Chp. 3:5-16:31 God’s faithfulness man’s failure (13 judges)
Chp. 3 Three strong servants for the South
Judges 3:1-31
“Ordinary instruments for extraordinary work”
- Intro.
- Vs. 1-6 Slow leaks
- Vs. 7-11 All the right stuff
- Vs. 12-30 Left handed in a right handed world
- Vs. 31 Can I get a Canaanite?
Intro
During the 350 year period of Judges God will use 11 men and one woman to deliver the nation but each of them will come in different shapes and sizes. Biblical heroes don’t come from human courage, ingenuity, or wisdom but from a faithful God who empowers His servants. Folks, we are either going to be a spectator or a soldier in this life! When God goes to war, He chooses the most unlikely soldiers, hands them the most unusual weapons, and accomplishes through them the most unpredictable results. The world is looking for better methods, but God is looking for better people who understand their need for the power of the Holy Spirit.
Vs. 1-6 Slow leaks
Vs. 1-2 God wanted to prove the faithfulness of Israel to Himself, and to improve their reliance on Him. The struggles we face in “pagan territory” to prove and improve our relationship with Him. Notice that it says that part of this was “so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war”. God often uses the enemy to train his children. The spiritual defeats in our lives are rarely do to “blow outs” they are more often than not “slow leaks”. Israel was suppose to drive out their enemy and instead they were dragged down by their enemy. Folks, sin isn’t bad because it’s forbidden it’s forbidden because it’s bad! People think that God looks out and sees all the things that are Fun, Fattening and Forbidden then says, “Stay away from these things because if you are going to follow after me you have to be miserable and board”. But Jesus said in John 10:10 that it’s the opposite when He declared, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” I watch Danny fish the other day first with some “supper bait” that came in a jar than with a “fancy lure” in which he caught two fish. To those fish they were hungry they saw something they wanted to go after, something Fun, Fattening and Forbidden but they didn’t see that under that super bait was a hook and that fancy glimmering lure was only there to cause them to get hooked then cooked!
Vs. 3-4 The Lord specifically lists the names of the “fleshly territory” as to identify the enemy. It is always a good idea to make a list of the areas of you flesh the “five lords of the Philistines” who continue to dwell in your life making you miserable.
Vs. 5-6 These verses list a threefold progression that caused the nation to fall “flat”.
- First we are told that not only did they not drive out their enemies they “dwelt” among them. Dear ones it is a subtle difference between failing to drive out of our lives the old fleshly habits to that of deciding to just accept those same habits and live among them. Far too often Christians make to choice to just compartmentalize their lives and divide it up between the sacred and the secular.
- Next we are told that they took the daughters of those they dwelt among and gave their daughters to the sons of those they were called to drive out. So what started out as just compartmentalizing our lives causes “offspring” that always looks more like the world and less like the Lord.
- This inevitably leads to us just “serving and worshipping” the gods that we only started out allowing to dwell among us. When you dwell with the world, start relating better with the world then believers pretty soon you will end up worshipping at the altars of the world.
Vs. 7-11 All the right stuff
Vs. 7-8 Cushan-Rishathaim means “double darkness” and God used this fellow to show His people that what they thought was fun just plunged them into darkness. I think that when we go after the things in our life that rob us of life it’s darkness than when we realize this then we go through a time of depression hence “double darkness”. Amazingly to me that it took “eight years” before the people cried out to God.
Vs. 9-11 Othniel was a man with a solid family line as Caleb was his uncle as such he grew up in a hero’s home. He is probably around 80 years old by now and he is living in a nice valley without the enemy in his land living by two springs enjoying the good life. Yet he is not content with his own peacefulness! He is the first man in the Bible where we are told the “spirit of the lord came upon him.” He was a man who had some godly characteristics: According to chapter 1 he had proven ability as he took up the challenge to take on the city of Kirjath Sepher a strong hold of giants. He was a man of great courage as he was not afraid to go against strongholds. And according to 3:10 he was a man of personal faith. Yet with all of that the key to his usefulness is to be found in verse 10 where we are told the secret to Othniel’s victory was that, “the Spirit of the Lord came upon him”. Dear ones, we don’t experience the power of God over those things that hold us captive for two reasons:
- We don’t cry out to the Lord
- We don’t seek the Holy Spirit power to set us free
Vs. 12-30 Left-handed in a right-handed world
Vs. 12-14 Even though God brought deliverance through Othniel, Israel went back to the flesh. Saints, this is important for us to understand in dealing with out flesh “It will never improve or be reformed”. It took 8 years before they cried out to the Lord and Othniel delivered them and now we read that it took 18 years of bondage before they cried out to the Lord. Eglon is the only man in the bible with the phrase after his name according to verse 17 as being a “very fat man”. I have it on good authority that the Star Wars character “Jabba the Hutt” was taken from this fellow. It wasn’t only his weight that caused problems it was that he was a “heavy handed oppressor” that was crushing God’s people. Eglon’s name means “little calf or heifer” but this day he was going to be the “fatted calf”. His palace was in the area of Jericho where 60 years earlier Israel had marched around the city in faith and watched the walls fall down; now they were the ones behind the walls of oppression. We are told that Ehud was a south-paw but he was from the tribe whose name means “son of my right hand”. Being left handed was thought of as a curse and left handed folks have been put down for years in almost every culture. The French word for “left handed” is gauche meaning lacking social grace; tacky or crude. In Latin word for left-handed “sinister” while the word for right handed is “dexterous”. Oh dear ones don’t you love the stories like this as God uses those that seem to be under a curse to remove a curse!
Vs. 15 Israel wasn’t thinking deliverance they were thinking appeasement as we are told that they were sending him a gift probably a “candy gram”. Far too often we think like this nation trying to appease and feed our Eglon’s that oppress us but the more you feed the flesh the more it will put heavy demands upon you and the bigger and heavier the flesh will become.
Vs. 16-26 While others were preparing food for Eglon, Ehud was preparing a two edge sword to slay the flesh. Ehud was uniquely qualified as he was left handed and would not have been suspected of carrying out this assassination. He hid the sword under his garment, brings the gift and once it’s delivered tells the king he has a secret. The secret message from God was “If you oppress the apple of God’s eye and will be judged for it.” These kinds of daggers would have had a blade about 18” and a handle that would have been up around 12” and he was going to need the full 30” on Eglon.
Folks listen up, What enabled Ehud to come close to Eglon was his handicap. Oh we are so accustom of hiding our weaknesses but in 2 Cor. 12:9 we read that God told Paul that “His grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” You may be here and your thinking this divorce has made me feel like a south–paw in a right handed world. I lost my job, I’ve been in jail, and I’m handicapped! Oh stand up in faith and thrust the sword of the Spirit deep into the flesh up to the hilt and you will see God’s power to deliver you and more besides.
Vs. 27-30 Ehud said, “Follow me” but He also told them why “For the Lord has delivered”. This is the longest sustained freedom during the 350 years of the Judges 80 years. Saint’s no matter how “heavy you’re Eglon Flesh” might be; how handicapped you feel take a step of faith pray and ask the Holy Spirit to take up the “Sword of the Spirit” and kill that old man. I promise you if you do some dirt will come out but you will be delivered from your flesh as well.
Vs. 31 Can I get a Canaanite?
Vs. 31 Shamgar is one of six individuals we call “minor” judges, because not much is written about them. His name means, “a stranger” not a very heroic name. Where is the “Super, Incredible” in front of it? He has a very confusing family background, you see his name is not a Hebrew name it’s a Canaanite name. His father’s name (Anath) is also Canaanite and is the name of the god of war. He was probably ½ Jewish and ½ Canaanite. Shamgar this “stranger” this unknown, unlikely unsung but is who God empowered to do a wonderful work. Here is what we know:
- He was a rancher: The fact that he used an ox goad tells us that he took care of oxen as it was a common tool for doing so. The truth is most of the “hero’s of the faith” were just common folks doing everyday jobs that God used.
- He used an ox goad: A stick that was 8 feet long, and about 6 inches around at the big end. One end for poking the ox, the other end for scraping the plow clean of dirt. In Ex 4:2 God asked Moses, “What’s in your hand” to which Moses said a “shepherd’s staff” to which God said, “That’ll do!” Peter and John had in their hands “fishing net” and Jesus said, “That’ll do!” God simply uses whatever we have on hand.
- He also delivered Israel: Nothing fancy about an ox goad and nothing fancy about Shamgar but God uses him to single handedly slay 600 Philistines. So what’s God going to use to do great works in your life? Do you have something in your life that is common and ordinary lift it up to the power of the Spirit of God and watch Him work? God seems to always use ordinary instruments for extraordinary work!
- People who are unique
- People who draw their strength from Him
- People who are willing to be used
This is a placeholder. Notes will be added