Judges 1 begins a new chapter in Israel’s story, a time after Joshua’s death when the people had to continue the task of taking possession of the land that the Lord had promised. It shows us how important obedience is when following God’s commands, and how partial obedience often brings about confusion and trouble. As we read, we see that the Israelites began their campaign by asking the Lord who should lead the charge. The Lord answered that Judah should go up first, for He had delivered the land into Judah’s hand. It’s a good start—they sought God’s direction rather than rushing forward. That’s something we can learn from. When we’re facing new challenges or changes, we should begin by asking the Lord what to do, trusting that He will show us the way forward.
Judah invited the tribe of Simeon to join them, and together they went to battle. They defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites in Bezek and captured Adoni-Bezek, a local king who had previously cruelly maimed seventy kings. When they cut off his thumbs and big toes, he acknowledged, “As I have done, so God has repaid me.” Even he recognized that justice had come upon him. This moment reminds us that God’s justice is not always immediate, but it is certain. What we sow, we will eventually reap. Afterward, they brought Adoni-Bezek to Jerusalem, where he died.
Judah continued to have military success. They took Jerusalem, struck it with the edge of the sword, and set it on fire. They moved through various territories, defeating enemies and claiming cities, including Hebron and Debir. Caleb, one of the faithful spies from Moses’ time, offered his daughter Achsah in marriage to the man who would conquer Debir. Othniel, Caleb’s nephew, accepted the challenge and was successful. This part of the chapter shows the reward of courage and faith. Caleb’s family trusted God’s promise and acted on it, and the result was blessing. Achsah even asked her father for springs of water to go with her land, and he gave her both upper and lower springs. It’s a small scene, but it shows a family living within God’s blessing, confident enough to ask and generous enough to give.
However, the victories didn’t last forever. As we keep reading, we notice a shift. While Judah was mostly successful, they didn’t drive out the inhabitants of the plains because those people had iron chariots. Despite God’s promises, fear and practical reasoning began to shape their decisions. We’ve all been there—faced with an obstacle that looks too big, too advanced, or too intimidating. Even when we know what God has said, we hesitate. We make calculations based on what we can see, forgetting the power of the One who fights for us.
Still, the Lord was with Judah, and they took the hill country. But from this point, the pattern of incomplete obedience becomes clear. The Benjamites failed to drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. Instead, those people continued to live among them. The tribes of Joseph, particularly Ephraim and Manasseh, had some success as they attacked Bethel, capturing it with the help of a man who showed them the way in. They let him go free, and he rebuilt a city elsewhere. But in the rest of the chapter, we read again and again that the Israelites did not completely drive out the inhabitants of the land.
Manasseh didn’t take possession of Beth Shean or other cities. Ephraim didn’t drive out the Canaanites in Gezer. Zebulun didn’t remove the Canaanites in Kitron or Nahalol. Asher let the Canaanites stay in Acco and Sidon. Naphtali failed to drive out the people of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath. The Amorites pressed the tribe of Dan back into the hill country and wouldn’t let them come into the plains. And while the house of Joseph did eventually overpower the Amorites, they didn’t eliminate them. Instead, they made them serve under forced labor.
What we see is a slow but steady compromise. Instead of finishing the task God gave, the tribes settled. They allowed other nations to remain among them, sometimes out of fear, sometimes because it seemed easier to co-exist than to obey fully. This was not just a matter of land—it was spiritual. The Lord had told them that the people of the land would become snares to them, drawing them into idolatry and disobedience. Leaving them in place was not only an act of disobedience; it was dangerous. The seeds of future rebellion and sorrow were being planted here.
This chapter reminds us that when we only partially obey God, we leave room for trouble to grow. When we settle for less than what He calls us to, we invite struggle, not peace. It’s tempting to stop short when the path gets difficult, to say that we’ve done enough. But God calls us to full obedience, trusting in His strength, not our own.
At the same time, Judges 1 shows us that God is patient. He doesn’t abandon His people immediately, even when they falter. But He does allow the consequences of their choices to unfold. His promises remain true, but if we fail to follow through, we can miss out on the full blessings He wants to give us.
For us today, the lesson is clear: begin by seeking the Lord, follow through with trust, and don’t settle for halfway obedience. The work may be hard, and the obstacles may seem overwhelming, but God is with us. We don’t need to compromise or fear. When we walk in His ways completely, we find that He is more than able to finish the work He started in us.