1These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan 2 (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): 3 the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. 4 They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses. 5 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 6 They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
In the first two chapters, Israel blazed into the Promised Land to take their land by force. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out very well for Israel. Although the tribes began in a strong way, they ended up compromising with the Canaanite tribes in the land. Eventually they began to live alongside the Canaanites and this led to a troublesome predicament: God required their trust and they were unable to trust fully. This lack of trust affects them for centuries, but it begins here, in the Promised Land.
God allows some of the Canaanite tribes to live in the conquest of the Promised Land. He does this in order to test the Israelites who haven’t experienced war. Why? Why wouldn’t God allow future generations to be spared of battle? The answer is found in verse 4: They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses.
If the Israelites faith wasn’t tested through the generations, then how would they know how to trust and follow? All the way through the end of the book of Kings we see this same dilemma. Israel has a problem with following God. But the problem is exacerbated by the evil around them. By not following God’s rule, God has allowed the Canaanites to live alongside the Israelites and continually drag them into idolatry. We see this become a real problem in verse 6: They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
Israel is in a dire position, but God is still in charge. He has a plan. As we move through the rest of this book, we will see a common cycle, the sin cycle, begin its revolution.
1. Israel wanders away from God 2. God sends in an outside force to oppress them 3. Israel eventually calls out to God to save them 4. God sends a judge
A judge is not the same type of judge we may think of; a judge is a person who rises out of Israel and drives out the opposing force, bringing Israel back into alignment with God. We will meet the first judge in the next section.
Another interesting part of this book is about the Judges themselves. There are 6 major judges (Othniel, Ehud, Deborah,Gideon, Jephthah and Samson), 6 minor Judges (Shamgar, Tola, JairIbzan, Elon and Abdon), and one Anti-Judge (Abimalek). The 6 major Judges make up the body of the book (their stories are longer and more detailed) ad the minor Judges are allotted a few lines. Abimalek, the anti-Judge, happens in chapter 9 and is the story of an Israelite (Gideon’s illegitimate son) who acts against the main structure of the sin cycle and attempts to overthrow Israel.
Another distinction in this book is the length and detail of the Judges and their moral erosion. In the story of Othniel, we are given a story that has an adequate amount of information, but not a lot of detail. By the time we get to the last Judge (Samson), the story is extended and rich. Also, Othniel and Deborah’s story are about three Judges who perform Gods will with exception. Gideon, Jephthah and especially Samson, however, are quite different. Each judge in those stories struggle with a variety of moral dilemmas, and by the time we get to Samson’s story, we not only see the moral character of the Judges fracturing, but we see this is a mirror for Israel’s troubles.
Othniel
7 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. 8 The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years.
In the days of Othniel, Israel has fallen away from God. But how does this happen? Remember, in verse 6 the Israelites intermarried with the clans around them. If they are intermarrying, then they are friendly. If they are friendly, they are receptive to practices other than their own. They’ve woven their lives together and once that happens, then God’s rebuke of the people doesn’t carry as much weight. In 1 Kings 10, we see King Solomon, one of the greatest men to serve God, end up sacrificing to other gods. How did he get there? By intermarriage. By taking women who weren’t Israelites. Over time they swayed him.
By serving the Baals and the Asherahs, the Israelites took a step into the very same religion that God wanted to exterminate. They had forgotten their covenant with the real God of Israel. Baal was the god of thunder, rain and grain; he brings the rain that feeds the crops that grow food that sustain life. Asherah is the fertility god of the Canaanites. The people believed both of these deities required blood sacrifice, and often it was children. It was one of the many things God found detestable.
The Israelites have wandered away and are oppressed by an outside force, in which the Israelites are subject to for eight years. They are oppressed by Cushan- Rishathaim, which translated means Cushan of Double Wickedness. These are the first two items in the sin cycle.
Othniel 9 But when they cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. 10 The Spirit of the Lord came on him, so that he became Israel’s judge[ and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. 11 So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.
Othniel is raised up by God to deliver Israel from the hands of the oppressor. But Othniel could not do his job for God until Israel cried out to God. Israel had to come to a conclusion that the problem wasn’t Cushan Rishathaim, but their own behavior. It took them eight years to realize this, and then God was faithful in bringing a man to defend Israel.
Who is Othniel? He’s either the brother or nephew of Caleb (Judges 1:12-13). The Hebrew is inconclusive on exactly the relationship, but it nevertheless a close one to Caleb. This is important because it tells us a little about who he is attached to. Caleb was one of the faithful men (along with Joshua) who gave a good report of the land (Numbers 13:30). Caleb also invaded the Promised Land and conquered cities. Othniel is one of the only Judges who appears to have good influences accompanying him, and this perhaps tells us a little about his own character.
The spirit of the Lord comes on him. This is an early appearance of the Holy Spirit, coming over a person to help that person do God’s will. The people of the Old Testament didn’t have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit yet, but God moved forcibly in their lives to enact His will.
Ehud 12 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. 13 Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. 14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.
We see the pattern reassert itself. Why does this happen? The Israelites follow God for as long as their leader lives. But once the leader dies, Israel seems to drift back into their old habits. This time a powerful King, Eglon, rises into power over Israel. Eglon (translated as “Little Calf”) is powerful because he invites other nations to help him solidify his power. Eglon takes possession of the city of Palms (Jericho), and we see an escalation of time spent under his control. 18 years.
15 Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.
Shouldn’t God be frustrated with the Israelites? Shouldn’t he just blight them, start over? What we see from God in this book is his constant care of his people. But they must come to a conclusion about God’s care before he acts. God doesn’t just rescue them without their reflection. The reflection is important; it’s how a person learns. In our own lives, we have to get to that place of reflection before we can reconnect with God.
Ehud rises, and there is a special note of his left-handedness. In Israel, left-handed people were regarded as having a defect and were trained to use their right hand. This plays into the assignation of Eglon in the next verses, but it also show us that God operates in his space by using our talents.
16 Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a cubit long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. 17 He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. 18 After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way those who had carried it. 19 But on reaching the stone images near Gilgal he himself went back to Eglon and said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.” The king said to his attendants, “Leave us!” And they all left. 20 Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his palace[e] and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly. 22 Even the handle sank in after the blade, and his bowels discharged. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. 23 Then Ehud went out to the porch; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them. 24 After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the palace.” 25 They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead. 26 While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images and escaped to Seirah.
Ehud is bringing tribute to the king. This was common in the old world. Tribute is a required allotment of resources that the oppressed country brings to the oppressor. He is acting as a courier. Ehud tells the king that he has a message from God for Ehud. For this secret message, Eglon clears the room. Remember, Ehud hung the dagger on his right side, not his left. Eglon probably checked that he wasn’t armed and felt a sense of safety.
But Eglon is not safe. Ehud guts him and his entrails hit the floor. Ehud escapes out the upper room and Eglon’s handlers wait around outside, thinking he’s in the bathroom. The scene is gruesome and hilarious.
27 When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them. 28 “Follow me,” he ordered, “for the Lord has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.” So they followed him down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab; they allowed no one to cross over. 29 At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not one escaped. 30 That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.
Ehud rallies the Israelites into rising up against Moab and forcing them outside Jericho and from the land. Ehud, a great leader, doesn’t do it by himself, but surrounds himself with those who can also lead, fight, and re-establish Israel. For this, Israel is given the longest period of peace in the 350-year history of the Judges. 80 years.
Shamgar 31 After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.
Shamgar is the first of the minor judges and there isn’t much information given about him. With an oxfgoad ( an eight foot stick with a pointed end, for poking an ox, and a chisel end for scraping plows free of dirt), he strikes down 600 Philistines. Not much is known of this battle, but we could infer that the Spirit of God was on him during this battle. Like David, who would defeat Goliath with a simple sling, or Samson, who would strike down a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey, God can use simple items and powerful men to do His work.