Monday, March 9, 2020

The Roller Coaster Begins-Judges 3:7-14

I really appreciate a good roller coaster! Wooden or steel, tame or terrifying, hanging with my feet dangling or seated in a car, I enjoy these thrill rides in all their iterations. Roller coasters provide exciting two/three-minute experiences of highs and lows and loops and steep banks. That said, I wouldn’t want to spend my entire life on one. At some point, if the ride was too long or extreme, I imagine it might prove nauseating and even dangerous. Though I’ve never known anyone to spend all of their time on an literal thrill ride, I do know many who live their lives on a perpetual spiritual coaster. One compelling example of this is found in the Book of Judges. With the introduction of this book out of the way,  Judges 3:7-14 describes three victories that successfully take the reader through the first phase of one wild ride that will continue through the remainder of the work. Ultimately, this passage teaches that there are there two ways to go about living one’s life--the preferred way of reaching new heights in God's grace through obedience and faithfulness, and the un-preferred way of descending to new lows by means of idolatry and evil. 

1. VICTORY #1: Mesopotamia’s Victory over Israel-3:7-8

The patterns identified in the introduction of this book (disobedience/idolatry, punishment, and foreign powers) surface immediately as the first phase of the judges is described. This whole repetitive saga begins with Israel’s disobedience—“the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (3:7a). This is the first of three reasons given for a foreign power gaining victory over God’s people—sins of commission. Israel was doing things contrary to the law of God as revealed through Moses. They were actively engaging in sinful behavior and for this reason, they stood to receive severe discipline.

Their sinful behavior probably came a direct result of the second reason given for their failure—“and forgot the Lord their God,…” (3:7b). Often these two—sinful behavior and forgetting God—go hand-in-hand. Failure to keep God’s revelation at the forefront of one’s mind often leaves one more susceptible to committing acts against Him. This is why there are many encouragements given for the people of God to remember the word of the Lord. For example, back in Deuteronomy 11:18-19 the Lord says, “You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up.” It is obvious that by Judges 3, a generation or two had neglected this all-important practice of teaching the next generation about who God is and what he has said. As a result, they took God for granted, and worse, they forgot him all together!
Sinful behavior and forgetting God inevitably lead to the third reason for Israel’s failure and Mesopotamia’s victory—idolatry—“and served the Baals and the Asheroth” (3:7c). Rather than worship the one true God, the Israelites were lured in by the Canaanite influences around them and began worshipping all forms of the weather God and his mistress.

Though the original readers are not yet privy to the consequences of Israel’s disobedience, today’s students already know that those who failed at the beginning of this book were going to reap all kinds of heartache and difficulty as a result. The Israelites in Judges would have never expected the degree of pain and suffering they were in for given their failures listed here. The sad thing is, many are surprised when they suffer for giving into the same practices today. What is present in this passage is not unlike what is witnessed all too often in our own context, even among those who claim to be the people of God. Sinful behavior left unconfessed and undealt with can lead many to eventually take God for granted in their lives or forget him and his word altogether. This can eventually leave one susceptible to replacing God at the forefront and center of his/her life with something/someone else. The only thing that can ultimately result from taking a ride down this slippery slope is disaster (whether then or now).

For Israel, this disaster happens in three phases. First, “the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel,…” (3:8a). This is similar to what was introduced in 2:14 immediately after idolatry had been practiced by the people of God. As argued earlier in this study, the quickest way for God’s people to incur the wrath of the Lord is to extend worship to something other than him. It is no accident that immediately upon the description of Israel’s idolatry, the anger of the Lord surfaces with white-hot intensity.

So how angry is the Lord? Angry enough “that He sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia,…” (3:8b). While little is known about this pagan leader, one thing is for sure: the first oppressor God sends Israel’s way is no small regional leader. In fact, this king of Mesopotamia, unlike the others that will be used to discipline Israel, is the most powerful of all the enemies named in this book. One commentator has said, “for him to have extended his tentacles as far as Judah in southern Canaan mean he was a world-class emperor” with an especially far reach (Block, Judges, Ruth, 153). That said, it is important to recognize that powerful though this first oppressor may be, there is one power who is stronger—God Himself. Nothing escapes the sovereign control of God. It is God who sells Israel into the hands of this emperor and only because God deems necessary/appropriate. While some, including some of God’s people during this time, may have pointed blame at Mesopotamia for their misfortune, ultimately, their beef was with the God they betrayed. It is he who is pulling these disciplinary strings.

As a result of their being sold to Mesopotamia, “the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years” (3:8c). Because of their great disobedience, forgetfulness, and idolatry, Israel finds herself in the very same position from which God had saved them years prior—enslaved by a pagan ruler.

2. VICTORY #2: Othniel’s Victory Over Mesopotamia-3:9-11

It is in this context that God raises up the first of many judges named Othniel to lead his people to victory amid oppression. However, this only comes after “the sons of Israel cried to the Lord,…” (3:9a). Make no mistake, this outcry is not motivated by sincere penitence or contrition. Instead, it is a cry of pain and a plea for help. Remember when God answers this cry he is not doing so because Israel has made any attempt at repentance or getting it right (see notes on chapter 2:18). He is instead answering a complaint, demonstrating how utterly gracious and compassionate he is in this particular saga.

God’s grace comes in the form of a deliverer named Othniel—“the Lord raised up a deliverer for the sons of Israel to deliver them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother,…” (3:9b). Though you may not remember, you’ve heard this man’s name before, in 1:12-13.

Judges 1:12-13-“And Caleb said, ‘The one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will even give him my daughter Achsah for a wife.’ Othniel the son of Kenaz, Calen’s younger brother capture it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah for a wife.”

As a proven conqueror of the Canaanites and one who married withing the covenant community, Othniel is a fitting choice to lead God’s people during this time. Add to this his connection to Joshua and Caleb and Othniel stood as a model of the ideal Israelite leader whose faith produced courage and obedience (Chisholm, Judges and Ruth, 171).  

This is proven in the brief description of Othniel’s success—success that comes not because of his own strength, but God’s strength at work in him. Verse 10 reads, “the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel” (3:10a). This verse describes, at least in part, how the Holy Spirit operated in the Old Testament world (see 6:34; 11:29; 14:19; 15:14; 1 Sam. 11:6; 16:13-14). That said, in both testaments, the Spirit of God is the agent through which God’s will is exercised (be it through a person or through creation, etc.). In the Book of Judges, when the “spirit of the Lord comes upon individuals, it demonstrates the “arresting presence and power of God, often of individuals who are unqualified for or indisposed to service for him” (Block, Judges, Ruth, 155). In this specific case, the Holy Spirit transforms a low-ranking Israelite officer with a weak resume into the ruler of Israel and a conqueror of a formidable enemy.  

“When he went to war, the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, so that he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim” (3:10b). Let’s put this into perspective. You have the emperor of Mesopotamia with a sprawling kingdom that reaches across the known world going up against a brand new, un-proven leader of Israel which is at this point occupies a relatively small jurisdiction in the collection of dominated regions under Cushan-rishathaim’s control. That said, what Othniel has going for him that Cushan-rishathaim doesn’t is the Spirit of God and the Lord’s promise of victory. What appeared to be an unfair fight in favor of Cushan-rishathaim actually proved to be a lop-sided victory in the opposite direction. What made the difference—the God of Israel!

What Othniel enjoyed under the Spirit’s control is similar to what believers today can enjoy because of the indwelling Holy Spirit in their own lives—confidence and victory in whatever God calls them to accomplish. As 1 John 4:4 states “greater is he that is in me than he who is in the world.” As it was in Othniel’s life, so does it prove to be in the lives of God’s people today: it is the Holy Spirit that more than covers the difference between our weakness and the strength of our foes, our inexperience and the expertise of those rage against the Lord, our limitations and the power of God’s enemies.
As a result of the Spirit’s work through Othniel, “then the land had rest forty years.” (3:11). Some speculate that the duration of this rest might involve a rounded-out figure as forty often symbolizes the lifespan of a generation. It might also be significant that the “land” is said to enjoy the rest, not the people. This reminds the reader that while geo-political peace was enjoyed here, it is not as though the people were enjoying true spiritual rest. God had brought them victory over a powerful enemy, but it is not clear that the people turned back to him, even after this success was granted. Perhaps out of deference to Othniel and his faithfulness to be used of God, the peace in the land lasted until his death. However, it would not go far beyond that. This is foreshadowed by the mention of Othniel’s passing at the end of verse 11—“And Othniel the son of Kenaz died” (3:11). 

3. VICTORY #3: Eglon’s Victory Over Israel-3:12-14

With Othniel now dead, following 40 years of relative peace under his leadership and the Spirit’s blessing, the narrator continues with “now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord,…” (3:12a). At this point we shouldn’t be surprised as this was the response of Israel upon Joshua’s death back in Judges 2:6-11. That said, this bad habit of doing evil against the Lord will only prove to propel the people of God deeper and deeper into trouble.

In response to the evil of his people, “The Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord,…” (3:12b). Interestingly, the Moabites were not included among those left in the land to test Israel in 3:1-6. Instead, these were cousins of the Israelites (descendants of Abraham’s nephew Lot—see Gen. 19:36-37). That said, Eglon was a more menacing figure than Cushan-Rishathaim as he lived next door just across the Jordan River and was not in some distant land. Though a force to be reckoned with, Eglon is painted in unflattering and near-cartoonish ways in the Book of Judges. His oft-repeated name comes from two words meaning fat cow (or fat bull). This name will appear especially fitting in verse 17 when the reader learns that he is extremely large (and the words employed for this description are typically reserved for livestock). But for now, Jabba the hut (I mean, Eglon) is nothing to laugh at. This caricature of a guy will soon be shown to rule over and oppress the people of God.

Eglon proceeds to amass several allies and gain a major foothold in the region belonging to Israel—“and he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and defeated Israel, and they possessed the city of the palm trees” (3:13). This place, “the city of the palm trees,” is a reference to the oasis site of Jericho, just north of the Dead Sea. This served as a natural stronghold for any force attempting to control the Judean wilderness and the roads leading into the central hill country (Walton, Matthews, & Chavalas, IVPBBC, 248). In other words, not only does the Lord permit the Moabites and their friends to enter the domain of Israel, he allows them to obtain a strong foothold in that domain.

It is from this foothold that Eglon begins his own period of oppression against Israel—“The sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years” (3:14).

So What?

So begins the roller-coaster ride that is the Book of Judges. We enter as readers at a low point of sinfulness, forgetfulness, and idolatry leading to subservience to Meopotamia. We are then taken up under Othniel who is empowered by the Lord to lead for forty years of relative peace. And then the people’s evil sends Israel over the hill, dropping ever-so quickly to new lows under the regime of a fat second-cousin named Eglon. This initial stage of the ride that we will continue to take in the Book of Judges reminds readers just how seriously God takes sin and just how damaging its many effects may be. Wicked behavior has a way of causing people to forget God which can lead to open idolatry. This must needs be punished and disciplined. That said, God does not leave his people, even while they are in a much-deserved time out, without grace. What a gracious and loving Lord! Help is available to overwhelm formidable foes, powerful influences, and enemy parties. This help comes by means of the Holy Spirit. Reliance on him wins victories in accordance with God’s will. This was true then and it is true now. However, one cannot endorse sinful behavior, forget the Lord, and have something/someone else as ultimate and enjoy the confidence that comes from the Holy Spirit. If this passage teaches us anything it is that you can’t have it both ways—sinful behavior and God’s will, idolatry and right relationship with the Lord, subservience to the world and confidence in the Spirit. So where are you on the roller coaster of life. Is your commitment to the Lord, obedience to His Word, and reliance on the Spirit taking you to new heights in your relationship with him? Or, is disobedience, forgetfulness, and idolatry sending you on a downward spiral?

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