Let’s tackle what might seem to be a contradiction in the text of Judges Chapter 1.
So we just read how the tribes of Judah and Simeon captured Jerusalem, right?
However, a couple of sentences later, we find this tidbit in verse 21.
“The Benjamites, however, did not drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.”-Judges 1:21
What?!
So when did the tribe of Benjamin get a hold of Jerusalem?
Apparently, after Judah and Simeon took it over they handed it over to them.
Unfortunately, Benjamin failed to appreciate just how awesome it was to have Jerusalem in their hands.
Because they soon lost control of the holy city and it wouldn’t be returned back to Israel until the time of King David.
Herein lies what I would say is a not so positive pattern we’ll see repeated throughout the Scriptures.
Namely that one of the Hebrew tribes would conquer and take control of a Canaanite city but then they would lose control of it.
For the most part this happened because the Israelites wouldn’t drive out the Canaanites from the territories they conquered which is what they were supposed to do per God’s command.
Instead, more often than not, an Israelite tribe would take over a Canaanite city but allow the enemy people to stay there as servants to the victorious Israelites.
As you can imagine, this was a recipe for disaster as the arrangement hardly ever worked out well.
Especially with such a hotly contested area as Jerusalem.
After Judah and Simeon conquered Jerusalem and gave it to Benjamin, Benjamin permitted the Jebusites to remain like ticking time bombs about to explode at any moment.
Which is what happened when the Benjamites found themselves the minority to the Jebusite king who over time flexed his muscles and increased his power over the weakening Benjamites.
This is a pattern we’re gonna see repeated over and over in the Promised Land.
Now there’s another pattern I want you to be aware of as we move forward.
I’m talking about the growing difference between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
We’re gonna see Judah go on to victory after victory while Benjamin will go on to failure and failure.
We just saw that Judah won the holy city of Jerusalem but Benjamin lost it.
Later we’ll see Saul, the first king of Israel turn out to be an utter failure.
He was from the tribe of Benjamin.
Yet, in contrast, David, the 2nd king of Israel is considered one of Israel’s greatest kings and a man who always sought after God’s heart.
He was from the tribe of Judah.
Keep in mind this growing contrast between Judah and Benjamin as we move forward because we’re gonna see it again and again.
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