◄ Judges 2:15 ►
Wherever Israel marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them to bring calamity, just as He had sworn to them. So they were greatly distressed.
Study Bible
Wherever they marched out
This phrase indicates the movement and actions of the Israelites as they engaged in battles or journeys. The Hebrew root for "marched out" is often associated with military campaigns or significant movements of people. Historically, this reflects the period of the Judges when Israel was frequently in conflict with surrounding nations. The Israelites' movements were not just physical but also spiritual, as they often strayed from God's commandments during these times.

the hand of the LORD was against them
The "hand of the LORD" is a powerful metaphor in Hebrew scripture, symbolizing God's active involvement and intervention in human affairs. Here, it signifies divine opposition due to Israel's disobedience. This phrase underscores the covenant relationship between God and Israel, where blessings and protection were contingent upon their faithfulness. Theologically, it serves as a reminder of God's justice and the consequences of turning away from His statutes.

to bring disaster upon them
The term "disaster" in this context is derived from the Hebrew word often translated as "evil" or "calamity." It reflects the severe consequences of Israel's unfaithfulness. Historically, this disaster manifested in military defeats and oppression by foreign powers. This phrase highlights the seriousness of sin and the inevitable judgment that follows when a nation or individual forsakes God's ways.

just as He had warned
This phrase points to the prophetic warnings given by God through Moses and other leaders. The Hebrew scriptures are replete with instances where God, through His prophets, warned Israel of the consequences of disobedience. This serves as a testament to God's faithfulness in upholding His word, both in promises and warnings. It emphasizes the importance of heeding divine instruction and the reliability of God's word.

and they were greatly distressed
The distress experienced by the Israelites is both physical and spiritual. The Hebrew root for "distressed" conveys a sense of being in dire straits or under severe pressure. This reflects the historical reality of Israel's suffering under foreign oppression during the time of the Judges. Spiritually, it signifies the inner turmoil and desperation that result from being out of alignment with God's will. This phrase serves as a call to repentance and a return to God's covenant.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Israelites
The chosen people of God who were delivered from Egypt and brought into the Promised Land. In Judges 2, they are experiencing the consequences of their disobedience to God.

2. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who is faithful to His promises and warnings. His hand is against Israel due to their unfaithfulness.

3. The Promised Land
The land of Canaan, which God promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a place of blessing contingent upon Israel's obedience.

4. The Judges
Leaders raised by God to deliver Israel from oppression. This period is marked by a cycle of sin, oppression, repentance, and deliverance.

5. The Covenant
The agreement between God and Israel, which included blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, as outlined in Deuteronomy.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of Disobedience
God's warnings are not empty; they are meant to guide us back to Him. Just as Israel faced consequences for their disobedience, we too must heed God's Word.

The Faithfulness of God
God is faithful to His covenant, both in blessings and in discipline. His actions are always consistent with His character and promises.

The Cycle of Sin and Redemption
The book of Judges illustrates a cycle of sin, oppression, repentance, and deliverance. Recognizing this pattern in our lives can help us seek God's deliverance.

The Importance of Obedience
Obedience to God brings peace and blessing, while disobedience leads to distress. We are called to live in obedience to God's commands.

God's Discipline as Love
God's discipline is a sign of His love and desire for us to return to Him. It is meant to correct and restore us to a right relationship with Him.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the cycle of sin and redemption in Judges reflect in your own life, and how can you break free from it?

2. In what ways have you experienced God's discipline, and how did it lead you back to Him?

3. How can understanding the consequences of disobedience in Israel's history help you in your walk with God today?

4. What steps can you take to ensure that you are living in obedience to God's Word?

5. How does the faithfulness of God, as seen in Judges, encourage you in times of distress or difficulty?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Deuteronomy 28
This chapter outlines the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, which directly relate to the situation in Judges 2:15.

Joshua 23
Joshua warns Israel about the consequences of turning away from God, which is echoed in the events of Judges.

Psalm 106
This psalm recounts Israel's history of rebellion and God's faithfulness, providing a broader context for the events in Judges.

Hebrews 12
Discusses God's discipline as a sign of His love, which can be related to the distress experienced by Israel in Judges.
Sermons
God's Methods with NationsA. P. Foster.Judges 2:11-15
Israel's Obstinacy and God's PatienceA. Maclaren, D. D.Judges 2:11-15
Mercy is the Midst of JudgmentA.F. Muir Judges 2:14-18
People
Israelites, Joshua, Nun
Places
Bochim, Egypt, Gaash, Gilgal, Timnath-heres
Topics
Defeat, Distress, Distressed, Evil, Fight, Greatly, Marched, Oath, Severely, Sore, Spoken, Straits, Sworn, Warned, Whenever, Wherever, Whithersoever
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Judges 2:15

     5290   defeat

Judges 2:6-23

     8705   apostasy, in OT

Judges 2:10-19

     8151   revival, corporate

Judges 2:10-23

     8728   enemies, of Israel and Judah

Judges 2:11-15

     1310   God, as judge
     6109   alienation
     8739   evil, examples of

Judges 2:11-16

     9210   judgment, God's

Judges 2:12-15

     8707   apostasy, personal

Judges 2:14-15

     5607   warfare, examples
     8713   discouragement

Library
A Summary of Israel's Faithlessness and God's Patience
'And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. 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? 3. Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Israel's Obstinacy and God's Patience
'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, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Whether the Female Sex is an Impediment to Receiving Orders?
Objection 1: It would seem that the female sex is no impediment to receiving Orders. For the office of prophet is greater than the office of priest, since a prophet stands midway between God and priests, just as the priest does between God and people. Now the office of prophet was sometimes granted to women, as may be gathered from 4 Kings 22:14. Therefore the office of priest also may be competent to them. Objection 2: Further, just as Order pertains to a kind of pre-eminence, so does a position …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

The Judges.
Judges 1; 1 Sam. 7. The Characteristics of the Times. This is a period of transition for Israel Nothing was quite certain, and "every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (17:6). In consequence of this there was lack of organization, cooperation or leadership. While we do not have all the history covered by the period and while we do not easily understand or explain its events, it is clear that things did not run smoothly. In Judges 2:16-19 the author gives a vivid picture of the conditions …
Josiah Blake Tidwell—The Bible Period by Period

The Unmistakable Honesty of the Writers of the Bible Attests to Its Heavenly Origin
The title of this chapter suggests a wide field of study the limits of which we can now only skirt here and there. To begin with the writers of the Old Testament. Had the historical parts of the Old Testament been a forgery, or the production of uninspired men, their contents would have been very different to what they are. Each of its Books was written by a descendant of Abraham, yet nowhere do we find the bravery of the Israelites extolled and never once are their victories regarded as the outcome …
Arthur W. Pink—The Divine Inspiration of the Bible

The Death of Abraham
'Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.'--GENESIS xxv. 8. 'Full of years' does not seem to me to be a mere synonym for longevity. That would be an intolerable tautology, for we should then have the same thing said three times over--'an old man,' 'in a good old age,' 'full of years.' There must be some other idea than that in the words. If you notice that the expression is by no means a usual one, that it is only …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Formation and History of the Hebrew Canon.
1. The Greek word canon (originally a straight rod or pole, measuring-rod, then rule) denotes that collection of books which the churches receive as given by inspiration of God, and therefore as constituting for them a divine rule of faith and practice. To the books included in it the term canonical is applied. The Canon of the Old Testament, considered in reference to its constituent parts, was formed gradually; formed under divine superintendence by a process of growth extending through …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

The Doctrine of Angels.
I. THEIR EXISTENCE. 1. THE TEACHING OF JESUS. 2. THE TEACHING OF THE APOSTLES. II. THEIR NATURE. 1. CREATED BEINGS. 2. SPIRITUAL BEINGS. 3. GREAT POWER AND MIGHT. 4. VARIOUS GRADES. 5. THE NUMBER OF ANGELS. III. THE FALL OF ANGELS. 1. TIME AND CAUSE. 2. THE WORK OF FALLEN ANGELS. 3. THE JUDGMENT OF FALLEN ANGELS. IV. THE WORK OF ANGELS. 1. THEIR HEAVENLY MINISTRY. 2. THEIR EARTHLY MINISTRY. a) In Relation to the Believer. b) In Relation to Christ's Second Coming. THE DOCTRINE OF ANGELS. We are not …
Rev. William Evans—The Great Doctrines of the Bible

A Case of Conscience Resolved
WHETHER, WHERE A CHURCH OF CHRIST IS SITUATE, IT IS THE DUTY OF THE WOMEN OF THAT CONGREGATION, ORDINARILY, AND BY APPOINTMENT, TO SEPARATE THEMSELVES FROM THEIR BRETHREN, AND SO TO ASSEMBLE TOGETHER, TO PERFORM SOME PARTS OF DIVINE WORSHIP, AS PRAYER, ETC., WITHOUT THEIR MEN? AND THE ARGUMENTS MADE USE OF FOR THAT PRACTICE, EXAMINED. BY JOHN BUNYAN. EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. This exceedingly rare tract was first published in 1683, and was not reprinted, either separately, or in any edition of Bunyan's …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Judges
For the understanding of the early history and religion of Israel, the book of Judges, which covers the period from the death of Joshua to the beginning of the struggle with the Philistines, is of inestimable importance; and it is very fortunate that the elements contributed by the later editors are so easily separated from the ancient stories whose moral they seek to point. That moral is most elaborately stated in ii. 6-iii. 6, which is a sort of programme or preface to iii. 7-xvi. 31, which constitutes …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Judges 2:15 NIV
Judges 2:15 NLT
Judges 2:15 ESV
Judges 2:15 NASB
Judges 2:15 KJV

Judges 2:15 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Judges 2:14
Top of Page
Top of Page