As we journey through Judges, please keep in mind that this book has a lot of detail that all fits together into a big picture – you have to sort of hold on to these things simultaneously in your mind to “get it.” We started looking at the point of Judges in Take Me To Your Leader Part One and Part Two, so if you missed those you  might want to go brush up.  As we begin looking at the judges themselves, keep the four step cycle in mind that we discussed yesterday – it will repeat time and time again!

1. The people sin and fall into idolatry
2. They are oppressed by their enemies
3. They call out to God in distress
4. He raises up a judge to deliver them from their enemies

Then the judge dies and they repeat step one – only worse than before.

Other things to think about as we work through the book:

• Progress from one story to the next, or what changes take place?
• How does each story make you feel? This book is supposed to evoke an affective response.
• How does the treatment of women and the roles they take in each story relate to the main theme?

The first “judge” or “deliverer” we encounter is Othniel. His story is short and sweet, and gets that four-step pattern going:

(1) The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.
(2) 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.
(3) But when they cried out to the LORD,
(4) he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. 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. So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.

Judges 3:7-11

Not much to say here, except that I think it is interesting that Caleb’s younger brother is the first deliverer raised up. This was one faith-ful family. Now, on to Ehud.

1. Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD…
2. and because they did this evil the LORD gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. (3:12)
3. Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD…
4. and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. (3:15)

The left-handers are not forgotten. :) His handedness really does play into this story – you’ll have to read it yourself to know that I am unfortunately not embellishing. Ehud goes to Eglon (who the text points out is a rather large man) supposedly to bring him tribute money from Israel. He asks to speak to him privately, and when they are all alone, he stabs Eglon with his sword – the guards had frisked him upon entry but had checked the wrong side, not knowing that he was left-handed. The story gets really pleasant here with a description of how the entire sword sank into his belly and the fat closed around the handle. Ew.

So, how does this story make you feel? I think it is rather disgusting, almost crude – it would definitely appeal to junior high boys! The other questions don’t really apply yet as we haven’t gone through enough to see progress and there aren’t any women specifically mentioned in this account.

As always, I really do encourage you to read Judges in your Bible as we move through these posts. I don’t like not ending with a personal application, as I usually do… but again, I think we need to cover a lot of ground in Judges before we fully see the point, and then that will be the time for some application. And wow – does Judges have some sobering application for us today.