And the house of Joseph sent to descry Beth-el. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)
Judges 1:23 stands in the introduction and in the opening chapters of Judges. Those chapters record the experiences of God's people between Joshua's death and the raising up of Samuel, a period of about 350 to 450 years. The book may have been written by Samuel or not until the time of Ezra. It belongs to the account of a new period after oppression, when the people were free to choose obedience or self-will and shape their national life and history. The introduction shows that Israel had not yet taken possession of all the land.
The opening chapters show Israel's failure to carry out the instructions God gave. The story is the ups and downs of God's people, their constant backslidings from Him and their repeated captivities to the enemies surrounding them. Captivity came as a consequence of that failure, and God gave help through the judges He raised up as saviours on their behalf. The account reveals that God sometimes uses very unpromising material, yet always the best at hand.
Judges 1:23 stands in the introduction and in the opening chapters of Judges. Those chapters record the experiences of God's people between Joshua's death and the raising up of Samuel, a period of about 350 to 450 years. The book may have been written by Samuel or not until the time of Ezra. It belongs to the account of a new period after oppression, when the people were free to choose obedience or self-will and shape their national life and history. The introduction shows that Israel had not yet taken possession of all the land.
The opening chapters show Israel's failure to carry out the instructions God gave. The story is the ups and downs of God's people, their constant backslidings from Him and their repeated captivities to the enemies surrounding them. Captivity came as a consequence of that failure, and God gave help through the judges He raised up as saviours on their behalf. The account reveals that God sometimes uses very unpromising material, yet always the best at hand.