A Growing Laxity

Yesterday we saw a growing laxity in Israel toward its divine task of driving out the Canaanites. First the tribe of Benjamin, then Ephraim and Manasseh, ceased to strive against their enemies and accepted their presence. Now this laxity grows more pronounced, to the point where Israelites find themselves at the mercy of Canaanites.

The tribe of Zebulun, located north of Manasseh in Israel’s northern tier, is unable to drive the Canaanites out of at least two cities, so “the Canaanites dwelt among them.” Like Manasseh, however, Zebulun is able to put the Canaanites under tribute. Much the same is true of Naphtali, Zebulun’s neighbor to the north and east. Though the Canaanites there eventually are put under tribute, the text notes, chillingly, that the Naphtalites “dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land”—some believe this wording implies that the Canaanites have an advantage in numbers and strength in this tribe’s territory, at least at first. The same wording is used of the tribe of Asher, which dwelt along the Mediterranean north of Manasseh. Asher fails to eradicate the Canaanites from seven cities and apparently never gains the strength to put them under tribute. The tribe of Dan, however, actually is driven by the Canaanites into the mountains of its territory, and even loses some of that rugged land. One of the Joseph tribes, probably Ephraim, later puts these Canaanites under tribute, but Dan is forced to look for land elsewhere (Josh. 19:47; Judg. 18). Issachar and the tribes east of the Jordan are not mentioned here, but we can infer that they were no more successful against their enemies.

“It appears that the people of Israel were generally very careless both of their duty and interest in this thing; they did not what they might have done to expel the Canaanites and make room for themselves,” Matthew Henry writes. He attributes this failure of the Israelites to “slothfulness and cowardice,” to “covetousness” of the Canaanites’ labor, and to a lack of “dread and detestation of idolatry.” He adds: “They thought it a pity to put these Canaanites to the sword, though the measure of their iniquity was full; thought it would be no harm to let them live among them; and that they should be in no danger from them.” In thinking this way, in defiance of all God had told them, the Israelites set themselves on a course toward apostasy.