Who Left Them There? When Defeated Foes Become Training Grounds

“Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan.”

—Judges 3:1 (ESV)

At first glance, this verse caught me off guard. It seems to contradict everything I had just read in the previous chapter of Judges. Chapter 1 gives a long list of tribes who did not drive out the nations they were supposed to.

• Benjamin didn’t drive out the Jebusites (1:21).
• Manasseh left multiple cities untouched (1:27).
• Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali—all failed to fully obey God’s command to clear out the land.

And then in chapter 3, it says “the Lord left them there.”

Wait... who left them there? Israel or God?

A Tension Between Responsibility and Sovereignty

This question began to stir in my heart:

Did God leave these nations intentionally? Or did the people fail to obey, and now God is simply using their disobedience to accomplish something greater?

What if both are true?

Scripture doesn’t contradict itself, and we know God is both just and sovereign. So perhaps what we see here is a picture of God’s redemptive sovereignty—a God who takes what was left behind in disobedience and turns it into an opportunity for growth.

When the Battle Becomes the Classroom

Judges 3:1–4 reveals that the remaining nations were left for a purpose:

• To test Israel
• To train a new generation who had not experienced the wars of Canaan
• To see whether they would obey the commandments of the Lord

What if these nations, these defeated-yet-still-lingering enemies, were not a sign of failure—but a training ground for faith?

In a sense, God allowed already-defeated foes to remain—not as a threat, but as an opportunity. He wanted the next generation to learn how to trust Him, to exercise faith, and to fight not by their own strength, but by what His Word had already promised.

Every Generation Must Learn to Fight

God is a generational God. But make no mistake—every generation must fight their own fight of faith.

There are spiritual battles we must win so our children and spiritual sons and daughters don't have to. But we also cannot—and must not—try to remove every struggle from the next generation.

We can't steal their fight.

We can't shield them from every battle.

We can equip them, pray for them, model obedience—but they must learn to trust God for themselves.

Training Grounds, Not Defeats

I’m still wrestling with the question: Who left them there?

But maybe that’s not the most important question.

Maybe the better question is:

What will we do with what’s still in the land?

Will we fear it?

Will we ignore it?

Or will we see it as a divine opportunity to rise in faith, walk in obedience, and drive out what doesn’t belong?

The Promise Still Stands

God had already given the land to Israel. The enemy’s presence didn’t change the promise—it simply became the place where faith was forged.

The same is true for us.

We all have areas in our lives where something still lingers—something God has given us authority to confront and overcome. Maybe it’s fear. Or doubt. Or a recurring battle that feels like it should’ve been defeated long ago.

Rather than asking why is this still here?, maybe the better prayer is:

“Lord, teach me to trust You in this. Train my hands for battle. Let this be a place where faith grows and obedience is tested.”

Because in the end, what remains in the land isn’t just a threat—it might just be your training.