Never Again

Joshua 24, Judges 1-2:5
 
Judges 2:1-5 The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, “I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break my covenant with you. 2 For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their altars. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this? 3 So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.” 4 When the angel of the Lord finished speaking to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. 5 So they called the place Bokim (which means “weeping”), and they offered sacrifices there to the Lord.
 
THE angel (some translations use “Angel”) of the LORD was more than an angel – a messenger from God. He was God making a physical appearance on earth. This is called a theophany. Theo = God. Phany = appearance. And in this case it can be called a Christophany because this is believed to be Christ, the second Person of the Trinity. We have seen him with Moses at the Burning Bush, and we have just met him as Commander of the LORD’s army just prior to Jericho’s conquest. He will show himself twice more in Judges.
   We know he is God because he repeatedly speaks with “I” and “my”. “I brought…I swore to give…I said…I would…my commands.” He commands a holy response to his presence as Israel worshiped the Angel of the LORD. Other angels rightly serving God do not receive worship but direct worship toward God: Revelation 19:10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship (the angel), but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.”
   Christ’s message here was a grievous judgment on his people. “Why did you do this?” Did Israel have an answer? Could they tell the Holy I AM why they had not removed unholy people and their altars? Did Israel have a better way to live than by God’s commands? Did Israel not love the LORD their God? Did they know why they put godless depravity above the LORD God Almighty’s promises?   
   From that day on, Israel has been confronted with enemies against their way of life and their worship of God. The promise of the Promised Land became a promise lost because Israel did not know what they were doing.