Judges 2:20-Judges 3:4 - The Lord Allows The Nations To Stay In Order To Test His People

²⁰ So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed (violated) My covenant (binding agreement) which I commanded their fathers, and has not listened to My voice, ²¹ I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left [to be conquered] when he died, ²² in order to test [the loyalty of] Israel by them, whether Israel will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it, as their fathers did, or not.” ²³ So the Lord allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out at once; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

¹ Now these are the nations which the Lord left [in order] to test Israel by them (that is, all [the people of Israel] who had not [previously] experienced any of the wars in Canaan; ² only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, at least those who had not experienced it previously). ³ The remaining nations are: the five lords (governors) of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to the entrance of Hamath. ⁴ They were [allowed to remain] for the testing of Israel, to determine whether Israel would listen to and obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers (ancestors) through Moses.