Page 8 - August 2025 - Truth & Tidings

A anything else, the story of Caleb, Othniel
reader with no prior knowledge
of the book of Judges who discov-
and Achsah would copper-fasten the idea
ered a fragment containing only
the first 28 verses of the book would very that this is the beginning of a very happy
story.
likely form the impression that he was Sadly, one does not have to read very
reading the introduction to a happy, even much further in Judges to have that initial
triumphant, story. The opening mention impression dramatically altered. Success
of the death of Joshua might cause brief in driving out the inhabitants, as the in-
concern; even without prior knowledge struments of divine retribution, quickly
of Joshua’s biography, it would be clear gives way to failure. That some inhabit-
that this was an inflection point in the his- ants could not be driven out is ominous
tory of the nation. However, any concern (1:19), but more troubling is the list of
would quickly be calmed as the narrative those that they “did not” drive out. More
moves to Israel’s reliance on the Lord;
he would gather, as the narrator surely alarming still is the information that Israel
intended, that God’s continued interest “put the Canaanites to tribute,” replacing
in and care for His people meant that the the divine imperative, “Ye shall make no
death of even so great a leader as Joshua league with the inhabitants of this land”
was no obstacle to Israel’s continued (2:2), with human pragmaticism. And, in
progress. That impression would quickly place of the smooth transition from gener-
be concreted by the nomination of Judah ation to generation modelled by Caleb and
to lead, by the fraternal cooperation dem- his family, we contemplate the sad reality
onstrated in the inclusion of Simeon, and that “all that generation were gathered
by the fact that “the LORD delivered the unto their fathers: and there arose another
Canaanites and the Perizzites into their generation after them, which knew not
hand” (Jdg 1:4). the LORD, nor yet the works which he
1
The appearance of the rascally Adonibe- had done for Israel. … And they forsook
zek and his rueful acknowledgment that the LORD God of their fathers” (2:10-12).
his treatment at the hands of Israel was And with that, Israel locks into the down-
condign punishment for the indignities ward spiral of the rest of the book, all the
that he had inflicted upon threescore and promise of the first 28 verses forgotten in
ten kings would reassure the reader that disobedience, defeat and distress.
Israel was not just engaged in destruction All of this has important implications
for the sake of conquest, but was enforc- for our understanding of the story of
ing divine retribution on the inhabitants Caleb’s family. The relationships between
of the land. That the violence inflicted Caleb, Othniel and Achsah present an
was neither random nor indiscriminate ideal that we do not encounter again in
is underscored by the story of the taking the book of Judges. Caleb’s relationship
of Bethel, with its reassurance that, just with his daughter and son-in-law and the
as Rahab had discovered, mercy was relationship between Othniel and Achsah
available to those who took sides with the offer a template for the sort of godly fam-
people of God. And, perhaps more than ily life that would have helped to prevent
much of Israel’s failure and made the book
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the
KJV. of Judges far happier reading.

232 TRUTH kTidings August 2025