Judges 3:1-6

Judges 3:1-6

[1] Now these are the nations  which the LORD  left,  to prove  Israel  by them, even as many of Israel as had not known  all the wars  of Canaan;  [2] Only that  the generations  of the children  of Israel  might know,  to teach  them war,  at the least such as before  knew  [3] Namely, five  lords  of the Philistines,  and all the Canaanites,  and the Sidonians,  and the Hivites  that dwelt  in mount  Lebanon,  from mount  Baalhermon  unto the entering in  of Hamath.  [4] And they were to prove  Israel  by them, to know  whether they would hearken  unto the commandments  of the LORD,  which he commanded  their fathers  by the hand  of Moses.  [5] And the children  of Israel  dwelt  among  the Canaanites,  Hittites,  and Amorites,  and Perizzites,  and Hivites,  and Jebusites:  [6] And they took  their daughters  to be their wives,  and gave  their daughters  to their sons,  and served  their gods. 

What does Judges 3:1-6 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The purposes for which God allowed the Canaanites to live among the Israelites were four. He wanted to punish Israel for her apostasy ( Judges 2:3), and He wanted to test the Israelites" faithfulness to and love for Himself ( Judges 2:22; Judges 3:4). He also wanted to give the new generation of Israelites experience in warfare ( Judges 3:2), namely, how to conduct war (by depending on Yahweh), not just how to fight. Furthermore, God allowed some Canaanites to remain in the land so it would not become wild before the Israelites could subdue it completely ( Deuteronomy 7:20-24).
Even though the Israelites had defeated some of the Canaanites in various battles during Joshua"s day, significant groups within the Canaanite tribes remained in the land ( Judges 3:3; Judges 3:5). [1] The Sidonians ( Judges 3:3) were the Phoenicians, Sidon being Phoenicia"s chief port until about1100 B.C. when Tyre began to eclipse it. [2] These enemies ( Judges 3:5) represented the whole of Canaan: the Philistines on the southwest, the Sidonians on the northwest, the Hivites on the northeast, and the Canaanites on the southeast. The Israelites then proceeded to marry them and worship with them ( Judges 3:6). From "the people served the Lord" ( Judges 2:7) they had degenerated to the point that they "served their gods" ( Judges 3:6).
"In these two verses 5-6] the narrator announces the theme of the book: the Canaanization of Israelite society." [3]
"The Israelites descended three steps in their cultural accommodation to paganism: (a) they lived among the Canaanites, (b) they intermarried with them, and (c) they served their gods. Each step is a natural one leading on to the next." [4]
"The book of Judges ends in chaos, and the monarchy led both kingdoms to destruction. The lesson? Self-assertion and idolatry produce deadly consequences. From this perspective, the book of Judges Isaiah , like all the books of the Former and Latter Prophets, a call to covenant loyalty-a call to repent of self-assertion and idolatry and a call to honor, worship, and serve God alone." [5]