In yesterday’s post, we looked at Judges 1:1-7 and I shared how God’s promise to the tribe of Judah was certain, but the tribe of Judah still needed to respond to claim God’s promise.
Today, we re-read Judges 1:1-5, focusing on the tribe of Judah’s response:
- The tribe of Judah’s proposal to the tribe of Simeon
- What Judah’s proposal to Simeon revealed about Judah’s leadership and obedience?
- When did God began acting on His Promise to the tribe of Judah?
- How God’s promise worked in Judges 1:1-5
“1 After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the Lord, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?”
2 The Lord said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.”
3 And Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into the territory allotted to me, that we may fight against the Canaanites. And I likewise will go with you into the territory allotted to you.” So Simeon went with him.
4 Then Judah went up and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they defeated 10,000 of them at Bezek.
5 They found Adoni-bezek at Bezek and fought against him and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
Verse 3: How the tribe of Judah respond to God’s command?
Right after God instructed that the tribe of Judah was to go up first against the Canaanites (verse 2), the tribe of Judah responded by wisely preparing for battle before moving forward.
According to verse 3, the tribe of Judah proposed to the tribe of Simeon, to join them in battle: “Come up with me into the territory allotted to me… and I likewise will go with you into the territory allotted to you.”
“Come up with me” revealed that the tribe of Judah took initiative and responsibility to begin claiming their allotted inheritance of the Promised Land as God had instructed.
The tribe of Simeon accepted Judah’s proposal and went with them.
Personal Thoughts: While the text doesn’t mention why the tribe of Judah asked the tribe of Simeon to join them, I inferred that Judah may have considered the challenge ahead and believed that teaming up with the tribe of Simeon would strengthen their chances in battle – reflecting a thoughtful obedience to God.
This also revealed that even though God had promised the victory of the battle to the tribe of Judah, they still took this commanded task (the battle) seriously.
Why Simeon?
- Apart from the words “Simeon his brother” which suggests a possible closeness between the two tribes, not much was mentioned as to why the tribe of Simeon and not the other tribes of Israel.
- Though, another possibility could be because of geographical closeness – the tribe of Simeon’s allotted promised land was within the larger portion of Judah’s allotted promised land – this is revealed in the book of Joshua, chapter 19 verses 1-9.
Observation: What Judah’s Proposal to Simeon Revealed?
“…and I likewise will go with you into the territory allotted to you.”
The tribe of Judah invited the tribe of Simeon to join them in the battle. This wasn’t a one-sided request for help but a shared strategy—Judah promised to return the favor and help Simeon claim their land too. Their offer shows a sense of mutual respect, integrity, and shared mission.
Judah wasn’t looking for a handout.
Verse 4: Judah Fulfills Their Role; God Fulfills His Promise
“Then Judah went up…”
This few words shows Judah’s obedience. Even though they asked Simeon to join them, Judah didn’t shift responsibility or hesitate. They led the way, stepping into what God had called them to do.
Personal Thought: To me, this shows that Judah remained faithful to the task God gave them—they didn’t wait around for someone else to do what was theirs to do.
Verse 4: When did God Began Acting On His Promise to the Tribe of Judah?
“Then Judah went up and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they defeated 10,000 of them at Bezek”.
The key word is “and”.
- In verse 2, God declared: “I have given the land into their hand.” At that point, nothing physically had changed—the Canaanites and Perizzites still controlled the land. But the promise had already been spoken. It was real, even if not yet visible.
- In verse 3, Judah responded with intentionality, preparing for battle by proposing to the tribe of Simeon to join them. They were making plans in line with God’s command.
- But it was only in verse 4 when Judah obeyed the command to go up—and it’s at that moment where Scripture says, “and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand.” That word “and” tells us this was the moment God acted to fulfill His part of the promise – after the tribe of Judah went up.
It wasn’t when the promise was spoken, or when the tribe of Judah planned—but only when they obeyed and stepped forward in faith. That’s when God moved, orchestrating victory.
How did I come to this conclusion?
By reading verses 4 and 5 together. Do you notice what looks like repetition?
4Then Judah went up and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they defeated 10,000 of them at Bezek.
5 They found Adoni-bezek at Bezek and fought against him and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
They are not repetitions. I believe it was in verse 4, after Judah went up, was when God began acting on His part of the promise. Notice the words in verse 4 “the Lord gave” – indicating the one doing the work here is The Lord. “The Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand”
I believe that meant The Lord was orchestrating behind the scenes for the victory of the battle to go to the tribe of Judah. And in that moment as of verse 4, while God was doing the work, the tribe of Judah were fighting. They had not won the battle yet.
It’s only until verse 5, when we read that the tribe of Judah defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites – hence claiming God’s promise of victory.
Verse 4 is important because it shows both God and the tribe of Judah each playing their part—God giving the victory, and Judah stepping out in faith.
Verse 5: Reveals God Kept His Word
This was the fulfillment of God’s earlier assurance of victory in verse 2 – I think could not have happened if Judah did not respond in confidence and faith in God’s words and with courage.
Alrighty – That’s it for this post. Stay tuned to the next one!
Click here to check out all the posts I have written about the Book of Judges so far.
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P.S. This is not a bible study – and this is my first time reading through the Book of Judges from beginning to end – so take care to do your own research. I encourage you to read Judges 1 on your own too, and see how and what God reveals to you.
