‘Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers. And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal’ (Judges 9:56-57).

The phrase ‘the lunatics have taken over the asylum’ could apply to the situation we find in Judges chapter 9. After Gideon’s death, once again, Israel had turned away from the worship of the Lord and was worshipping other gods. So Israel is in a poor state, but it’s about to get a lot worse. This time the threat is not some foreign invader as the threat comes from within!

Abimelech, Gideon son’s by his concubine from Shechem seizes power by appealing to his kinship with the people of Shechem. Dale Ralph Davis points out: ‘Blood is thicker than brains,’[1] and after hiring mercenaries with the money they have given him, he slaughters his seventy brothers (vs 1-5)! However, Gideon’s youngest son Jotham escapes.

Abimelech is made king. Yet Jotham spoils the party by climbing to the top of Mount Gerizim and, getting people’s attention, tells a witty fable about the trees wanting to elect a king. The premise is that all the trees that are seen as noble and suitable for Kingship are reluctant to do it. But the Bramble Bush, the most unproductive and unsuitable of them all, becomes their King (vs6-15)! Jotham’s point is simple, they are getting the King they deserve due to their lack of gratitude and their bad treatment of his family (8:35) and the murder of his brothers (vs16-21).

What follows proves Jotham’s point. By the Lord’s doing, Abimelech and the people of Shechem fall out. The leaders of Shechem take to / or at least encourage highway robbery to undermine Abimelech’s authority. Also, when: ‘Gaal the son of Ebed moved into Shechem with his relatives’ (v26) they decide to have him as their leader and even arrange a party to celebrate after gathering in their grapes. Some Pagan worship later, with the wine flowing, it all goes to Gaal’s head and he’s boasting about his position and bad mouthing Abimelech (which is not unreasonable). However, this drunken boast backfires when he says it’s time to remove Abimelech and the news gets back to Abimelech (vs26-29)!

Abimelech is advised to attack by night by Zebul who brought the news about Gaal to him. He does this setting: an ambush against Shechem (v34). Gaal, probably suffering from the king of all hangovers and regretting that he was a bit free with his comments about Abimelech, is forced to go out and fight against him. Not surprisingly, the battle goes badly and Abimelech succeeds it driving Gaal and his relatives out of Shechem. Abimelech, living up to his reputation of being a brutal and vengeful individual, massacres the inhabitants of the city and raises it to the ground. But some of the leaders have escaped and taken refuge, with others, in the ‘Tower of Shechem.’ Abimelech, adds to his already sorry reputation by setting the tower on fire, which results in the massacre of: ‘about 1000 men and women’ (v49). But he hasn’t finished his revenge yet (vs30-49)!

His next target is the city of Thebez which he captures except for: ‘a strong tower within the city’ (v51). Abimelech figures he can win the battle in the same way he did at Shechem, and so he fights to get in a position where he can set fire to the tower. Unfortunately for him, a woman just happens to have a millstone handy, takes aim, and Abimelech suffers severe head injuries. Figuring it would be better to have his armour bearer kill him, than the humiliation of the common knowledge he was killed by a woman, he asked him to finish him off  which he does (vs50-54).

In the aftermath (vs55-57), we get an accurate picture of how people felt about Abimelech as: ‘when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, everyone departed to his home’ (v55). No one has any enthusiasm to continue flighting Abimelech’s cause. But we are reminded that even when there is a godless judge the Lord is in control as he had: ‘returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers’ (v56) as well as punishing the men of Shechem (v57).

If Gideon was someone who grew in faith to be used by the Lord, but lost sight of that, Abimelech was just downright bad from the beginning! He was no more than an ambitious murdering tyrant who would see a grudge through to the end! So, once again, we are reminded human leadership fails. What we need is God’s king, the Lord Jesus Christ who: ‘came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’ (Mark 10:45).

[1] Dale Ralph Davis, Judges, Such a Great Salvation (Fearn, Christian Focus Pubilcations,2000) 122.

‘And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family’ (Judges 8:27).

Alexander the Great was an amazing tactician who constantly surprised his enemies by winning victories against almost impossible odds. But his life didn’t finish well. Wanting to be worshipped like a god and wanting to complete the conquest of India, his men refused to follow him anymore and he was forced to abandon the campaign! In the end he died at the age of 32, his body ravaged by fever. His legacy faded as his great empire fell apart. Gideon’s story is, in some ways, similar. After uncertain start, he’d won an incredible victory. But how will he fare now in his remaining years?

When asked by the people to rule over them like a king and establish a dynasty, Gideon is at his best as he answers: ‘I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the LORD will rule over you.’ He’s spotted a weakness in Israel’s thinking as they have attributed the victory to him (v22). But he knew it was the Lord who had gone before them and fought for them as promised in Deuteronomy 20:4. So he shows good leadership and corrects the people in their thinking!

Yet, in verses 24-27, We get an indication of spiritual decline. Gideons requests the gold plundered during the battle to make an ephod. This was properly intended to unify the people in worship. But, when we read: ‘all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family’ (v27) we realised Gideon has made several mistakes. The phrase: ‘Israel whored after it’ tells us that the people had broken their covenant with God and were using this ephod like an idol, breaking the second commandment (Exodus 20:4-6). Secondly, Gideon had placed this in his hometown, and worship was only to be carried out at: ‘the place the LORD your God will choose’ (Deuteronomy 12:4) the place where the ark of the Lord resided. Lastly, it became: ‘a snare to Gideon and his family’ (v27). As an ephod was connected with priestly duties, this suggests Gideon and his sons took on that role, which they was not qualified to do! But these mistakes were symptomatic of a bigger one, Gideon didn’t pay attention to what the Lord commanded in his Word! There’s a lesson for us as individuals and churches here, as soon as we compromise what scripture teaches, we’re on a slippery slope!

The phrase ‘to have won the battle, but lose the war.’ could easily sum up the legacy that was left after Gideon’s last years. In verse 28 we are informed that: ‘the land had rest for 40 years in the days of Gideon.’ Yet the spiritual decline of verses 24-27 continues and then accelerates after Gideon’s death! Gideon may have turned down the role of king, but he’d acted like one! Why? Because he was not living by God’s law. Israel was entitled to have a king and the Lord had given very clear instructions about kingship which we find in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. There we read that the king was not to have many wives. Yet we read in verses 29-31 that: ‘Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives. And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he called him Abimelech.’ So he’s living like an Ancient Near Eastern potentate, and one of his sons has a name which means ‘my father the king.’ Rather interestingly, we read in Deuteronomy 17:18-20 that the king was to write out a copy of the Law. Whether this was a summary like the Ten Commandments or the whole of the book of Deuteronomy, we don’t know. But what we do know is he was to read it each day. Yet, everything seems to indicate Gideon’s daily Bible study was severely lacking! In the end, we would love to skip from verse 23, where Gideon refuses kingship, to verse 28 where we told that in Gideon’s day the land enjoyed 40 years of peace. That way we’d miss out these final disappointing years!

Verses 32-35 record Gideon’s death, and it’s sad aftermath with Israel so quickly turning back to the worship of: ‘the Baals’ and forgetting everything that Lord had done in delivering them. Despite Gideon’s poor spiritual example, we can’t help feeling disappointed when we read that Israel: ‘did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerubbaal (that is Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel’ (v35).

The danger with this is we shake our head solemnly and say that wouldn’t happen here. But the number of times I’ve heard people say to me “that used to be a really good Gospel preaching church twenty years ago” is mounting with every year. It’s always said in the spirit of ‘what happened?’ The answer is simple, it wasn’t something that could be easily noticed, like a bunch of heretics suddenly seizing the leadership and the teaching of the church. It’s more likely that a sermon was preached where something important was left out from the passage. Slowly, but with increasing regularity, scripture was compromised, until very little was left!

The character of Gideon should teach us that ultimately, all human leadership fails in some way. What we actually need is God’s king the Lord Jesus Christ who was humble in his earthly ministry. ‘Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross’ (Philippians 2:6-8).

“God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” Anger against him (Gideon) subsided when he said this’ (Judges 8:3).

How do you respond to criticism? Do you take it personally and dig your heels in and take a stronger stance than you originally intended to? At this point in the story of Gideon we have a lesson on the right way to react to criticism and how to win friends and influence people. But we also see how we are to distinguish and react to those we should  oppose at all costs!

The events of verses 1-3 may well have happened after the battle had concluded, as it seems unlikely that this conversation took place during it. However, what they demonstrate is that Gideon is a man who’s prepared to listen. The Ephraimites are clearly a tribe that have a high opinion of themselves. This isn’t without reason as Israel’s former leader Joshua had come from that tribe, But they weren’t the most diplomatic people. Their issue is their supposed lack of inclusion in the initial battle and they accuse Gideon: ‘fiercely.’ In plain English, they have a right go at him! The actual accusation is not entirely true because Gideon had called them out and used them strategically to cut off the Midianite retreat and gain victory. But when some-ones blood is up it’s surprising how little they can remember. We might have expected Gideon to put them in their place, and say something like “is that all the thanks I get!” But what we actually get is a superb application of Proverbs 15:1a: ‘A soft answer turns away wrath.’ So, Gideon is measured in his words and effectively ‘butters them up.’ Why? Because they were not the enemy and had done their job during the battle. Uniting Israel was what was needed now.

If the Ephraimites displayed a misplaced zeal, we now meet people who had a habit shirking their responsibility in the past (see 5:17). Gideon and his men were exhausted in their pursuit the Midianites. Yet, when he asks for assistance from the people of Succoth in the form of food, something in that culture that shouldn’t be refused, he receives criticism. Gideon, rather than consoling himself with the thought that those that often criticised the most have often done the least, is far less diplomatic this time. Why? Quite simply because these are fellow Israelites who should be acknowledging that Gideon, under the Lord’s direction, has the enemy on the run and now needs to finish the job (vs4-7). Far worse is these people were actually going against the Word of the Lord! There’s every indication they were watching to see the way the ‘wind blows’ as the battle wasn’t over yet and they thought the Midianites might be returning with a greater force at some point and they didn’t want to be in their bad books! In other words, they were rebellious against the Lord and happy to compromise with the Lord’s enemies! Later Gideon experiences the same reception at the town of Penuel. So, he tells them what the consequences of their action will be as he now has it in mind to teach them a severe lesson (vs8-9)!

However, there’s still a battle to be won and Gideon is leading 300 men against 15,000 Midianites who survived the first encounter (v10). So Gideon: ‘went up by the way of the tent dwellers’ (v11). In other words, he used skilful strategy by taking an unexpected route and surprises the Midianite army with an unexpected attack. Due to the panic of the Midianite army he is able to pursue them and capture their leaders Zebah and Zalmunna (v12).

The battle may be over, but Gideon has some unfinished business with the inhabitants of Succoth and Penuel. So, good to his word he gives the men of Succoth a beating they were unlikely to forget. He also pulls down the tower of Penuel and kills the men of the city. This raises a question, was Gideon’s punishment concerning these towns too severe? As is often the case in the historical texts in scripture, the text does not pass judgement. But to emphasise a point we have made already, the men of these towns we’re in direct violation of God’s will and we’re all too happy to make alliances with his / Israel’s enemies, despite their the diabolical Pagan practises. So they were, in fact, the enemy within!

Yet, the passage ends on a dubious note with Gideon’s motives and methods being questionable. Before the death of Zebah and Zalmunna, Gideon questions them. After finding out they are responsible for the death of his brothers he says: As the LORD lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you” (v19). This is the Lord’s battle, but Gideon seems to be making it very the personal, which is seen when he tries to humiliate them by getting his son to execute them. He also uses his own judgement concerning people who had abused and persecuted God’s people rather than considering the Lord’s will in this matter.

This shows how important it is for God’s people to look to him in each and everything and not to compromise. In his letter to the Galatian church Paul has this to say: ‘But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.  As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed’ (Galatians 1:8-9). It certainly teaches us that where God’s Word is concerned there should never be compromise of any kind!

‘And they cried out “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” (Judges 7:20b).

In 1740 there was a minister in Scotland called William McCulloch. He was a very scholarly man, but, he wasn’t a very exciting preacher. He was jokingly called a ‘ale minister’ as people would disappear from the Church when the sermon began as, rather than having a ‘thirst’ for the Word’, they’d visit the nearest inn to satisfy their physical thirst! Yet, despite this, the Lord used him at that time in a mighty work of revival! It might surprise us to know that a few years before this the great preacher George Whitfield had visited and preached in the same area to little effect. Yet, it was the Lord’s will to use this rather ‘hesitant’ and unexciting speaker. Why? Because it’s his work and not ours. Indeed, his fellow ministers testified it had to be a work of God as no one in their right mind would call listening to William McCulloch a stimulating experience!

In the same way, Gideon’s journey of faith tells us more about the Lord than it does him. We might think that after the bold action  of destroying his father’s altar to Baal (even if it was done at night) everything would fall into place and Gideon would stage total war against the Midianites and their allies as we read: ‘the Spirit of the LORD clothed Gideon’ (v34). But before we know it he’s back to his old hesitant ways and asking for a sign (v36) despite the Lord’s promises to Gideon and what was written in his Word about the Lord leading his people in battle (Deuteronomy 20:4).

If Gideon’s faith up to this point is hesitant, by the start Chapter 7, it’s a growing faith. He now trusts the Lord without question when the Lord initiates a series of ways to select men to fight, so that Israel will not boast that it’s by their own strength they have been delivered (vs1-8). The first was actually a stipulation within the Law that if anyone was frightened about going into battle they could go home (Deuteronomy 20:8). So, minus 22,000 men and with 10,000 remaining, the Lord issues the next method of selection which is to see how the men drink. Some commentators make much of this, suggesting that one method shows greater alertness than the other. The text isn’t specific, so it may have just been a way to whittle down the numbers further. The result is Gideon is left with only 300 men. So the Lord says to Gideon: “With the 300 men who have lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand and let all the others go every man to his home” (v7).

What happens next demonstrates Gideon may still have some reservations, but it also demonstrates the grace and kindness the Lord can show to us when we lack faith. The Lord tells Gideon to go down to the Midianite camp, but he stresses that if he is afraid: “You shall hear what they say, and afterwards your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp” (v11). So Gideon goes with his servant and what he hears is a great encouragement. The content of the dream one of the Midianites recounts to his colleague in verses 13-14  tells us a few things. Firstly, the Midianites had heard about Gideon. But it’s the way the dream is interpreted that would have been of encouragement to Gideon. It’s reckoned the: ‘cake of barley bread’ (v13), that flattens the tent in the dream, symbolises the meagre day to day rations that Israel were surviving on. So, this is an example of something considered weak (the Israelites in this case) becoming a major threat! The thing to note here is this is a prime case of what God had promised. He literally was going ahead of Gideon, and the army and striking fear into their enemies (Deuteronomy 20:4). So, rather than  running back to the army and ordering the attack immediately: ‘he worshiped’ the Lord realising the battle was as good as won (v15).

Gideon’s faith is contagious. His army of 300 men, armed with trumpets, jars and torches (I don’t doubt they had swords but they weren’t going to use them yet) surrounds the Midianite camp, blow the trumpets, break the jars and exposed the torches and give the shout: “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” (v20). The result is that the Lord literally fights for them as there is mass panic in the camp with the Midianites turning on each other. Calling out some of the other tribes, Gideon is able to cut off the Midianite retreat and win a major victory (vs19-25)!

The text doesn’t tell us how much of this strategy was Gideon’s and how much was the Lord’s? But perhaps that’s the point. Gideon is now Insync with the Lord as he is following his will. So that can imply inspiration that is brought under the authority of the Lord as well as plain and simple obedience. Gideon is trusting the Lord and seeking to see him glorified through the apparent weakness of the Israelite army. Paul when writing to the Corinthian Church makes this observation: ‘consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;  God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,  so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.’ (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).  He concludes by saying: ‘therefore, as it is written “let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31). Our aim should not be to bring glory to ourselves, but rather to him as he works through our weakness!

‘And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him (Gideon) and said to him, “the LORD is with you, O mighty man of valour” (Judges 6:12).

I think it’s in the fourth Indiana Jones movie that Harrison Ford, who plays Indiana Jones, says “I guess it’s the same old same old.” That means Steven Spielberg, the director, is going to treat us to a plot that defies logic, action that never ceases for a second and a man who is supposed to be a well respected archaeologist, but spends most of the time wielding a bullwhip and killing people! Well I guess Indiana Jones is a very conflicted and confused individual! However, it does tell us what to expect when it comes to the movie.

When we come to the start of Judges chapter 6  it’s a case of ‘same old same old.’  Once again, Israel has rebelled against the Lord and he has handed them over for judgement, this time at the hands of the Midianites, the Amalekite’s and the people of the east. They come on mass and proceed to trash the land for 7 years. So the Israelites have taken to hiding away in the hills. Not surprisingly, they cry out to the Lord and the Lord sends a prophet, who dutifully informs the people why they’re in the state they are in (vs1-10). The Lord had done everything for them but what thanks did he get? The people were unfaithful!

Yet, where we would wash our hands of the whole situation, God intervenes and comes to the rescue of his people. We can tell how desperate the situation is  as Gideon is hiding up in the hills and using a winepress to process wheat as well as to hide it from the Midianites. The Angel of the LORD’s greeting leaves Gideon a bit confused as his actions certainly don’t suggest those of a: ‘mighty man of valour’ (v12). His reply sums up the mindset of the Israelites at this time: “Please Sir, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying. Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian” (v13). Does the Lord has a sense of humour in the way he addresses Gideon, or does he see potential in Gideon, even if Gideon can’t see it in himself (vs14-16)?

Despite the Lord’s assurance, Gideon still needs convincing and insists a sign is required. So, after preparing a meal for his visitor (there’s no indication he knew who it was, he may have assumed it was a prophet), the Angel of the LORD touches it with the tip of his staff and it’s consumed by fire (vs17-21). Even more significant: ‘the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight’ (v21). This changes Gideon’s perspective on the whole thing and he is terrified as he realises no one can see God and live (Exodus 33:18-22)! Yet we immediately see God’s grace as Gideon is assured: “Peace be to you. Do not fear, you shall not die” (v23). Whatever else we might think about Gideon at this point, he makes the appropriate gesture by building an alter in recognition of God’s grace mercy towards him (v24).

But there’s still work to be done. It’s as if the Lord is saying to Gideon “you’ve seen what I can do, you’ve seen that you’ve been spared, now trust me and follow my instructions.” But what the Lord now asks him to do is not likely to win friends and influence people. However, it’s making a powerful statement by returning Israel to the worship of the true God, as before he declares war on the Midianites, God is going to declare war on Baal!  Gideon complies by taking ten men: ‘to pull down the altar of Baal’ which his father had set up and ‘cut down the Asherah that is beside it and build an altar to the Lord’ (v25-26). That done, and the sacrifice one of his father’s bull’s later Gideon has accomplished his mission, even if he does it at night!

However, Gideon has succeeded in making a statement. When people wake up in the morning they’re incensed to find that the altar of Baal and the Asherah have been desecrated. After asking around they find out that it’s Gideon who’s done it. So, they go to his father Joash and ask him to hand his son over for punishment, in this case death! (vs 28-31).  However, it’s possible that Gideon’s action has got his father thinking. It must have cost time and money to set up an altar, yet Joash is having none of it when the men of the town demand his son’s life. Rather he responds: “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his alter has been broken down” (v31). In the end Gideon gets the nickname Jerubbaal due to his actions. Conclusion, sometimes the Lord blesses even the feeblest of our efforts on his behalf!

There’s no doubt that the apostle Paul demonstrated a great deal more faith than Gideon did at this particular point in this story. However, it’s interesting to note that when referring to the Lord’s grace (Something Gideon had experienced) he writes: ‘Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong’ (2 Corinthians 12:11-12).

‘She (Deborah) sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali And said to him, “Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor” (Judges 4:6a).

The phrase: ‘cometh the hour cometh the man’ is often used when a situation is tough but a man comes to the forefront and turns the tide. However, here it’s a woman who comes to the forefront to provide much needed ‘push’ in the right direction when Israel is, once again, in big trouble!

The situation is dire as Israel finds itself suffering oppression due to breaking the Lord’s Covenant (v1). In verse 3 we get an indication of just how bad it is: ‘Then the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help for he (Jabin King of Canaan) had 900 Chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.’  Jabin was obviously a nasty piece of work, but like all the best villains he has a sidekick to do most of his dirty work in the shape of Sisera the commander of his army (v2). But, once again, we are introduced to someone who is the most unlikely candidate to be involved in the deliverance of Israel. But it’s very apparent that Deborah is someone who is used by the Lord to get things moving where the deliverance of his people is concerned!

And that’s what she does when she summons Barak. The NIV gives the impression that verse 6 is in the present tense. But the KJ and ESV (and other versions) give what could be seen as a strong indication that Deborah could be reminding Barak that the Lord has issued a command, and that Barak has been procrastinating! This actually fits very well with the exchange that then takes place between Barak and Deborah, as Barak’s attitude could be seen as reluctant and could be ‘metaphorically’ summed up as: ‘well, I’ll lead the army, but only if you come with me and hold my hand.’ In the same way, Deborah’s response could be termed: ‘well alright, but don’t expect the glory when Israel is victorious. Because of the way you’re going about this the glory will go to a woman as she’ll be the one who kills Sisera’ (vs8-9)! What’s notable, and we would expect from a true prophet, is that Deborah speaks on behalf of the Lord!

What’s very apparent is there is a big contrast between Deborah and Barak. Deborah is very much a woman of faith. She receives the Word of the Lord that the he has delivered Israel’s enemies into their hands and then relays it in a way that signifies complete confidence and trust in him. Barak, despite being mentioned among the ‘Heroes of Faith’ (Hebrews 11:32) exhibits a feeble faith, at this point, that seems to have more confidence in Deborah than in the Lord! However, despite this, it’s Barak who leads the army and is victorious. So, two things spring to mind. Firstly, the Lord is incredibly gracious, where Barak is concerned. Secondly, the situation indicates the sad spiritual state Israel had fallen into![1]

In verse 11 we have what we would consider, if it was in a movie, to be an out of context moment where: ‘Heber the Kenite’ Separates from his tribe and moves his tent to near Kedesh. But actually what is happening here is that the Lord is directing everything in accordance to Deborah’s prophecy.

Meanwhile, when Sisera is told those pesty Israelites have raised an army, he decides to put an end to it with a massive show of force. However, this plays right into Israel’s hands as in verse 14 Deborah tells Barak: ‘Up! For this is the day which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the Lord go before you?’ This clearly marks out Deborah as a woman of faith and God’s Word as this is practically a quote from Deuteronomy 20:4 that reminds Israel that it is the Lord who goes with them and fights for them in battle (vs 12-15).

The upshot is that Barak and the army make short work of the enemy. Sisera, realising his massive miscalculation (we gather from chapter 5 verse 21 the Lord caused a flash flood, thus rendering the enemies’ superior weaponry of Chariots useless) makes a run for it until he thinks he’s among friends (note verse 17’s connection with verse 11). But his deception backfires when he makes no mention of the battle and asks Jael to lie. He ends up being killed in a most humiliating way. Jael, who finds an unusual use for a tent peg, as Deborah prophesied (v9) makes the victory complete (vs15-22). And: ‘So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the people of Israel’ (v23). His ‘heavy’ gone Jabin is eventually defeated by Israel.

So once again, the Lord fights for his people when they are oppressed and helpless by raising up a saviour. Today there’s a spiritual sense that he does this by liberating those who will be his people through the ultimate saviour, Jesus Christ. ‘And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,  by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him’ (Colossians 2:13-15).

[1] Isaiah 3:12.

‘After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an ox goad, and he also saved Israel (Judges 3:31).

 When we come to verse 31 at the end of Judges chapter 3 it’s a case of ‘blink and you’re miss him’ as we are introduced to the Judge with the most fleeting references in all of scripture. Shamgar is only mentioned twice in the book of Judges, and then only very briefly. Obviously, he’s mentioned here and that gives us an understanding of how he delivered Israel. But he’s also mentioned in 5:6 in the victory song of Deborah and Barak where he’s mentioned alongside Jael who was a contemporary of Deborah and Barak. So this strongly suggests that the Lord was raising up Judges to deal with different issues in different parts of Israel throughout this troubled time. But what do we know about the man who has the two most fleeting references in the book of Judges?

The answer is, not surprisingly, not very much. I was very surprised to find out that some commentators don’t even include this verse in their  commentaries! But what we do know is very interesting. The first thing to note is rather surprising. His father’s name: ‘Anath’ is not an Israelite name and may mean: ‘son (worshipper) of the Canaanite goddess Anath.’[1] So this strongly suggests that this is someone who’s family may have almost certainly come from outside the covenant community of Israel, and was brought in by some means as others like Rahab, Ruth and others were (see Joshua 2 and 6:22-23, the Book of Ruth and the numerous references to foreigners and there are also references to their protection under the Law). So once again, this is a very unlikely Judge! The second thing to note, is the method of his deliverance of Israel. We know that at some point  during the reign of Saul, he and his son Jonathan were the only ones with swords in Israel, the rank and file of the army having to make do with anything that they could lay their hands on (1 Samuel 13:22). It seems very likely that a similar situation existed in Shamgar’s time as that would explain a lot when we come to his choice of weapon!

An ox goad was a farm implement that consisted of a piece of wood about 8 foot long with a circumference that was easy enough to get your hand round. On one end of it would be a spike, presumably to encourage the oxen to go in the right direction, as they wouldn’t much like getting prodded by it. On the other end would be the equivalent of a small spade, presumably to clean out the earth from the plough from time to time. All in all, it’s an interesting choice of weapon, but one can see how it would be a very effective one when it came to a fight (let’s face it, you’d certainly know about it if you were on the wrong end of it)! Anyway, there’s no doubt that Shamgar was more than adept at handling it when it came to battle. Whether he killed 600 Philistines in one encounter or whether it was over a period of time we don’t know. What we do know is: ‘he also saved Israel.’

So, once again, this verse impresses upon us that God uses the most unlikely people and the most unlikely methods to fulfil his purposes. Shamgar’s background makes him an outsider and, as such, he looks a very unlikely saviour of Israel. But he’s raised up by the Lord for that very purpose (2:16). Once again, like Ehud, he’s someone who shows ingenuity in using whatever is at hand for the Lord’s work. But, an important thing to note, is that each character, we encounter in this chapter, in their own way is raised up by the Lord to be a saviour of his people Israel.

How much more should this give us confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ and his saving work on our behalf. He was not recognised as a saviour as he was not recognised by the religious leaders of the day. However, the amazing thing is that he calls the most unlikely people to him. Just think of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well and how that led to many converts within the despised Samaritan community. ‘And many more believed because of his (Jesus’) word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe. for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world” (John 4:41-42).

[1] Dale Ralph Davis, Judges, Such a Great Salvation (Fearn, Christian Focus Publications, 2000) 65.

‘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  Benjamite, a left-handed man’ (Judges 3:15 a).

Last month we took a look at Othniel who was every inch a hero. He was a brave and mighty warrior, and no doubt had an impressive physique to go with it. But now we come to a man who was probably the polar opposite of that.

Once again: ‘the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.’  The pattern is familiar, Israel rebels against the Lord who then sends judgement, the people cry out and the Lord raises up a deliverer. But this time Eglon, king of Moab, has formed an alliance with both the Ammonites and the Amalekites. Put simply, Israel is in big trouble again! So, after 18 years of oppression, the people cry out to the Lord and he raises up an unlikely candidate to save them.

But why was Ehud an unlikely deliverer of God’s people? After all, the Benjaminite’s were formidable fighters with an emphasis of them being able to use their left hands (see 20:16). So you might be thinking, “hold on a minute, this guy the perfect candidate for delivering the Lord’s people.” However, the original Hebrew text emphasises Ehud’s left handedness in the negative![1] Why? The most likely explanation is that he was handicapped and unable to use his right hand!

Eglon, and his lackeys are in the business of bleeding the country dry. But the Lord has other ideas. Who better to bring the tribute to Eglon than the apparently harmless Ehud? This is emphasised by others carrying the tribute. But after delivering the tribute Ehud sends them away and then turns back. Eglon’s bodyguards don’t suspect that Ehud is carrying a small sword strapped to his: ‘right thigh under his clothes’ (v16). If they’d searched him they’d probably missed it due to his left handedness! He claims to have a secret message from God for the King, so Eglon sends out all of his attendants. After all, this is a message from God, and Eglon, his vanity stimulated, is vulnerable!

The narrative takes on a darkly comic tone as Ehud, the perfect assassin, locks the doors and calmly walks out. The guards, unaware anything untoward has taken place, wait to the point of embarrassment thinking the king is taking a comfort break. Eventually they open the door and find the king assassinated in the most humiliating circumstances! Some people might have a problem with Ehud’s message from God. But Eglon was undoubtedly guilty of exploiting God’s people in ways described later in Deborah’s and Barak’s victory song (5:30). So this would have been seen, if you were an Israelite, as a suitable comeuppance! The rest, as they say, is history, Ehud’s leads the Israelites to an overwhelming victory and the land is blessed with 80 years of peace!

So what can we learn from this? First of all what was God’s message to Eglon? Quite simply, I think it could be paraphrase as: “You may think your gods have giving you victory over Israel, but you mess with my people, you mess with me!” So, the Lord was gracious towards his people when they came to him in an attitude of repentance, but this also illustrates that God’s judgement will come against those who oppose his purposes and people. Secondly, the Lord uses the most unlikely people and people in different ways. Ehud was an unlikely military commander compared to Othniel and nowhere do we read about the ‘Spirit of the Lord’ coming upon him as it did Othniel. But the Lord used his ingenuity and even his supposed disadvantage. Lastly, he attributes this incredible military victory to the Lord (v28).

Very often when we do things in the Lord’s service, we give ourselves a pat on the back and feel we’ve done well. But that’s not Ehud’s attitude in any shape or form. If he wasn’t a Judge already I suspect he was made one very quickly. But I suspect it didn’t go to his head, and that’s possibly why the land had peace for such a long time as Ehud proved to be a humble leader and that legacy continued for a while after he died. As such he stands as a good example to the Lord’s people in any day in age.

[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Available, Judges (Eastbourne, Kingsway Communications, 1994) 30.

‘But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up to deliverer for the people of Israel who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother’ (Judges 3:9).

One of the things I really like about the Marvel ‘Avengers’ films is you meet some pretty diverse characters. For example, Steve Rogers, Captain America, acts, and is, every inch a hero. On the other hand there’s Scott Lang, also known as Ant man. There’s no doubt that he’s very well-meaning, but in some ways he’s a bit of a doofus! But, on the other hand, he can still be heroic! The same could be said about this next section in the book of Judges as over the course of chapter 3 we will meet three very different Judges. One has all the credentials of a hero, but the other two are the most very unlikely heroes you could image! But we start with someone who’s very much a hero.

The pattern of the prologue, chapter 1 to the first part of chapter 3, gives us a very helpful overview of the book (The Book of Judges: The Prologue: Judges 1:1-3:6). And it’s manifested here. Israel has sinned against the Lord and the Lord  brings judgement upon them as: ‘he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim King of Mesopotamia.’  The phrase: ‘sold’ is very appropriate as originally the Lord had ‘redeemed’ (bought) Israel from their slavery in in Egypt. The rather long winded name of the King (he was probably just knowing as Cushan) is also interesting as it can be interpreted as ‘doubly wicked.’[1] In other words, Israel was in great trouble and, in verse 8, we are told that Israel was subject to him for eight years! Then: ‘the people of Israel cried out to the Lord’ (v9).

But what does that actually mean? Was this actually true repentance? Dale Ralph Davis is helpful here as he notes: ‘it denotes crying for help (frequently directed to Yahweh) out of deep distress or because of some unbelievable circumstance; occasionally it simply signifies a cry of anguish directed to no one in particular.’[2] But whatever the case, the Lord, in his grace and mercy, raises up Othniel who, as we shall see, has the credentials to be, and is, every inch a hero! But who is he?

The text tells us Caleb was his uncle and also his father-in-law. We’ve met Caleb before in scripture as he was one of the spies, along with Joshua, who was sent up to spy out the land. Whereas the other spies gave a very negative report (which led to 40 years wandering in the desert) Caleb and Joshua gave a very positive one because they were convince that the Lord would be faithful and help Israel in their campaign (Numbers 13:17-33). Later at the age of 85 he got the chance to claim his inheritance when he led a campaign in Israel’s war against the nations of the land. Othniel became his son-in-law when Caleb offered his daughter to the man who could capture Kiriath-sepher (1:12-13). This obviously means that Othniel was a very brave man, but one can’t help thinking that his heritage helped and Caleb’s faith, bravery and enthusiasm prove to be inspirational and contagious! Anyway: ‘The Spirit of the LORD was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war and the LORD gave him Cushan-rishathaim King of Mesopotamia into his hand’  (v10).

One of the things I find very encouraging in this story is that Othniel, when he was raised up to be Israel’s deliverer, was probably older than Caleb was when he headed up the original military campaign. So, he was as still as zealous for the Lord’s cause in his old age! One can’t help think that just as he was inspired by Caleb, he probably became an inspiration to another generation. Isn’t it great to know that as Christians, there’s no reason why our service for the Lord should diminish with age. Indeed, it can often mature and deepen and we can be used to even greater effect as we get older if we are zealous for the Lord’s cause as Othniel was!

But the thing we mustn’t miss here is everything was the Lord’s doing. Othniel may have been Israel’s deliverer, but it is only because God chooses to use him to be his instrument! What this does prove is that when the Lord chooses to use someone who is zealous and faithful, it’s a formidable combination and can often be an unstoppable force for his cause!

[1] Warren Wiersbe, Be Available, Accepting the Challenge to Confront the Enemy, Judges (Colorado Springs, Victor Books, 1994) 26.

[2]  Dale Ralph Davis, Judges, Such a Great Salvation (Fearn, Christian Focus Publications, 2000) 50.

The book of Judges is considered a difficult book of the Bible. So this month we start a new ‘Scriptural Thought for the Month’ looking at the book of Judges to see how in dark and desperate times, when men do dark and desperate things, God is still working through the most unlikely people!

‘So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become “thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” As soon as the Angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the people of Israel, but people lifted up their voices and wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim. And they sacrificed to the LORD’ (Judges  2:3-5).

It had started so well. In Judges chapter I we see Israel working in harmony after the death of Joshua as they continue the conquest of the Promised Land. But slowly the rot sets in. There’s a reluctance to see the Lord’s instructions right through when it comes to driving out the inhabitants of the Land, and, by the time we get to chapter 2, there’s real problems as Israel had made numerous compromises with the various peoples of the land.

Not surprisingly the Lord intervenes. The Angel of the Lord delivers a stern reprimand that they have broken their covenant with him. Therefore, the people of Land would become: ‘thorns in your sides and their gods shall be a snare to you’ (v3). The message is met with a typical Israelite response, great weeping and wailing followed by the offering of a sacrifice. I don’t doubt they were sorry, but one gets the feeling this was probably because they going to suffer judgement rather than genuine heartfelt repentance.

What follows (vs6-23) is really an overview of the whole of the book of Judges. It starts by reminding us: ‘the people serve the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua’ (v7). But, a few verses later we read that: ‘there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work he had done for Israel’ (v10). I don’t think for a second that they had no knowledge of the Lord, but rather what the text is conveying here is they acted as if they were ignorant of his deliverance of them from Egypt!

The upshot of this is Israel assimilates the culture of their pagan neighbours. So, from now, on Israel could only expect the Lord’s judgement and in verse 14 we read that he: ‘gave them over to plunderers who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies so they could no longer withstand their enemies.’ But, amazing as it may seem, even in the midst of his judgement the Lord was gracious to them as, in verses 16-18, he raises up a succession of Judges to deliver his people. However, each time a Judge died the people turn back to worshipping the ‘detestable’ gods of the people of the Land. Eventually the Lord vowed he would: ‘no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died’ (v21). When people reject God, there’s a danger that eventually the Lord will leave them to the consequences of their own actions!

By this point we might be in despair. How could something that started so well could end up in such a mess? But the start of chapter 3 shows us that the Lord is not absent as, despite how things looked, he’s carrying out his purpose. In verses 1-2, he’s preparing his people for the future as not all of them had experienced warfare. So, in verse 4 we read that the nations that were left in the land: ‘were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord.’ What’s interesting about this verse is that in the Hebrew the verb is open. It’s not for us to say that they’re going to succeed, or fail. In fact we will see both success and failure as we continue through the book of Judges! So, even if the Israelites continued to be assimilated even more into the culture of the godless nations of the Land by intermarrying with them, creating an even bigger mess, God was still present. They were his people and therefore his mess, even though he was not responsible for it, and because of = his grace and mercy he had not deserted them!

In Romans 5:20 the apostle Paul writes: ‘Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.’ Paul is alluding to the work of Christ as a saviour to all who turned to him to have their sins forgiven. In the book of Judges we will see the graciousness of God as he raises up Judge after Judge to deliver his undeserving people. In the end, despite their many imperfections, could it be possible that these Judges act like a signpost to point us to the perfect and therefore greatest deliverer of all, Jesus?