One Obedient Life at a Time

When one says yes, God pushes back darkness.

If you have your Bibles, and I hope you, make your way to Judges 3. We are going to spend our time together there. Judges 3.

Most of the world is obsessed with the big names — the ones with the blue checkmarks, the book deals, the big stages.

Some of the most Googled names in 2025? Donald Trump. Lady Gaga. Taylor Swift. Elon Musk.

Now that would be a funny dinner party to be at.

We live in a culture obsessed with celebrity. We don't just want to hear them sing, lead, or tweet — we want to be near them.

You know how I know? Because people will pay good money just to stand where they stood.

The most visited home in the United States is the White House. That makes sense — presidents, power, politics. But do you know what the second most visited home is?

Graceland. Yeah — Elvis Presley’s house.

Let that sit for a second. The guy’s died on the toilet almost 50 years, but people still line up to take selfies in his kitchen. To catch of glimpse of what life was like for him.

Why? Because we are a people obsessed with big names, big stages, and big legacies. We want loud. We want famous. We want flash.

We think influence is tied to having a platform, a microphone, or a big social media platform. We assume that God only works through the powerful and the popular.

But that’s not how God works.

God uses the overlooked. He uses the quiet, the faithful, the ones nobody saw coming.

He used Othniel—a man who wasn’t flashy but simply obeyed. He used Ehud—a left-handed man in a right-handed world, someone considered weak and different, but God used him to deliver a nation. He used Shamgar—a farmer with no army, no title, just an oxgoad and the courage to stand firm.

God doesn’t need talent—He desires obedience. He’s not looking for celebrities—He’s calling for servants. He doesn’t require a platform—He moves through surrender.

The world celebrates charisma, but God values character. The world is chasing legacy, but God is calling for loyalty. The world demands performance, but God simply invites us into His presence.

And here's the truth: the greatest moves of God almost never start on a stage. They begin in quiet hearts that say, “Here I am, Lord. Use me.”

So if you came in today thinking God can’t use someone like you, Judges 3 is here to tell you otherwise. Because our God delights in using nobodies to accomplish something eternal. And if He can use a farmer, an unexpected assassin, and a quiet man from the tribe of Judah, He can absolutely use you.

What I want us to do in our time together is simple — we’re going to read about these three judges in Judges 3, and we’re going to unpack what they did, why it mattered, and what it means for us today.

Because these aren’t just dusty stories about ancient warriors. These are real accounts of how God steps into the mess through unlikely people.

We’re going to look at:

Othniel, who shows us what faithful obedience looks like when everyone else has forgotten God.

Ehud, who reminds us that God can use what the world sees as weakness to accomplish victory.

And Shamgar, a man who had no sword, no army, just a stick — and a heart that was willing to fight.

Each of these judges teaches us something powerful about how God works — not just back then, but right now in your life and mine.

So here’s the invitation today: Don’t check out. Don’t tell yourself God can’t use you because you don’t have the right background, the right story, or the right tools.

Let’s open the Word and see how God uses the unlikely — because it might just be your name He’s calling next.

Judges 3:7–11 “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. The Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.”

Pray

1. God is more Faithful than we are sinful

Every time a major judge steps onto the scene, it all starts the same way: “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” That’s not just a random intro — it’s a pattern.

The author of Judges is preaching something through the structure itself.

The book is built in two big chunks of judge stories, and both sections kick off the same way — first with Othniel, then later with Gideon. Both are introduced with the exact same line, like the narrator is hitting rewind and saying, “Here we go again.”

And with each judge that follows — Ehud, Deborah, Jephthah, Samson — there’s a slight shift: “And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” That word again hits hard, doesn’t it?

It’s not just history. It’s a holy warning.This repetition is more than literary style — it’s theology in motion. It shows us the cycle: rebellion, ruin, rescue, repeat.

And if you’re paying attention, it also shows us something about God: Even when His people keep running, He keeps rescuing.

and Israel didn’t just accidentally drift into idolatry in Judges 3. They didn’t wake up one day and forget who God was like they forgot where they parked the donkey. No — they knew His name. They just stopped living like it mattered.

That should be a really good wake up call for us living in this country today. We got a whole bunch of people who know the name of God and claim they know Jesus but they don’t live in any type of way to show it matters to them.

Being a good moral person does not make you a Christian. Following Christ is what makes you a Christian.

A Christian is a Christ follower. We follow Christ’s example. If we aren’t doing that, why would we say we are?

Because we think its synomsis with being a good moral person?

There are a lot of good moral people who are not going to enter into the kingdom of Heaven.

Because by what standard are we considered good moral people? Compared to Charles Manson and Ted Bundy- we are all good moral people.

compared to a perfect holy God, we all fail miserably in that category. We are black hearted wretched sinners, that is why Christ came for us.

When Scripture says they “forgot the LORD their God,” it doesn’t mean memory loss. It means covenant unfaithfulness. They knew Yahweh — they just stopped walking in His ways. They remembered His name, but they ignored His Word.

And instead of influencing their neighbors toward God, they let the gods of their neighbors influence them. Everything Moses had warned them not to do — they did it. They tore down the walls of holiness. They married into pagan families. They blended their worship. They blurred the line between the holy and the profane.

And slowly but surely, their hearts got hijacked. That’s how sin works — it never shows up in full force. It creeps in quietly through compromise.

Just like Solomon would do generations later, they traded covenant faithfulness for cultural convenience. And listen — when you marry outside of God’s will, when you build relationships that pull you away from God instead of toward Him — you will always have to bow to something to keep the peace. And it’s rarely the Lord.

So is it any wonder God became angry? Is it any wonder He allowed pagan nations to discipline His people? The text says God “sold them” into the hands of their enemies — not once, but four times in Judges. You want to act like a slave to sin? Fine. I’ll let you feel the weight of that slavery. Because the God of the covenant is also the God of correction.

But don’t miss this — God never forgot His covenant. Even when His people were unfaithful, He remained faithful. Even when they walked away, He raised up a deliverer. He remembered them — not just intellectually, but actively. Biblically, to “remember” is to act. So He sent Othniel, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him.

That’s grace. They forgot God, but He never forgot them. They broke covenant, but He kept His Word. They bowed to idols, but He raised up a Judges.

And maybe that’s your story too — maybe you’ve known God but haven’t been walking with Him.

Maybe you've gotten used to the compromise. Maybe you've started sounding more like Canaan- more like the world- than the Kingdom.

But here is the good news: Just like God didn’t forget the Israelites, God hasn't forgotten you. And the moment you cry out, He’s ready to move.

Because He is more faithful than we are sinful. And grace will always go further than rebellion — every single time.

Charles Spurgeon once said that God never lets His people sin successfully.

You can either let sin wreck you or you can receive the discipline of a holy, loving Father.

But you will not outrun it. If the story of Israel tells us anything, it’s this: God takes sin seriously, and so should we. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34, ESV). That’s not just a line for bumper stickers—that’s divine warning.

Do you realize that there’s no clear sign that Israel actually repented in this text? They didn’t clean up their act or start a revival. They just cried out. And what did God do? He rescued them anyway.

Sounds a lot like Exodus, doesn’t it? “And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew” (Exodus 2:24–25, ESV). That word “knew” isn’t just intellectual knowledge—God felt their pain. and He stepped in. Because our God isn’t just holy—He’s close. He’s covenant-keeping.

And how did He move? He raised up a man—Othniel. Not a superhero. Not a polished politician. Just a faithful warrior. God often delivers through people who are already walking in obedience.

He did so in the book of Judges, and He still does so today. I think of all the men and women God called into the mission field to spread the gospel. They were walking into obedience before God called them into it.

Let me tell you about a man named Jim Elliot. He didn’t wake up one day and decide to be a martyr. He just woke up every day and decided to be obedient.

Jim was a young man with talent, intelligence, and a future that could’ve gone any direction he wanted. He graduated from Wheaton, had preaching chops, and was engaged to Elisabeth—a godly woman with a fire in her bones. He could’ve pastored a nice church in the suburbs, had a few kids, mowed the grass on Saturdays, and called it faithfulness.

But instead, he aimed his whole life at one unreached people group—the Auca tribe in Ecuador. A people known not just for being unreached, but for being hostile and violent.

Now listen—he didn’t go because he was fearless. He didn’t go because he had a death wish. He went because he was already walking with Jesus before the jungle ever showed up on his radar.

Before there were spears, there were Scriptures. Before there was risk, there was obedience.

And one day, after months of prayer, planning, and outreach, Jim and four other missionaries landed their plane near the Auca. They made contact. Smiles. A gift exchange. Hope. But the next time the tribe came—those same men were speared to death on the riverbank.

Now here's the crazy part—Jim's death didn’t end the mission. It lit it on fire.

Years later, his wife Elisabeth and some of the other missionaries’ families went back into that same tribe. And they shared the gospel. And that tribe—the one that murdered their husbands—surrendered to Christ. .

All because Jim Elliot believed what he wrote in his journal years earlier:

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

Church—God often delivers through people who are already walking in obedience. You don’t have to be impressive. You just have to be available.

Now maybe you hear that story about Jim Elliot, and you're like, “Okay, that’s powerful—but I’m not moving to the jungle anytime soon. I’ve got a mortgage. I’ve got a family. I’m not trying to get speared on a riverbank—I’m just trying to survive Tuesday.”

Fair. But let me introduce you to another man God used mightily—George Müller.

Müller never went to an unreached tribe. He didn’t plant churches in the Amazon. You know what he did?

He prayed. He ran orphanages. He trusted God when there was no money and no plan B.

George Müller had over 10,000 orphans come through his care in England—and not once did he fundraise in the traditional way.

He never asked for money. He never did a capital campaign. He never begged or guilt-tripped or passed the plate twice. He simply got on his knees and told God what he needed.

And guess what? God always provided.

There were nights when the cupboards were empty and the staff was panicking. And Müller would gather the children, pray over empty plates, and thank God for the food they didn’t yet have. And by the time he said “Amen,” there’d be a knock at the door. A baker. A milkman. Somebody with the exact provision they needed.

No marketing. No manipulation. Just simple, daily obedience and radical dependence on God.

So whether you're Jim Elliot with a spear in your future or George Müller with a prayer list in your pocket—the principle is the same:

God moves through people who are already walking in obedience.

The stage doesn’t matter. The spotlight doesn’t matter. The size of your platform doesn’t matter. God isn’t looking for the most impressive—He’s looking for the most available.

So the question isn’t, “Can God use me?” The question is, “Am I walking in obedience right now so that when He does, I’m ready?”

So whether it’s Jim Elliot laying it all down in the jungle, or George Müller praying in faith over empty plates in England, the story remains the same—God moves through people who are already walking in obedience.

And that brings us back to Judges 3—to Othniel.

Now Othniel doesn’t get a whole lot of attention. He isn’t Samson, or even Gideon. He didn’t get many verses- but don’t miss this—he was faithful. When the people of Israel cried out for help, when the weight of their sin finally caught up with them and they were oppressed and broken, God used a man who had already proven his faith.

You flip back a few pages to Judges 1, and you’ll see Othniel’s name before the spotlight ever hit him. He’s the guy who stepped up when Caleb—the war hero from the wilderness—offered his daughter’s hand in marriage to whoever would take the enemy stronghold of Kiriath-sepher. And Othniel didn’t hesitate.

He took the city, married Caleb’s daughter, his niece- it was a different time. Roll Tide.

By blood and by marriage, he belonged to a family noted for its courageous faith and its willingness to face the enemy and depend on God for the victory. When God called Othniel, he was available for the Lord, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and empowered him for battle (Jdg. 3:10).

And God used Othniel to over throw Cushan-rishathaim.

Now that name might sound like a cough you can’t shake off, but it literally means “Cushan the double wicked.” You don’t get a nickname like that by being soft.

This wasn’t your average neighborhood tyrant. This was a brutal, pagan king from Mesopotamia—literally “Aram of the double river.” A powerful empire.

but not more powerful than the one true God. and it ends with Judges 3:11

Judges 3:11 ESV

So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that the people were faithfully walking with the Lord in their hearts every day for forty years. But it does mean that while Othniel was alive—while this godly leader was on the scene—there was peace. There was order. There was protection. And at the very least, there was a kind of national submission to the ways of God, because of the influence and leadership of a righteous man.

But here’s the tragic pattern in Judges—and maybe the tragic pattern in the church too—as soon as the godly leadership dies off, the people drift back into sin. Over and over again.

So what does that tell us? It tells us that spiritual drift is real. That peace doesn’t mean the heart is right. And that godly leadership matters more than we think.

The people didn’t rise up in revival—they rested under the covering of Othniel’s obedience. And the moment that covering was gone, the cracks started to show again.

Which is why we don’t just need a good judge—we need a better Deliverer. One who doesn’t die. One who doesn’t just give us rest from our enemies, but gives us peace with God. His name is Jesus.

Lets now turn our attention to the next Judge- Judges 3:12

Judges 3:12 ESV

And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord.

Eglon was a bad man. His name just sounds bad, doesn’t it? EGG-LON. For 18 years he raped, pillaged, and murdered the Israelites.

Judges 3:15 ESV

Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.

How many left handed people in here?

God is telling us something by making note that Ehud is left-handed.

I’m left-handed. And let me just say—it is not for the faint of heart.

We live in a right-handed world, y’all. Everything is designed with righties in mind, and lefties like me are just out here trying to survive.

When I was a kid learning to write, I’d drag my hand across the page and smear ink like I was finger-painting. Every notebook looked like a crime scene.

And don’t even get me started on scissors. They feel like medieval instruments of torture.

There are so many little things right-handed people take for granted. Like zippers. Lord help us. Most pants have the flap favoring the right hand, which means trying to zip up with your left hand is like trying to thread a needle while blindfolded.

Now, the advantages of being a lefty aren’t as obvious… but they exist. Statistically, left-handed people are more likely to be geniuses. I’m not saying I am one, but the math is in my favor. In sports, lefties throw people off because most athletes train against right-handers. And here’s a wild one—apparently, lefties can see better underwater. I have no clue why that’s true, but if we ever start playing underwater hide-and-seek, I’m your guy.

But here’s the thing—throughout history, being left-handed has been seen as a weakness.

The Latin word for “left” is sinister. The French word is gauche, which also means “awkward.” Even the English word “left” comes from an old term that means “weak” or “broken.”

But this is where it gets good—because God has a habit of using what the world sees as weak.

God used that very thing—his left-handedness—that the world called a disadvantage, to bring down a wicked king and deliver His people.

So don’t ever think your weakness disqualifies you. Sometimes it’s the exact thing God wants to use for His glory.

Lets continuing reading and you’ll see what I mean

Judges 3:16–17 (ESV) “And Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his clothes. And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.”

Let’s pause. That last detail might feel unnecessary, right? But when Scripture calls out someone’s body type, there’s a purpose. You’ll see.

Ehud’s got this custom-made dagger—double-edged, about 18 inches long—strapped to his right thigh, which is important. conceal carry dagger.

Most people were right-handed, so weapons were typically worn on the left side. But Ehud was a lefty, and nobody’s checking the other side.

So Ehud delivers the tribute to King Eglon, and then drops this line:

Judges 3:19–20 (ESV) “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And the king said, “Silence.” And all his attendants went out from his presence. “And Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, ‘I have a message from God for you.’ And he arose from his seat.”

Now just picture this for a second. Eglon hears “secret message,” and he’s all in. Maybe he’s expecting a scroll written in invisible ink. Maybe he thinks Ehud brought him a snack and just doesn’t want to share. Either way, the king clears the room like it’s a VIP meeting.

And in my head—I’m sorry—I see Jabba the Hutt sitting on a throne, and Ehud’s about to go full Luke Skywalker.

Judges 3:21 (ESV) “And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.”

Eglon never saw it coming. Why? Because Ehud didn’t look like a threat. A lot of scholars believe he may have had a disabled or weakened right hand, so from the outside, he looked like anything but an assassin. But that’s what God does—He uses the unexpected to accomplish the unimaginable.

Judges 3:22 (ESV) “And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the dung came out.”

Yes, you read that right. The Bible literally says, “the dung came out.” NIV tones it down, but Hebrew pulls no punches. It’s gross. It's graphic. And it’s real. The fat swallowed the blade, and the king's insides… became his outsides.

Judges 3:23–24 (ESV) “Then Ehud went out into the porch and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them. When he had gone, the servants came, and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, ‘Surely he is relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber.’”

Y’all, it smelled like that. They just assumed the king was in there… doing royal business. One servant probably said, “You hear anything?” The other’s like, “No, but I smell something.” They waited so long that it got awkward.

Judges 3:25 (ESV) “And they waited till they were embarrassed. But when he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them, and there lay their lord dead on the floor.”

By this point, Ehud is long gone. He’s out of the palace, back with the people of Israel. And he doesn’t waste time.

Judges 3:27–30 (ESV) “When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader… And they killed at that time about 10,000 of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.”

Eighty years of peace. All because God used a left-handed man, someone the world would’ve overlooked—maybe even mocked—as His chosen instrument of deliverance.

You see, Ehud didn’t have a strong right arm… but he had a surrendered heart, and that’s what God uses.

Second truth

2. God’s Savior would come in Weakness.

With Ehud, something new gets set in motion in the book of Judges—a totally unexpected trajectory.

The book opens with Joshua. Now that guy was a warrior’s warrior. He marched across the Promised Land like a holy wrecking ball. Strong leader, seasoned general, battle-tested faith. If i were to make a movie about the life of Joshua and I was in charge of the casting I would go with Tom.... Hardy as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. The last good batman movie. Just imagine him saying, “You merely adopted Canaan; I was born in it, molded by it.” That’s the vibe Joshua gave off.

But here’s the sobering reality—even after a leader like that, even after all the military success, Israel still did not remain faithful to God.

And then—just a couple chapters in—we meet Ehud. And let’s be honest: he’s not what you’d expect. He’s left-handed, possibly crippled in the right hand, and he’s not exactly what you’d call combat-ready. I mean, if I were casting him, I’d probably go with Tom.... Hanks, but not Saving Private Ryan Tom Hanks—more like Forrest Gump Tom Hanks- doesn’t look impressive, slow but played for Alabama, served in Vietnam, meet two presidents, and made millions by buying Apple stock.

And here’s the crazy part, you may have noticed: Ehud doesn’t show up with a whole army behind him. He doesn’t lead a charge or swing a sword in the front lines. He just sneaks into the throne room and takes out a pagan king by himself… and then the army fights.

And that’s when we start to realize—God is doing something different in Judges. He’s not picking leaders based on résumé, appearance, or popularity. He’s choosing the least expected to bring about His purposes.

Next week, we will talk about Deborah. A woman. A prophetess. Strong, wise, fearless. She partners with a man named Barak, who—let’s be honest—needed a little holy hand-holding. Casting call? Let’s go Sandra Bullock and Tom Holland- Spiderman. Their story flips cultural expectations and shows how God elevates the faithful, no matter their gender or title.

And unlike Joshua or Ehud, who led all twelve tribes into battle, Deborah and Barak only led two tribes. Not ideal by military standards, but exactly what God ordained.

Then comes Gideon, the guy hiding in a winepress when God calls him a “mighty man of valor.” At first he’s timid, unsure. But God tells him to shrink his army down to 300 guys—basically a church softball team—and with that, they crush the Midianites. For him, I’d go with Tom...Selleck—that mustache can do anything

And then there’s Samson. Strong. Impulsive. Probably hadn’t had a haircut since preschool. He singlehandedly defeats armies with the jawbone of a donkey. I’d cast Tom Cruise — You knew he would show up somewhere you just didn’t know where- because at this point, the man is just doing his own stunts and breaking stuff for the fun of it.

And finally, we land on David. A teenager. A poet. The kind of kid who writes songs and watches sheep. Everyone overlooks him, but God anoints him to slay giants. If we’re casting, we might as well go Tom Cruise again but with a slingshot. There is nothing that man can’t do.

But see the pattern in Scripture, not my terrible actor choices. The strong become weak. The weak become strong. The unexpected become the vessel. Because in Judges—and all through Scripture—God is not impressed by human strength. He’s drawn to surrendered hearts.

Do you see the trajectory? The movement through the book of Judges—and honestly, through the whole Bible—isn’t from weakness to strength, but the other way around. We’re watching a steady shift—from Israel winning battles under the leadership of a mighty warrior, to God raising up a shepherd boy with a slingshot who takes down a giant by himself.

And that movement is pointing us toward the most unexpected Deliverer of them all—the most “left-handed” Savior in history. Jesus.

You wouldn’t have picked Him. Not by sight. Isaiah 53 says, “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men.” (Isaiah 53:2–3, ESV)

Translation? Jesus wasn’t tall, dark, and handsome. Hate to burst your bubble, but He probably didn’t look like Jim Caviezel in slow motion with epic music swelling behind Him. He was poor. He was plain. He was overlooked. And He was exactly what we needed.

And just like Ehud snuck into the palace and won the battle alone, Jesus fought the greatest war by Himself—on behalf of His people, but with no help from His people. He crushed the enemy—not with overwhelming strength, but with humble obedience. Not with a sword—but with a cross.

Just as Ehud’s victory surprised Eglon, Jesus’ victory caught the powers of darkness completely off guard. The Romans, the religious leaders, Satan himself—they all thought they were done with Him. He’s dead. Buried. Sealed behind the stone.

But they didn’t see it coming.

When they closed the door on Him in death, Jesus pulled out the dagger of resurrection and stabbed death straight in the heart. And in doing so, He flipped the whole system upside down.

Judges is showing us—salvation isn’t coming the way you’d expect. And a lot of people are going to miss it.

That’s exactly what Paul meant when he said Jesus was a stumbling block to Jews and Greeks (1 Corinthians 1).

The Jews wanted a warrior King—one who would conquer Rome and make Israel rich again.

The Greeks wanted a philosopher King—someone who would impress the intellectuals and enlighten the masses. But no one was looking for a Savior who’d own no home… and die like a criminal.

And today, people are still missing Him.

I read a quote from Bart Ehrman, the skeptic. Someone asked, “What would it take for you to believe in Jesus?” And he said, “If He had ended all suffering.” In other words, “He’s too politically weak to be a true Savior.”

But what if Jesus came to defeat evil in a different way? What if our main problem wasn’t political suffering or physical pain, but spiritual separation from God? What if the true tragedy isn’t just that we suffer from cancer—but that we die at all?

And what if the cross was the moment Jesus stepped into our place, took on our curse, and stabbed death in the heart by rising again?

So now we can say with Paul, “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin. The power of sin is the law. But Jesus has abolished them both.

Listen, church—this whole Book is about Jesus. Why do I believe? Sure, the 300+ Old Testament prophecies are convincing. But what gets me even more are the ones nobody could have predicted. The story nobody else would’ve written. The gospel of a God who saves—not through might or muscle—but through weakness, substitution, and surprise.

No other religion tells this story. Only Jesus writes salvation like this. Amen?

Last verse: very quickly

Judges 3:31 ESV

After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel.

Shamgar is what scholars call the first “minor judge” in the book of Judges.

Not minor because he didn’t matter, but because we’re only given a single verse about him.

We know his name, his dad’s name, the fact that he killed 600 Philistines, and that he did it with an oxgoad—which is basically a long stick with a nail or spike at the end, something a farmer would’ve used to prod cattle, not exactly standard military equipment. And somehow, through that unlikely weapon and unlikely man, God used him to save Israel.

Shamgar isn’t tied to any particular tribe, which is unique in the book of Judges, and his name means “sojourner there”—very similar to Moses’ son Gershom, whose name means “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.” In other words, Shamgar’s whole identity feels like someone who doesn’t quite belong.

But that’s just like God—to use the outsider, the overlooked, the ordinary. He doesn’t need military generals or high-ranking officials to get His work done. He just needs someone faithful enough to trust Him and bold enough to act.

The book of Judges includes six minor judges and six major ones, bringing the total to twelve—one for each tribe of Israel. That’s not just good biblical math, that’s a reminder that God’s care extends to the whole of His people. Every tribe. Every family. Every corner of Israel.

Even the quiet ones. Even the ones with no tribe. Even the ones with nothing but a sharpened stick and a little faith.

You may not feel like you’re much. You might even think, “I don’t have any special skills. I’m not impressive. I’m not right-handed—I’m not gifted the way other people are.” You look at yourself and wonder, “Why would God use someone like me?”

But that right there—that humility, that awareness of your weakness—is exactly what makes you usable.

Hudson Taylor, after thirty years of pioneering work in China that led over six hundred missionaries into the heart of unreached people, didn’t point to his strategy or gifting. He said, “God is sufficient for God’s work. God chose me because I was weak enough. God does not do His great works by large committees. He trains someone to be quiet enough and little enough, and then He uses him.”

By that standard—God’s standard—all of us qualify.

The issue is never whether God can or will use you. The issue is whether or not you’ll trust Him enough to say, “Yes, Lord. Here I am. Use me.”

So let me ask you—have you yielded yourself to Him? Have you stopped long enough to pray, “God, how do You want to use my life?” Is there something He’s been telling you to do that you’ve been delaying? Is there a person He’s calling you to reach out to, but you’ve been avoiding that conversation? Has He stirred your heart for something—some ministry, some act of service, some step of obedience—that feels just a little too big or a little too scary?

Sometimes God's call is dramatic, but most often it's simple. Sometimes it's, “Go to the nations,” and sometimes it's just, “Go next door.” Sometimes it's, “Preach the gospel,” and sometimes it's, “Stop the car and talk to the guy at the gas station.”

Because God does His work through ordinary people, just obeying Him in ordinary ways. Faithfully caring for your neighbor. Faithfully serving in kids’ ministry. Faithfully loving your family. Faithfully being Christ to your coworker. And when those weak acts of obedience are placed into God’s hands, He infuses them with eternal power.

It’s not about the right hand of talent. It’s about the left hand of weakness that’s yielded to God in faith.

A.W. Tozer once said, “There are rare Christians whose very presence incites others to be better Christians. I want to be that rare Christian.”

Don’t you?

So as we enter into this time of invitation and consecration, I want to invite you to respond. Whatever the Lord is calling you to do—do it. Don’t wait. Don’t excuse it away. Don’t assume He meant someone else.

If He’s calling you to surrender your life to His Lordship- surrender it. If He’s calling you to lay something down—lay it down. If He’s calling you to take something up—take it up. If He’s calling you to move, to speak, to serve, to go—trust Him and move.

Because the secret of the Christian life is this: salvation comes not by strength, but by surrender. And power doesn’t flow through extraordinary people—it flows through ordinary people who say, “Yes, Lord. Even me.”

So say yes.