This is quite possible, but why does it not say that? It says because of iron chariots (MSS) or because of Rehab(LXX). Not "because of unbelief".
Doing well, thanks
Doing well, thanks
Judges begins a four hundred+ year process known as the fall of a nation and giving us the four progressive steps that made it happen. The first two we see beginning in Chapter 1 is "the failing to fight the enemy properly" and "the sparing of the enemy". God specifically told Joshua not to spare the enemy and this generation is forgetting this.
It is also interesting that while God was with Joshua and Judah, He did not command the armies Himself.
During the 6 day war for Jerusalem in 1967, some Israelis (two to three) were pinned down by a company of enemy soldiers. All of a sudden, the enemy soldiers laid down their weapons and surrendered. They later confessed that they has saw an overwhelming of number soldiers and had thought they were surrounded. Here God did not help physically but rather mentally(passively). Could this be the way he helped Israel in Canaan?????
Also, the failure of the Israelites to defeat the Philistines in the Valley may have been brought about by a Prophecy of repeating History, that Judges so accurately does even though it is not known as a Book of Prophecies does.
The Philistines in the five coastal cities, because of the enormous amount of sea trade were able to make use of IRON which they used on their chariots. If verse 19, we see Israel could not defeat them in the Valley. Was this because of their inability fight against a greater technology than they had (tried and failed) or did they see this and decide not to fight them or was it a prophecy?????????
Under Samuel, Saul and David...Israel had Iron progressively (David had carbonized Iron (steel)) with which he finally defeated the Philistines completely and he did this in the mountains not in the valley.
IF in verse 19 they had driven out the Philistines like they did those in the mountains cities, could/would David have slew Golliath?
Now for the second progressive step, we see that inverse 21, Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites for Jerusalem. David again had to do this at a later time. God did not stop them from failing to drive them completely out here either.
In fact, even in Joshua's times, Jericho was destroyed but the people were not driven out of Canaan or killed even though God told them to. Another city beside the ruins was built, named Jericho and that today is the stronghold for the PLO.
These failures in Judges, you will find have far reaching prophecies in today's middle east and Israel. All their enemies except may be Egypt should have been killed or driven out of the land God gave them. They did not and are having to deal with them today. It is ironic that that Israel neighbors that hate them so are the future generations of those in the Book of Judges past.
I guess I did regress, it is still too long. Sorry about that.
