The book of Judges shows how the nation of Israel spiraled into chaos. After the Lord had brought them out of Egypt with incredible miracles and had given them the Promised Land, the people disobeyed Him and experienced His discipline. If you read the last few chapters of the book, you can see how far into sin the people had sunk.
How could such a thing happen? There were many factors, but the author of Judges focuses on one thing in particular. God had warned His people to destroy the nations that were in the Promised Land. Those nations were depraved and would cause Israel to sin and fall into idolatry, with all its sinful consequences. Tragically, Israel did not obey.
Here is what the Lord says concerning this matter:
Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, “I will never break My covenant with you. And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.” But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? Therefore I also said, “I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you” (Judg 2:1-3).
The next chapter summarizes what Israel did:
5 Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6 And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons; and they served their gods. 7 So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God… (Judg 3:5–7)
When we study God’s Word, we must sometimes spend a great deal of time trying to understand what the Lord is saying to us. Often, we have to figure out how what it says applies to us. This is not one of those times. The lesson is straightforward.
In the Promised Land, Israel entered into close relationships—even going so far as to marry—the people whom the Lord had said to avoid at all costs. These relationships seemed very practical because they were financially lucrative for Israel and the other nations.
The people we are close to will have a significant influence on us. We will pick up the habits of our boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives, and close friends. We will also pick up their beliefs. This happened to Israel. The people started acting like their pagan neighbors and began worshiping their gods.
The NT teaches this same principle. In 2 Cor 6:14, Paul warns against believers’ entering into close relationships with unbelievers. The emphasis seems to be on how unbelievers will impact believers’ morality. In 1 Cor 15:33, Paul warns believers about the corrupting influence of “bad company.” He explains how such company can influence what we believe. In 1 Cor 15:33, Paul quotes from a pagan poet. Even a pagan can see how the company we keep can hurt us.
Our friendships and other close relationships influence us. They may seem harmless enough. We even enjoy them. But God’s Word has clearly warned us against forming close bonds with the wrong people. Read Judges 19–21 to see what it can do to a nation. The same thing can happen in an individual’s life.
