Othniel vs King Cushan Judges part 1 Joshua and Israel's leaders distributed the land they had conquered to the tribes of Israel. Even the land that they had not conquered yet, Joshua had allotted them to certain groups within Israel. Joshua told Israel to fear the Lord and serve Him with sincerity and truth. Israel confidently proclaimed that they will do that. Jos 24:16,18 (ESV) Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God." However like Moses, Joshua was told by the Lord what the people will do when he is gone. Jos 24:19 (ESV) But Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. Jos 24:20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good." What's the reason Israel is not able to serve the Lord? For he is a holy God. What does that mean? He is a holy God, but aren't we created in His image so we must be holy too, right? Wrong! That's one of the greatest lies taught to millions of Christians today; that we are created in His image, so our nature is to serve Him. The truth is that our nature is to disobey Him. The truth is that the flesh we are given is always against the holy God. Gal 5:17 (ESV) For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Those people who have the holy spirit fight against the desires of the flesh such as becoming rich or becoming famous. People who don't have the holy spirit give in to what their flesh wants. It is this battle between the flesh and the spirit, between our old man and our new man that is being symbolized by these battles Israel is going through in the promised land. Jdg 3:1 3 (ERV) The LORD did not force all the other nations to leave Israel's land. He wanted to test the Israelites. None of the Israelites living at this time had fought in the wars to take the land of Canaan. So he let those other nations stay in their country. (He did this to teach the Israelites who had not fought in those wars.) Here are the names of the nations the Lord left in the land: the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the people of Sidon, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal
Hermon to Lebo Hamath. Soon after Joshua and his generation died, Israel went right back to their rebellious nature. Jdg 2:7 (ERV) The Israelites served the LORD as long as Joshua was alive, and they continued serving the Lord during the lifetimes of the elders who lived after Joshua had died. These old men had seen all the great things the LORD had done for the Israelites. Jdg 2:8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110 years. Jdg 2:9 The Israelites buried Joshua on the land that he had been given. That was at Timnath Heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. Jdg 2:10 After that whole generation died, the next generation grew up. This new generation did not know about the LORD or what he had done for the Israelites Jdg 2:11 So the Israelites did something very evil before the LORD. They began serving the false god Baal. Whose fault is it when the next generation does not know the Lord and starts serving other gods? It is the previous generation's fault, because they did not teach their children. There's a wise saying that comes with a promise: Pro 22:6 (KJV) Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Parents who train or discipline their children will reap this promise when their children matures (when he is old), because they will remember what their parents taught them. Kids, I hope you remember this proverb or wise saying every time you think your mom or your dad is being too strict on you. Their strictness will benefit you in the long run, and you will be thankful for their love. Jdg 2:11 (ERV) So the Israelites did something very evil before the LORD. They began serving the false god Baal. Jdg 2:12 It was the LORD, the God their ancestors worshiped, who had brought the Israelites out of Egypt. But they stopped following him and began to worship the false gods of the people living around them. This made the LORD angry. How do we do this today? How do we worship the false gods of the people living around us and make the Lord angry at us? We don't need to worship Buddha or the gods of the Hindus to anger God. We could be in a Christian church all our life and not know that we
are angering God because of our church's practices. Any false teachings and traditions that we follow is considered idolatry by God. Remember the two definitions of idolatry? One: worshiping false gods, and two: worshiping the true God in the wrong way. Jdg 2:13 (ERV) The Israelites stopped following the LORD and began worshiping Baal and Ashtoreth. Jdg 2:14 The LORD was angry with the Israelites, so he let enemies attack them and take their possessions. He let their enemies who lived around them defeat them. The Israelites could not protect themselves from their enemies. Jdg 2:15 When the Israelites went out to fight, they always lost. They lost because the LORD was not on their side. He had already warned them that they would lose if they served the gods of the people living around them. The Israelites suffered very much. Like Israel, we will suffer very much if we live a life of sin. But God uses this sufferings to make us call out to Him and ask for His forgiveness. When we beg God for His mercy, He sends people to save us, just as He sent judges to Israel to save them. Jdg 2:16 (ERV) Then the LORD chose leaders called judges. These leaders saved the Israelites from the enemies who took their possessions. Jdg 2:17 But the Israelites did not listen to their judges. The Israelites were not faithful to God--they followed other gods. In the past, the ancestors of the Israelites obeyed the LORD'S commands. But now the Israelites changed and stopped obeying the Lord. Jdg 2:18 Many times the enemies of Israel did bad things to the people, so the Israelites would cry for help. And each time the LORD felt sorry for the people and sent a judge to save them from their enemies. The LORD was always with those judges. Each time the Israelites were saved from their enemies. Jdg 2:19 But when each judge died, the Israelites again sinned and started worshiping the false gods. They acted worse than their ancestors did. The Israelites were very stubborn and refused to change their evil ways. We need leaders who will teach us the right way. Some people believe that they can study the bible on their own and form their own conclusion. That's a lie. We need to be a part of the true body of Christ. The body of Christ has many members just as the physical body has many parts. We cannot fight this battle on our own. We need each others' support. Jdg 2:20 (BBE) And the wrath of the Lord was burning against Israel, and he
said, Because this nation has not been true to my agreement which I made with their fathers, and has not given ear to my voice; Jdg 2:21 From now on I will not go on driving out from before them any of the nations which at the death of Joshua were still living in this land; Jdg 2:22 In order to put Israel to the test, and see if they will keep the way of the Lord, walking in it as their fathers did, or not. Jdg 2:23 So the Lord let those nations go on living in the land, not driving them out quickly, and did not give them up into the hands of Joshua. The Lord uses other people to test us just as He used these other nations to prove Israel. Verse 22 says and see if they will keep the way of the Lord, but the Lord knows exactly how we will react to every situation. These tests or trials are for our benefit for us to develop strong spiritual muscles. When an athlete is training, he does certain exercises to strengthen his muscles. The same thing is happening in the spirit world. When God gives us these trials, it is to build up our spiritual muscles. Jas 1:3 (ERV) You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. Jas 1:4 If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be. That's why we need to be thankful even when we are going through the fire (trials and suffering). It is this fire God is using to change us into His image. Jdg 3:4 (ERV) He left those nations in the land to test the Israelites. He wanted to see if the Israelites would obey the LORD'S commands that he had given to their ancestors through Moses. Jdg 3:5 The Israelites lived with the Canaanites, Hittites, the Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Jdg 3:6 The Israelites began to marry the daughters of those people. They allowed their own daughters to marry the sons of those people. The Israelites also began to worship their gods. Jdg 3:7 The LORD saw that the Israelites did evil things. They forgot about the LORD their God and served the false gods Baal and Asherah. Jdg 3:8 The LORD was angry with the Israelites, so he allowed King Cushan Rishathaim of Aram Naharaim to defeat the Israelites and to rule over them. The Israelites were under that king's rule for eight years.
King Cushan is a symbol of our old man. His rule is a symbol of the time our flesh rules in our lives. When we do what we want to do as we disobey our parents, King Cushan, or our old man, is ruling in our hearts. Jdg 3:9 (ERV) But the Israelites cried to the LORD for help, and the LORD sent a man named Othniel to save them. He was the son of Kenaz, who was Caleb's younger brother. Othniel saved the Israelites. Jdg 3:10 The Spirit of the LORD filled Othniel, and he became a judge for the Israelites. He led the Israelites to war. The LORD helped Othniel defeat King Cushan Rishathaim of Aram. Jdg 3:11 So the land was at peace for 40 years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died. Othniel is a symbol of our Lord, our new man who comes to us when we cry to God for help. He frees us from the rule of our old man and gives us peace in our life. Joh 14:27 (ESV) Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Let's read about the next judge the Lord sent to Israel, and Lord willing, we will learn about the spiritual lessons behind his story in our next study. Jdg 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. Jdg 3:13 He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms. Jdg 3:14 And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. Jdg 3:15 (ERV) The Israelites cried to the LORD for help, so he sent a man named Ehud son of Gera to save them. Ehud was from the tribe of Benjamin and was trained to fight with his left hand. The Israelites sent Ehud with a gift to King Eglon of Moab. Jdg 3:16 Ehud made himself a sword with two sharp edges that was about 12 inches long. He tied the sword to his right thigh and hid it under his uniform. Jdg 3:17 So Ehud brought the gift to King Eglon of Moab. Eglon was a very fat man.
Jdg 3:18 After offering the gift, Ehud left the palace with the men who had carried the gift. Jdg 3:19 When Ehud reached the statues near Gilgal, he turned and went back to King Eglon and said, "King, I have a secret message for you." The king told him to be quiet and then sent all the servants out of the room. Jdg 3:20 Ehud went to King Eglon. The king was sitting all alone in the upper room of his palace. Then Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." The king stood up from his throne. He was very close to Ehud. Jdg 3:21 As the king was getting up from his throne, Ehud reached with his left hand and took out the sword that was tied to his right thigh. Then he pushed the sword into the king's belly. Jdg 3:22 (KJV) 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. Jdg 3:23 (ERV) Then Ehud went out of the private room, closed the doors to the upper room, and locked the king inside. Jdg 3:24 Ehud then left the main room, and the servants went back in. The servants found the doors to the upper room locked, so they said, "The king must be relieving himself in his private toilet." Jdg 3:25 The servants waited for a long time, but the king never opened the doors to the upper room. Finally, the servants got worried. They got the key and unlocked the doors. When the servants entered, they saw their king lying dead on the floor. Jdg 3:26 While the servants were waiting for the king, Ehud had time to escape. He passed by the statues and went toward the place named Seirah. Jdg 3:27 When Ehud came to Seirah, he blew a trumpet there in the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites heard the trumpet and went down from the hills with Ehud leading them. Jdg 3:28 He said to the Israelites, "Follow me! The LORD has helped us defeat our enemies, the Moabites." So the Israelites followed Ehud. They went down with him to take control of the places where people could easily cross the Jordan River into the land of Moab. The Israelites did not allow any one to go across the Jordan River. Jdg 3:29 They killed about 10,000 strong and brave men from Moab. Not one Moabite man escaped.
Jdg 3:30 So on that day the Israelites began to rule over the Moabites, and there was peace in the land for 80 years.