Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant not.” Therefore the LORD left those nations,
8
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of the LORD, died when he was one hundred without driving them out immediately; nor did
and ten years old. And they buried him with- He deliver them into the hand of Joshua.
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in the border of his inheritance at Timnath
Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the Psalm 48:1–8
north side of Mount Gaash. When all that A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
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generation had been gathered to their fathers, reat is the LORD, and greatly
another generation arose after them who did G to be praised
not know the LORD nor the work which He had In the city of our God,
done for Israel.
Then the children of Israel did evil in the 2
11 In His holy mountain.
sight of the LORD, and served the Baals; and Beautiful in elevation,
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The joy of the whole earth,
they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north,
who had brought them out of the land of The city of the great King.
Egypt; and they followed other gods from
among the gods of the people who were all
around them, and they bowed down to them;
and they provoked the LORD to anger. They
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forsook the LORD and served Baal and the 48:2 The joy of the whole earth. See the
Ashtoreths. And the anger of the LORD was judgment context of Lamentations 2:15. the
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hot against Israel. So He delivered them into sides of the north. “North” is an interpretive
the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; translation of a word that occurs as a Semitic
and He sold them into the hands of their ene- place name, i.e., “Zaphon.” In Canaanite
mies all around, so that they could no longer mythology Zaphon was an ancient Near
stand before their enemies. Wherever they Eastern equivalent to Mt. Olympus, the
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went out, the hand of the LORD was against dwelling place of pagan gods. If this was the
them for calamity, as the LORD had said, and as psalmist’s intention in Psalm 48:2, the refer-
the LORD had sworn to them. And they were ence becomes a polemical description of the
greatly distressed. Lord.He is not only King of Kings but also is
Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges
16 God of all so-called gods.The city of the great
who delivered them out of the hand of those King. See Psalm 47:2 and Matthew 5:34,35.God
who plundered them. Yet they would not lis- Himself has always been the King of Kings.
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ten to their judges, but they played the harlot
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