11 Now it came about after the death of Joshua that the sons of Israel inquired of the Lord , saying , "Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites , to fight against them?" 2 The Lord said , " Judah shall go up; behold , I have given the land into his hand ." 3 Then Judah said to Simeon his brother , "Come up with me into [1]the territory allotted me, that we may fight against the Canaanites ; and [2]I in turn will go with you into [3]the territory allotted you." So Simeon went with him. 4 Judah went up, and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands , and they [4]defeated ten thousand men at Bezek . 5 They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him, and they [5]defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites . 6 But Adoni-bezek fled ; and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his [6]thumbs and big toes e . 7 Adoni-bezek said , "Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes e cut off used to gather up scraps under my table ; as I have done , so God has repaid me." So they brought him to Jerusalem and he died there .
8 Then the sons of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire .
9 Afterward the sons of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country and in the [7]Negev and in the lowland . 10 So Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba ); and they struck Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai .
11 Then from there he went against the inhabitants of Debir (now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher ). 12 And Caleb said , "The one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will even give him my daughter Achsah for a wife ." 13 Othniel the son of Kenaz , Caleb's younger brother , captured it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah for a wife . 14 Then it came about when she came to him, that she persuaded him to ask her father for a field . Then she alighted from [8]her donkey , and Caleb said to her, "What [9]do you want?" 15 She said to him, "Give me a blessing , since you have given me the land of the [10]Negev , give me also springs of water ." So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs .
16 The [11]descendants of the Kenite , Moses' father-in-law , went up from the city of palms with the sons of Judah , to the wilderness of Judah which is in the south of Arad ; and they went and lived with the people . 17 Then Judah went with Simeon his brother , and they struck the Canaanites living in Zephath , and utterly destroyed it. So the name of the city was called Hormah . 18 And Judah took Gaza with its territory and Ashkelon with its territory and Ekron with its territory . 19 Now the Lord was with Judah , and they took possession of the hill country ; but they could not [12]drive out the inhabitants of the valley because they had iron chariots . 20 Then they gave Hebron to Caleb , as Moses had [13]promised ; and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak .
21 But the sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem ; so the Jebusites have lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day .
22 Likewise the house of Joseph went up against Bethel , and the Lord was with them. 23 The house of Joseph spied out Bethel ( now the name of the city was formerly Luz ). 24 The spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, "Please show us the entrance to the city and we will treat you kindly ." 25 So he showed them the entrance to the city , and they struck the city with the edge of the sword , but they let the man and all his family go free . 26 The man went into the land of the Hittites and built a city and named e it Luz [14]which is its name to this day .
27 But Manasseh did not take possession of Beth-shean and its villages , or Taanach and its villages , or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages , or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages , or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages ; so the Canaanites persisted in living in that land . 28 It came about when Israel became strong , that they put the Canaanites to forced labor , but they did not drive them out completely . 29 Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer ; so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.
30 Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron , or the inhabitants of [15]Nahalol ; so the Canaanites lived among them and became subject to forced labor . 31 Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco , or the inhabitants of Sidon , or of Ahlab , or of Achzib , or of Helbah , or of Aphik , or of Rehob . 32 So the Asherites lived among the Canaanites , the inhabitants of the land ; for they did not drive them out. 33 Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh , or the inhabitants of Beth-anath , but lived among the Canaanites , the inhabitants of the land ; and the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath became forced labor for them. 34 Then the Amorites [16]forced the sons of Dan into the hill country , for they did not allow them to come down to the valley ; 35 yet the Amorites persisted in [17]living in Mount Heres , in Aijalon and in Shaalbim ; but when the [18]power of the house of Joseph [19]grew strong , they became forced labor . 36 The border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of Akrabbim , from Sela and upward .
21 Now the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim . And he said , " I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers ; and I said , ' I will never e break My covenant with you, 2 and as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land ; you shall tear down their altars .' But you have not obeyed e Me; what is this you have done ? 3 "Therefore I also said , ' I will not drive them out before e you; but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.' " 4 When the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the sons of Israel , the people lifted up their voices and wept . 5 So they named e that place Bochim ; and there they sacrificed to the Lord .
6 When Joshua had dismissed the people , the sons of Israel went each to his inheritance to possess the land . 7 The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua , and all the days of the elders who survived e e Joshua , who had seen all the great work of the Lord which He had done for Israel . 8 Then Joshua the son of Nun , the servant of the Lord , died at the age of one hundred and ten . 9 And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-heres , in the hill country of Ephraim , north of Mount Gaash . 10 All that generation also were gathered to their fathers ; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord , nor yet the work which He had done for Israel .
11 Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals , 12 and they forsook the Lord , the God of their fathers , who had brought them out of the land of Egypt , and followed e other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the Lord to anger . 13 So they forsook the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtaroth . 14 The anger of the Lord burned against Israel , and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies . 15 Wherever e they went , the hand of the Lord was against them for evil , as the Lord had spoken and as the Lord had sworn to them, so that they were severely distressed . 16 Then the Lord raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they did not listen to their judges , for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the Lord ; they did not do as their fathers. 18 When the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge ; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because e of those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But it came about when the judge died , that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers , in following e other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways . 20 So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel , and He said , "Because e this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not listened to My voice , 21 I also will no longer drive out before e them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died , 22 in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it as their fathers did , or not." 23 So the Lord allowed those nations to remain , not driving them out quickly ; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua .
31 Now these are the nations which the Lord left , to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan ; 2 only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war , those who had not experienced it formerly ). 3 These nations are: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived in Mount Lebanon , from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath . 4 They were for testing Israel , to find out if they would obey the commandments of the Lord , which He had commanded their fathers through Moses . 5 The sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites , the Hittites , the Amorites , the Perizzites , the Hivites , and the Jebusites ; 6 and they took their daughters for themselves as wives , and gave their own daughters to their sons , and served their gods .
7 The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord , and forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth .
8 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel , so that He sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia ; and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years . 9 When the sons of Israel cried to the Lord , the Lord raised up a deliverer for the sons of Israel to deliver them, Othniel the son of Kenaz , Caleb's younger brother . 10 The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel . When he went out to war , the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand , so that he prevailed e over Cushan-rishathaim . 11 Then the land had rest forty years . And Othniel the son of Kenaz died .
12 Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord . So the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel , because e they had done evil in the sight of the Lord . 13 And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek ; and he went and defeated Israel , and they possessed the city of the palm trees . 14 The sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen e years . 15 But when the sons of Israel cried to the Lord , the Lord raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera , the Benjamite , a left-handed e e man . And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab . 16 Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges , a cubit in length , and he bound it on his right thigh under his cloak . 17 He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab . Now Eglon was a very fat man . 18 It came about when he had finished presenting the tribute , that he sent away the people who had carried the tribute . 19 But he himself turned back from the idols which were at Gilgal , and said , "I have a secret message for you, O king ." And he said , "Keep silence ." And all who attended him left him. 20 Ehud came to him while he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber . And Ehud said , "I have a message from God for you." And he arose from his seat . 21 Ehud stretched out his left hand , took the sword from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly . 22 The handle also went in after the blade , and the fat closed over the blade , for he did not draw the sword out of his belly ; and the refuse came out. 23 Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them. 24 When he had gone out, his servants came and looked , and behold , the doors of the roof chamber were locked ; and they said , " He is only relieving e himself in the cool room ." 25 They waited until they became anxious ; but behold , he did not open the doors of the roof chamber . Therefore they took the key and opened them, and behold , their master had fallen to the floor dead . 26 Now Ehud escaped while they were delaying , and he passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah . 27 It came about when he had arrived , that he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim ; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country , and he was in front of them. 28 He said to them, "Pursue them, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hands ." So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab , and did not allow anyone to cross . 29 They struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabites , all robust and valiant men ; and no one escaped . 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel . And the land was undisturbed for eighty years .
31 After him came Shamgar the son of Anath , who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad ; and he also saved Israel .
41 Jesus , full of the Holy Spirit , returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days , being tempted by the devil . And He ate nothing e during those days , and when they had ended , He became hungry . 3 And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God , tell this stone to become bread ." 4 And Jesus answered him, "It is written , ' MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE .' " 5 And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time . 6 And the devil said to Him, "I will give You all this domain and its glory ; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever e I wish . 7 "Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours ." 8 Jesus answered him, "It is written , ' YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE Lord YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY .' " 9 And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple , and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God , throw Yourself down from here ; 10 for it is written , ' HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU TO GUARD YOU,' 11 and, ' ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE .' " 12 And Jesus answered and said to him, "It is said , ' YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE Lord YOUR GOD TO THE TEST .' " 13 When the devil had finished every temptation , he left Him until an opportune time .
14 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit , and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district . 15 And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all .
16 And He came to Nazareth , where He had been brought up; and as was His custom , He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath , and stood up to read . 17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written , 18 " THE SPIRIT OF THE Lord IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR . HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES , AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND , TO SET FREE e THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED , 19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE Lord ." 20 And He closed the book , gave it back to the attendant and sat down ; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing ." 22 And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips ; and they were saying , " Is this not Joseph's son ?" 23 And He said to them, "No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, 'Physician , heal yourself ! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum , do here in your hometown as well .' " 24 And He said , "Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown . 25 "But I say to you in truth , there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah , when the sky was shut up for three years and six months , when a great famine came over all the land ; 26 and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only e to Zarephath , in the land of Sidon , to a woman who was a widow . 27 "And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet ; and none of them was cleansed , but only e Naaman the Syrian ." 28 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things ; 29 and they got up and drove Him out of the city , and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built , in order to throw Him down the cliff . 30 But passing through their midst , He went His way .
(Read Luke 4:1-13)
Christ's being led into the wilderness gave an advantage to the tempter; for there he was alone, none were with him by whose prayers and advice he might be helped in the hour of temptation. He who knew his own strength might give Satan advantage; but we may not, who know our own weakness. Being in all things made like unto his brethren, Jesus would, like the other children of God, live in dependence upon the Divine Providence and promise. The word of God is our sword, and faith in that word is our shield. God has many ways of providing for his people, and therefore is at all times to be depended upon in the way of duty. All Satan's promises are deceitful; and if he is permitted to have any influence in disposing of the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, he uses them as baits to insnare men to destruction. We should reject at once and with abhorrence, every opportunity of sinful gain or advancement, as a price offered for our souls; we should seek riches, honours, and happiness in the worship and service of God only. Christ will not worship Satan; nor, when he has the kingdoms of the world delivered to him by his Father, will he suffer any remains of the worship of the devil to continue in them. Satan also tempted Jesus to be his own murderer, by unfitting confidence in his Father's protection, such as he had no warrant for. Let not any abuse of Scripture by Satan or by men abate our esteem, or cause us to abandon its use; but let us study it still, seek to know it, and seek our defence from it in all kinds of assaults. Let this word dwell richly in us, for it is our life. Our victorious Redeemer conquered, not for himself only, but for us also. The devil ended all the temptation. Christ let him try all his force, and defeated him. Satan saw it was to no purpose to attack Christ, who had nothing in him for his fiery darts to fasten upon. And if we resist the devil, he will flee from us. Yet he departed but till the season when he was again to be let loose upon Jesus, not as a tempter, to draw him to sin, and so to strike at his head, at which he now aimed and was wholly defeated in; but as a persecutor, to bring Christ to suffer, and so to bruise his heel, which it was told him, he should have to do, and would do, though it would be the breaking of his own head, Genesis 3:15. Though Satan depart for a season, we shall never be out of his reach till removed from this present evil world.
(Read Luke 4:14-30)
Christ taught in their synagogues, their places of public worship, where they met to read, expound, and apply the word, to pray and praise. All the gifts and graces of the Spirit were upon him and on him, without measure. By Christ, sinners may be loosed from the bonds of guilt, and by his Spirit and grace from the bondage of corruption. He came by the word of his gospel, to bring light to those that sat in the dark, and by the power of his grace, to give sight to those that were blind. And he preached the acceptable year of the Lord. Let sinners attend to the Saviour's invitation when liberty is thus proclaimed. Christ's name was Wonderful; in nothing was he more so than in the word of his grace, and the power that went along with it. We may well wonder that he should speak such words of grace to such graceless wretches as mankind. Some prejudice often furnishes an objection against the humbling doctrine of the cross; and while it is the word of God that stirs up men's enmity, they will blame the conduct or manner of the speaker. The doctrine of God's sovereignty, his right to do his will, provokes proud men. They will not seek his favour in his own way; and are angry when others have the favours they neglect. Still is Jesus rejected by multitudes who hear the same message from his words. While they crucify him afresh by their sins, may we honour him as the Son of God, the Saviour of men, and seek to show we do so by our obedience.
