The Lord Tests Israel
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Introduction
Introduction
The Lord leaves difficulty in our lives for many reasons.
The Lord leaves difficulty in our lives for many reasons.
16 Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.
17 And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; but they did not so.
Judges 2:20-
Seeking any other god to make payment and provision for them. Literally they “prostituted themselves.”
Judges
20 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;
20 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;
21 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:
22 that through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.
23 Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.
:20-
Judges 2:20-22
Because of the nation’s disobedience the Lord left the heathens in the land. He also left the heathen in the land in order to test their ability to withstand and to walk in obedience.
1 Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan;
2 only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof:
Judges 3:1-
4 And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
6 and they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
Judges 3:
Judges
Forgetting God is often deliberate.
Forgetting God is often deliberate.
7 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves.
Judges.
Judges 3:1
7 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves.
8 Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years.
9 And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.
10 And the spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the Lord delivered Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim.
11 And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
8 Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years.
Cushan-Rishathaim is a name meaning “Cushan of Double Wickedness.” Aram Naharaim is literally “Syria of the Two Rivers,” referring to Upper Mesopotamia. Since it seems strange for such a distant nation to plunder Israel, especially in the area of Judah where Othniel lived, some scholars have regarded “Aram” as an alteration of “Edom” (a slight difference in one Hebrew letter), which was located appropriately close to Judah in the south. However, it would not have been unusual for an ambitious king in Mesopotamia to invade Canaanite territory, especially at a time when Egypt to the southwest (which had nominal control over Canaan) was weak. In this case, Cushan subjected the Israelites … for eight years.
9 And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.
10 And the spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the Lord delivered Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim.
11 And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
Judges 3:
Without proper reminders, spiritual success is short lived.
Without proper reminders, spiritual success is short lived.
12 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord: and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord.
13 And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.
14 So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
Judges 3:
Isreal believed that they were on top of the world and nothing could be more simple than just coasting. But their coasting brought evil in the nation and judgement from God.
15 But when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.
Following the Israelites’ supplication, the LORD … gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man. The term “left-handed” is literally “one bound in the right hand.” Left-handedness does not seem to have handicapped the Benjamites. In fact, they had 700 lefties who were excellent at slinging stones (cf. 20:16). In Ehud’s case, being left-handed would provide an opportunity for a daring deed.
16 But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.
17 And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man.
18 And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present.
19 But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary 3:19b–22
Ehud intrigued the king with the offer of a secret message, and so gained private access to Eglon in the upper room of his summer palace. Stating I have a message from God for you, Ehud plunged his hitherto concealed dagger into the king’s belly so deeply that the fat closed in over it. The concealment of the dagger was accomplished by its unexpected location on Ehud’s right thigh, from which he deftly grabbed it with his left hand.
Judges 3:19-
19 But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.
20 And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat.
21 And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:
22 and the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.
23 Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them.
24 When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber.
25 And they tarried till they were ashamed: and behold, he opened not the doors of the parlour; therefore they took a key, and opened them: and behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.
26 And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath.
Judges 3:27-
27 And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them.
28 And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the Lord hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over.
29 And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man.
Judgers 3:30
30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.
Unlikely tools for redemption
Unlikely tools for redemption
Judges 3:
31 And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.