Judg 3:5-11 (NIV) The Israelites lived among the Canaanites,
Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 6 They took their
daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served
their gods.
7 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot
the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. 8 The anger of the
Lord burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of
Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject
for eight years. 9 But when they cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a
deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them. 10
The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, so that he became Israel's judge and went
to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel,
who overpowered him. 11 So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel
son of Kenaz died.
- Here is the pattern that was previously referred to. It will be repeated for the next few and then as we go farther along in the book, some of the details will be left off. Obviously, the pattern is clear and does not need to be retold every time, but let's review …
- Israelites did evil (preceding this verse in a summary of the earlier problem)
- Made covenants (in this case, marriage)
- Did not destroy the altars (in this case, served their gods)
- Forgot God
- Served Baals
- Served Asherahs
- "Gotta serve somebody" - Keith Green song
- Anger of the Lord burns against Israel
- Consequently, they are "sold" into the hands of an enemy
- How does God sell a nation to another nation?
- Israel cries out to the Lord
- God raises up a deliverer
- In this case it is Caleb's younger brother (or his son, the wording is a little difficult)
- The Spirit of the Lord comes upon him (only after the Spirit comes upon him that he goes to war)
- The Lord gives the foreign king into the hands of His appointed savior
- Proving God is sovereign
- Proving that it is a combination of war (people fighting) and God giving the victory
- The land (and consequently the people) has peace
- APPLlCATION: What do you do when things are going well?
- APPLlCATION: How do you protect yourself from taking God for granted?
- Not sure what it means, but from what tribe does the first deliverer come from?
- Judah
- Show map detailing that nearly every tribe has a deliverer at one time or another
Judges 3:12-15 (NIV) Once again the Israelites did evil in the
eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of
Moab power over Israel. 13 Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him,
Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of
Palms. 14 The Israelites were subject to
Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.
15 Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them
a deliverer — Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The
Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.
- This time the deliverer comes from where? Benjamin
- Again we what pattern?
- Evil
- Lord giving the people over
- Israel in slavery (or bondage) for 18 years
- Israel cries out for a deliverer
- God provides a deliverer (a way out)
- Let's put the principles into a NT setting for a believer. How might it fit?
- Believer falls into sin
- God disciplines the believer. God allows him to experience consequences of his actions
- Believer repents
- God provides a way out
- APPLICATION: Earlier, we discussed three steps to protect yourself from falling into sin, what were they?
- Fellowship with God
- Fellowship with other believers. (Bad company corrupts good morals)
- Good spiritually accountable relationships
Judg 3:16-31 (NIV) Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about
a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his
clothing. 17 He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat
man. 18 After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way the men who
had carried it. 19 At the idols near Gilgal he himself turned back and said,
"I have a secret message for you, O king."
The king said, "Quiet!" And all his attendants left
him.
20 Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the
upper room of his summer palace and said, "I have a message from God for
you." As the king rose from his seat, 21 Ehud reached with his left hand,
drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king's belly. 22
Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not
pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. 23 Then Ehud went out to the
porch; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.
24 After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of
the upper room locked. They said, "He must be relieving himself in the
inner room of the house." 25 They waited to the point of embarrassment,
but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked
them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead.
26 While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the idols and
escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill
country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with
him leading them.
28 "Follow me," he ordered, "for the Lord has
given Moab, your enemy, into your hands." So they followed him down and,
taking possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab, they allowed no
one to cross over. 29 At that time they struck down about ten thousand
Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not a man escaped. 30 That day Moab was made
subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.
31 After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six
hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.
- An interesting story. Ehud was very successful, but how?
- Makes a sword (so he had blacksmith skills). The possession of swords was probably illegal
- Hides his sword (under clothing, along the leg)
- Takes courage to carry sword to palace
- Used tribute as an entre
- Gained trust by giving a gift and not attacking the King the first time they met
- Used secrecy to gain privacy with King (a message with God -- and it was a message)
- He takes the initiative to move while a power vacuum exists (a lack of appointed leadership)
- Overall, Ehud uses deceit and essentially a con to kill Eglon
- APPLICATION: Ehud is called a judge. God uses a man who does not act in a manner that we are used to. Later with Gideon, God provided the strategy, in this case, he allows Ehud to plan the attack. In both cases, God is sovereign, even when the actions may not be considered moral
- How is the story of Shamgar different from either Ehud or later, Gideon?
- Ehud illegally made a weapon, a sword (or a dagger)
- Shamgar legally uses a tool for plowing to accomplish his rescue of Israel
- APPLICATION: There is no one specific way God must work but he can use a variety of means and people to accomplish his will
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