Judges 1-2

“I will not drive them out before you; but they shall become as thorns in your sides” (2:3).  After Joshua died, the Israelite tribes battled against the Canaanites, but they didn’t completely conquer them (ch 1).  They accepted this partial victory and began to live side by side with the idol-worshipping Canaanites.  They felt that they were strong enough to handle the situation and ignored God’s warnings.  The land was not at peace, and they began to be influenced by Canaanite ways.

Inevitably, the Israelites began to worship idols (2:11) like their neighbors.  By refusing to accept God’s boundaries, they walked outside of God’s protection (2:15).