Judges 2:20-Judges 3:4 - The Lord Allows The Nations To Stay In Order To Test His People
20 The anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel; and he said, "Because this nation have transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not listened to my voice; 21 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations that Joshua left when he died; 22 that by them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers kept it, or not." 23 So the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.
1 Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; 2 only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing of it: 3 namely, the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. 4 They were left, to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by Moses.