Test Failed, Enter the Judges

Judges 3:1–31 (CSB)

1 These are the nations the Lord left in order to test all those in Israel who had experienced none of the wars in Canaan. 2 This was to teach the future generations of the Israelites how to fight in battle, especially those who had not fought before. 3 These nations included the five rulers of the Philistines and all of the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanese mountains from Mount Baal-hermon as far as the entrance to Hamath. 4 The Lord left them to test Israel, to determine if they would keep the Lord’s commands he had given their ancestors through Moses.

Test is one of those words that has various meanings behind it. Most of us think of a pass / fail situation where there is a right and wrong answer. this is partially true here.

Israel failed to drive out all the inhabitants of the land.

Israel also failed to follow God’s commands so they are not doing well in the pass / fail category.

A test can also be something used to teach or improve. While Israel will have many opportunities to get the answer right they will also have the opportunity to learn from each right and wrong choice (mostly wrong).

In the long run Israel will learn how to fight. They will not necessarily learn proper methodology for war instead they will learn the nature and significance of the war.

The truth is that Israel’s fight is spiritual even though they face flesh and blood opponents.

Will they accept their status as God’s covenant people and embrace all the privileges and obligations that go with that.

The enemy worships false god which makes them enemies of the LORD.

5 But they settled among the Canaanites, Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 6 The Israelites took their daughters as wives for themselves, gave their own daughters to their sons, and worshiped their gods.

Well, Israel is not starting off well.

Not only did they not drive the people out as commanded they settled among them.

Settling among people indicates an attitude of compromise and compromise leads to problems.

Isreal also began to intermarry with the people. While interracial marriage in itself isn’t sin God had specifically commanded the Israelites not to do it - so now its a sin.

There is a second issue with intermarriage - the blending of nations, traditions and beliefs including who or what to worship.

Now they are in trouble - Israel began to worship the false gods violating the 1st and 2nd commandment of God…

7 The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; they forgot the Lord their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. 8 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he sold them to King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim, and the Israelites served him eight years. 9 The Israelites cried out to the Lord. So the Lord raised up Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s youngest brother, as a deliverer to save the Israelites. 10 The Spirit of the Lord came on him, and he judged Israel. Othniel went out to battle, and the Lord handed over King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram to him, so that Othniel overpowered him. 11 Then the land had peace for forty years, and Othniel son of Kenaz died.

Now we get into the cycle of sin - punishment - petition - deliverance.

Isreal did what was evil. Note it was declared evil in the LORD’s sight. It doesn’t matter what the world thinks is ok, if God says it is sin - it is sin.

They forgot the Lord - Israel got comfortable with the sin around them and became desensitized to it which led to acceptance and forgetting the God who saved them.

So, God got angry and gave Israel over to King Cushan-rishathaim (Syria) to oppress them.

They were under the thumb of the King for 8 years until they had enough and cried out to God.

Crying out means more than just whining about what is happening to them. When they cried out they were asking forgiveness and begging God to help them.

God hears their cries and responds - He Called Othniel to save them and he did.

A couple of important things to note -1. The Holy Spirit empowered and led the judge to accomplish the mission. 2. The LORD handed the enemy over to the judge.

After being delivered they had peace for 40 years. This indicates they must have turned back to God to some degree.

As long as the judge was alive it seems the people followed God but then the judge dies…

12 The Israelites again did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He gave King Eglon of Moab power over Israel, because they had done what was evil in the Lord’s sight. 13 After Eglon convinced the Ammonites and the Amalekites to join forces with him, he attacked and defeated Israel and took possession of the City of Palms. 14 The Israelites served King Eglon of Moab eighteen years. 15 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjaminite, as a deliverer for them. The Israelites sent him with the tribute for King Eglon of Moab. 16 Ehud made himself a double-edged sword eighteen inches long. He strapped it to his right thigh under his clothes 17 and brought the tribute to King Eglon of Moab, who was an extremely fat man. 18 When Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he dismissed the people who had carried it. 19 At the carved images near Gilgal he returned and said, “King Eglon, I have a secret message for you.” The king said, “Silence!” and all his attendants left him. 20 Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in his upstairs room where it was cool. Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you,” and the king stood up from his throne. 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly. 22 Even the handle went in after the blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And the waste came out. 23 Ehud escaped by way of the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upstairs room behind him. 24 Ehud was gone when Eglon’s servants came in. They looked and found the doors of the upstairs room locked and thought he was relieving himself in the cool room. 25 The servants waited until they became embarrassed and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upstairs room. So they took the key and opened the doors—and there was their lord lying dead on the floor! 26 Ehud escaped while the servants waited. He passed the Jordan near the carved images and reached Seirah. 27 After he arrived, he sounded the trumpet throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hill country, and he became their leader. 28 He told them, “Follow me, because the Lord has handed over your enemies, the Moabites, to you.” So they followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over. 29 At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all stout and able-bodied men. Not one of them escaped.

Here we go again, Isreal sinned and God sent King Eglon along with the Ammonites and Amalekites to punish Israel.

Israel spent 18 years under the thumb of King Eglon until the had enough and cried out again.

This time God sends Ehud - a left handed man from the tribe of Benjamin - to be the judge.

This is where the story gets fun - he made a sword and became the first person to conceal carry - using the ploy of a tribute to gain access to the king - after the tribute Ehud said he had a message for the King and that’s how he got close.

Here is why being left handed is important - if most people are right handed you would naturally watch for a threat from the right but a left handed person would have the advantage of surprise…

Ok, the King was a fat dude. Ehud stabbed him hard enough that the sword went in all the way to the handle (18+ inches) but the kings was so fat the sword couldn’t be removed. The did however, spill his guts (sorry).

After taking out the king Ehud went out and rallied the troops who followed him into battle.

God was with them and they 10,000 Moabites.

Interesting note: This passage doesn’t say Ehud judged Israel or the power of the Spirit was on him. It is clear God was with them.

30 Moab became subject to Israel that day, and the land had peace for eighty years. 31 After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath became judge. He also delivered Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with a cattle prod.

Israel had peace for 80 years this time.

Next came Shamgar as a judge - we don’t know much about this person or what Isreal did to warrant needing a judge.

He did take out 600 Philistines with a cattle prod ( a stick tipped with bronze). Prelude to Sampson and his donkey jawbone battle.