Judges 1:1

Judges 1:1 says, Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?  Although it says after Joshua died, some of this will be a repeat of what was said in the book of Joshua.  After Joshua died, the people of Israel had no one earthly leader as they had with Joshua and Moses before him, but they still had their real Leader, Who was God Himself.  There may be times when a local church is without a pastor, but that does not mean that they are without a leader, nor that they have no purpose during that time.  God is still their leader as always.  The people of Israel were still charged with fighting the Canaanites.  Verse two states, And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.  God answered the question of who was to go against the Canaanites.  God said the tribe of Judah would go, and He also promised them victory.  We can be certain that when God sends us into battle against evil in the world today, that if we go by His direction and under His power, that victory is ours ultimately.  This does not meant hat we will always be victorious in this world, but we know that God has given us the everlasting victory.  Verse three declares, And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.  The people of Judah asked the people of Simeon to go with them to fight, and promised to go with the people of Simeon when they fought.  It is always nice to have fellow believers with us in the fight against evil today, but we really aren't told that this was God's guidance.  If God had assured the tribe of Judah of success, if they went in faith, then they would have been successful by themselves.  God may have led them to this decision, but it doesn't really specify that He did.  When we work together with other Christians today, we need to make certain that it is by God's direction and not from a lack of faith on our part.  Verse four adds, And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.  When Judah went up against the people of Canaan, God gave them the victory.  They slew ten thousand men.  Judah was not successful because of who they were, but because of who God was.  We as followers of Christ today will not be successful because of who we are in our battle with evil in the world but because of Who God is.  He gives us the victory.  Verse five continues, And they found Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites.  Judah continued to be successful in their battles because they were following God's guidance and putting their faith in Him.  Verse six declares, But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.  One of the kings fled, and they caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes.  This made him unable to fight or run effectively.  Verse seven says, And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.  Adonibezek said that he had cut the thumbs and big toes off seventy kings who were then subjected to him, and now God had done thr same to him.  We can be certain that one day people who do not believe in God and fight against His people will face their judgment by God.  Verse eight states,  Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.  The people of Judah took Jerusalem and burned it.  Verse nine declares, And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley.   Verse ten adds, And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba:) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.  Then verse eleven concludes, And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher:  The people of Judah continued to be successful against the Canaanites because tey were doing what God had instructed them to do under His power.  We today will be successful against the enemies we face as long as we are following God's commands and are relying on His strength.