The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. - Psalm 18:2
For the past 3 weeks we have been reading and discussing a pair of stories found in the appendix at the end of the book of Judges (chapters 17-21). The first told about Micah, the tribe of Dan, and an opportunistic Levite. The second described a heartless Levite, his runaway concubine, and a brief civil war between the 12 tribes. Chronologically speaking, both of these narratives took place in the early judges period. Together they provide supplementary evidence that supports the general description of Israel given in chapter 2. The children of God had become idolatrous, immoral, and immersed in sin.
As I stated a few weeks ago, there is a familiar pattern in the book of Judges. Israel would behave wickedly and invoke God’s judgment. This in turn would lead to suffering and a cry of repentance. Then the LORD would hear His people’s plea for mercy and would raise up a deliverer to rescue them. Once they had been liberated, they would gradually return to their sinful ways and the cycle would start over again. These deliverers were known as judges, and over the next several weeks we are going to learn a lot about them.
In this morning’s message we are going to read about the first 3 judges of Israel. They were Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar. Their stories are found in chapter 3. Let’s take a look…
I. OTHNIEL (Judges 3:7-11)
The sons of Israel sinned against the LORD by serving the false gods of the Canaanites - the Baals and the Asheroth. God’s anger burned hot against them and He turned them over to Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. Israel served under him for 8 long years.
Finally, when their persecution became severe, the Israelites cried out for help. God raised up Othniel, Caleb’s nephew, to deliver them. This was the same Othniel who had earlier driven the Canaanites and the mighty sons of Anak out of the city of Debir (Joshua 15:16-17; Judges 1:12-13). The Spirit of God came upon Othniel, and he waged war against and prevailed over the king of Mesopotamia. As a result of his victory, the land was freed from oppression and enjoyed peace for 40 years until Othniel died.
Othniel was the first judge. He was a member of the tribe of Judah and lived in Judah. It is probable that the Mesopotamian dominance spoken of here only affected the tribe of Judah, and perhaps to a degree Simeon, as they were the southernmost tribes. Remember, these judges were regional and tribal leaders - Israel had not yet become a united nation with a single king.
II. EHUD (Judges 3:12-30)
Over time Israel reverted back to her old, sinful ways. Therefore God allowed Eglon, the king of neighboring Moab, to grow strong. Eglon allied himself with the Ammonites and the Amalekites. Together they defeated Israel and took possession of Jericho, aka “the city of palm trees”. It is believed that King Eglon resided there during certain seasons of the year. The Israelites served Eglon and paid tribute to him for 18 years.
After years of affliction, the sons of Israel cried out for deliverance and God raised up Ehud, the son of Gera. He was a Benjaminite who was left-handed. In the story we read about Israel’s civil war, the Bible stated that Benjamin’s army included 700 expert marksmen who could use a sling left-handed (Judges 20:16). Maybe Ehud was one of them and had survived the war… It's something to think about.
Ehud made a 2-edged sword, about 18 inches long, and concealed it under his cloak by tying it to his right thigh. Then he and several others carried Israel’s recurring tribute payment to King Eglon and presented it. Afterward, Ehud sent his assistants away. They returned home by way of Gilgal, where apparently several idols had been set up. Meanwhile, Ehud stayed behind and told King Eglon that he had a secret message for him. The 2 men went upstairs to the cool, roof chamber where they could speak privately. When they were alone, Ehud quietly loosed his sword, leaned in to share his “secret”, and then thrust it into the king’s belly. Eglon was such an obese man that the entire blade and its handle were covered by his fat. Ehud left the sword inside the king’s body, shut and locked the doors, and quickly fled the scene.
Some time later the king’s servants went up to check on him. When they found the chamber’s doors were locked, they assumed that Eglon was cooling himself on the roof and didn’t want to be disturbed. However, after a while they became worried and knocked on the door. When he didn’t answer they unlocked the door, rushed in, and found King Eglon dead on the floor.
By this time Ehud had escaped to Seirah, bypassing the idols at Gilgal. When he arrived, Ehud blew a trumpet to summon the men of Ephraim. They came out from the hill country and gathered before him. He gave a stirring rally cry and led them into battle against the Moabites. Israel seized the fords of the Jordan River so that the fleeing enemy could not cross over it. With God’s backing the sons of Israel struck down around 10,000 Moabites and none of them escaped. Thus, Moab’s oppression over Israel ended and the land was at peace for 80 years.
Ehud was the second judge of Israel. His story pertains primarily to the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin. He was a brave and crafty man, who used deception and intrigue to assassinate the Moabite king and rescue his beleaguered people.
III. SHAMGAR (Judges 3:31)
After Ehud came Shamgar, the son of Anath. He was the third judge of Israel. He is the least well-known of the judges, as there is only 1 sentence dedicated to him in this chapter. He is also briefly mentioned in the song of Deborah (Judges 5:6), who we will study about next week. Apparently, during Shamgar’s lifetime the sons of Israel were terrorized by the Philistines - so much so that they didn’t travel openly on the highways, but rather stuck to the winding backgrounds for fear of them. Shamgar rose up and single-handedly killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad, a pointed stick used for prodding oxen, thereby ending their threat to his people. Though not stated specifically, it would seem geographically that Shamgar was likely a judge over the tribes of Dan or Judah, seeing that the Philistines were the oppressors.
CONCLUSION
To sum up, the first 3 judges of Israel were Othniel, Ehud, and Shangar. God used each of these men to deliver their respective tribes from the cruel hands of the enemy. They were strong and courageous men, just as the ancestors had been.
In a broad sense, the judges collectively point to Jesus Christ. Jesus came to deliver sinners from the grip of Satan and the chains of death. He is our ultimate Savior and Deliverer! So also, Jesus will someday be our judge. Every person will stand before His throne. Those who have received His forgiveness and been covered by His righteous will be pardoned, but those who haven’t trusted in Him will be judged based on their works and be condemned by them.
There is only One who can deliver a person from the eternal consequences of sin. His name is Jesus. Have you accepted Him as the Lord and Savior of your life?
For the past 3 weeks we have been reading and discussing a pair of stories found in the appendix at the end of the book of Judges (chapters 17-21). The first told about Micah, the tribe of Dan, and an opportunistic Levite. The second described a heartless Levite, his runaway concubine, and a brief civil war between the 12 tribes. Chronologically speaking, both of these narratives took place in the early judges period. Together they provide supplementary evidence that supports the general description of Israel given in chapter 2. The children of God had become idolatrous, immoral, and immersed in sin.
As I stated a few weeks ago, there is a familiar pattern in the book of Judges. Israel would behave wickedly and invoke God’s judgment. This in turn would lead to suffering and a cry of repentance. Then the LORD would hear His people’s plea for mercy and would raise up a deliverer to rescue them. Once they had been liberated, they would gradually return to their sinful ways and the cycle would start over again. These deliverers were known as judges, and over the next several weeks we are going to learn a lot about them.
In this morning’s message we are going to read about the first 3 judges of Israel. They were Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar. Their stories are found in chapter 3. Let’s take a look…
I. OTHNIEL (Judges 3:7-11)
The sons of Israel sinned against the LORD by serving the false gods of the Canaanites - the Baals and the Asheroth. God’s anger burned hot against them and He turned them over to Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. Israel served under him for 8 long years.
Finally, when their persecution became severe, the Israelites cried out for help. God raised up Othniel, Caleb’s nephew, to deliver them. This was the same Othniel who had earlier driven the Canaanites and the mighty sons of Anak out of the city of Debir (Joshua 15:16-17; Judges 1:12-13). The Spirit of God came upon Othniel, and he waged war against and prevailed over the king of Mesopotamia. As a result of his victory, the land was freed from oppression and enjoyed peace for 40 years until Othniel died.
Othniel was the first judge. He was a member of the tribe of Judah and lived in Judah. It is probable that the Mesopotamian dominance spoken of here only affected the tribe of Judah, and perhaps to a degree Simeon, as they were the southernmost tribes. Remember, these judges were regional and tribal leaders - Israel had not yet become a united nation with a single king.
II. EHUD (Judges 3:12-30)
Over time Israel reverted back to her old, sinful ways. Therefore God allowed Eglon, the king of neighboring Moab, to grow strong. Eglon allied himself with the Ammonites and the Amalekites. Together they defeated Israel and took possession of Jericho, aka “the city of palm trees”. It is believed that King Eglon resided there during certain seasons of the year. The Israelites served Eglon and paid tribute to him for 18 years.
After years of affliction, the sons of Israel cried out for deliverance and God raised up Ehud, the son of Gera. He was a Benjaminite who was left-handed. In the story we read about Israel’s civil war, the Bible stated that Benjamin’s army included 700 expert marksmen who could use a sling left-handed (Judges 20:16). Maybe Ehud was one of them and had survived the war… It's something to think about.
Ehud made a 2-edged sword, about 18 inches long, and concealed it under his cloak by tying it to his right thigh. Then he and several others carried Israel’s recurring tribute payment to King Eglon and presented it. Afterward, Ehud sent his assistants away. They returned home by way of Gilgal, where apparently several idols had been set up. Meanwhile, Ehud stayed behind and told King Eglon that he had a secret message for him. The 2 men went upstairs to the cool, roof chamber where they could speak privately. When they were alone, Ehud quietly loosed his sword, leaned in to share his “secret”, and then thrust it into the king’s belly. Eglon was such an obese man that the entire blade and its handle were covered by his fat. Ehud left the sword inside the king’s body, shut and locked the doors, and quickly fled the scene.
Some time later the king’s servants went up to check on him. When they found the chamber’s doors were locked, they assumed that Eglon was cooling himself on the roof and didn’t want to be disturbed. However, after a while they became worried and knocked on the door. When he didn’t answer they unlocked the door, rushed in, and found King Eglon dead on the floor.
By this time Ehud had escaped to Seirah, bypassing the idols at Gilgal. When he arrived, Ehud blew a trumpet to summon the men of Ephraim. They came out from the hill country and gathered before him. He gave a stirring rally cry and led them into battle against the Moabites. Israel seized the fords of the Jordan River so that the fleeing enemy could not cross over it. With God’s backing the sons of Israel struck down around 10,000 Moabites and none of them escaped. Thus, Moab’s oppression over Israel ended and the land was at peace for 80 years.
Ehud was the second judge of Israel. His story pertains primarily to the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin. He was a brave and crafty man, who used deception and intrigue to assassinate the Moabite king and rescue his beleaguered people.
III. SHAMGAR (Judges 3:31)
After Ehud came Shamgar, the son of Anath. He was the third judge of Israel. He is the least well-known of the judges, as there is only 1 sentence dedicated to him in this chapter. He is also briefly mentioned in the song of Deborah (Judges 5:6), who we will study about next week. Apparently, during Shamgar’s lifetime the sons of Israel were terrorized by the Philistines - so much so that they didn’t travel openly on the highways, but rather stuck to the winding backgrounds for fear of them. Shamgar rose up and single-handedly killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad, a pointed stick used for prodding oxen, thereby ending their threat to his people. Though not stated specifically, it would seem geographically that Shamgar was likely a judge over the tribes of Dan or Judah, seeing that the Philistines were the oppressors.
CONCLUSION
To sum up, the first 3 judges of Israel were Othniel, Ehud, and Shangar. God used each of these men to deliver their respective tribes from the cruel hands of the enemy. They were strong and courageous men, just as the ancestors had been.
In a broad sense, the judges collectively point to Jesus Christ. Jesus came to deliver sinners from the grip of Satan and the chains of death. He is our ultimate Savior and Deliverer! So also, Jesus will someday be our judge. Every person will stand before His throne. Those who have received His forgiveness and been covered by His righteous will be pardoned, but those who haven’t trusted in Him will be judged based on their works and be condemned by them.
There is only One who can deliver a person from the eternal consequences of sin. His name is Jesus. Have you accepted Him as the Lord and Savior of your life?