Asher Did Not Drive Out Accho - Judges 1:31

In the book of Judges we learned, “Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries”, and in chapter one and verse thirty-one of Judges, we learn, “Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho”, where we read,

Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob:

The verse reads, “Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, …” The writer began with the words, “neither did Asher” which means “no and not in any manner did Asher whose name means ‘happy’ and was the son of Jacob and Zipah and the progenitor of the tribe of Asher” “drive out the inhabitants” or “seize, dispossess, disinherit, occupy or expel the dwellers, abiders and people who lived”“of Accho” which means “within Accho whose name means ‘his straitness’ and was a seaport town in Asher north of Mount Carmel and south or Tyre”, “nor the inhabitants” or “no and not in any way the people who dwelt, abode and lived” “of Zidon” which means “belonging to Zidon whose name means ‘hunting’ and was ancient Phoenician city, on Mediterranean coast north of Tyre”, “nor of Ahlab” or “no and not in any manner Ahlab whose name means ‘fertile place’ and was a town allotted to Asher, site presently unknown”. The writer shared how the “tribe of Asher” did not expel the people who lived in “Accho, Zidon or Ahlab”. 

The verse goes on to say “… nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob:” The writer continued with the words, “nor of Achzib” which means “no and not in any way Achzib whose name means ‘deceit” and was a town in the lowland of west Judah in Asher by the Sea of Galilee”, “nor of Helbah” or “no and not in any manner Helbah whose name means ‘fertile’ and was a town of Asher, probably on the plain of Phoenicia not far from Sidon”, “nor of Aphik” which means “no and not in any way Aphik or Aphek whose name means ‘enclosure’ and was a Canaanite city near Jezreel within Asher”, “nor of Rehob” or “no and not in any manner Rehob whose name means ‘broad place’ and was the northern limit of the exploration of the spies in Canaan; on the road to Hamath”. The writer also included the cities of “Achzib, Helbah, Aphik and Rehob” in the list of locations that the people of “Asher” did not expel. 

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn about another “tribe” in Israel who did not expel the people who lived in the territories which they seized. “Asher” did not dispossess people who dwelt in “Accho, Zidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik and Rehob”. We shall see how this action worked against the tribe of “Asher”, but for now let us consider the idea of leaving sinful areas in our lives. God wants to forgive and cleanse us from all sin and unrighteousness, (See 1 John 1:9) and when He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and to be raised from the dead after three days, He made the way through faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord” to receive His forgiveness, eternal life and His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and equip us to live in a manner that is without sin and pleasing to Him. (See John 3:16; 16:13; Acts 1:8; Revelation 4:11)

Next time we learn how, “the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".