Judges 3 Bible Study (Othniel, Ehud & Shamgar Deliver Israel From Enemies) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Amen. Can you meet me in the book of Judges chapter three, please? Judges chapter three. Tonight, we begin our study in the section of the book of Judges that now focuses on the leaders that were raised up by God, that would bring some kind of deliverance to foreign enemies that would oppress the people because of their apostasy. And in this chapter, we are told of three judges, and we get a synopsis of their achievements as deliverers.

But before we dive into these judges, who they were, what they accomplished, how God used them, we are again reminded of the climate, the spiritual climate of the nation of Israel that demanded, so to speak, the need for judges to be raised up by God to bring about deliverance. Now we read from verse one down and we'll understand what God is doing. In verse one, we are told now these are the nations that the Lord left to test Israel by them. That is all in Israel who have not experienced all the wars in Canaan. Now let's pause here before we move on.

We stopped last week on the point that because the people did not want to see total deliverance from their enemies for their selfish reasons, their sinful reasons, God allowed the nations to stay and remain as an act of judgment and discipline. And by leaving those nations, it would be a perpetual test for the people to see, am I gonna choose God or am I gonna give in to the enemy? Am I gonna marry the enemy, so to speak, or am I going to pledge my allegiance to the Lord? But as you and I come to this section, we realize that God is the one again. What does it say in verse one?

He left them, but now we have presented another reason why in his wisdom, he keeps these nations there where he could have without their participation driven them out for his own glory. He leaves them, all these nations that we read up down in these few verses. But for what reason, we are told here in verse two, it was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war to teach war to those who had not known it before. That's a lot different than what you and I have read in chapter two. Look at verse 14 of chapter two with me.

So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of the surrounding enemies so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. If you just read chapter two separately from chapter three, you would give a whole you would get a whole different understanding to why God left these nations. Wrath, discipline, anger, righteous anger. But then when we come to chapter three, we get a whole different purpose.

He leads these nations to do what? Train them. Train them. Train them to know how to engage in war because now we are in the generations that did not experience warfare like in the days of Joshua. Here's my question, was this what God wanted all along?

Who would say yes? Oh, we're we're gonna do this again. Who would say no? Who doesn't know? Let me ask.

Who doesn't wanna lift up their hand? I don't think anybody wants to lift up their hand. Is this what God wanted all along? Here's the answer. If in your heart you lifted up your hand when I said no, you're right.

That's not what God wanted all along. So how do we make sense of this? Very simply, that God is now introducing a redemptive purpose to their failures. You wanna know the mind of God? You wanna know the wisdom of God?

You wanna know the depths of his knowledge? You wanna know why God is doing this? Because in his mind, he always has restoration and redemption in mind, even in the midst of failure, national failure, generational failure. And here's what he's doing. He he he's allowing the generation prior to this one, the parents of this generation and their failure that seeped into their children's lives, he now in his wisdom is allowing this to happen so that the children who have inherited the failures of their parents would be trained in righteousness and in faith and in trust in God.

That's exactly what is happening. God is essentially saying, listen, what your parents failed to do, what the previous generation could not accomplish, I'm going to take that and now use it to build something in you and through you so that you would glorify me and know me in a way that you did not know before. That's astounding. You know what he's telling this generation? Just because your parents failed doesn't mean you have to.

And so how do we interpret it in application to our lives? Very simply this, there are many people even in this room that come from a broken home. Broken home, broken marriage, broken family life. And if you're not careful, you might think that all you will know is brokenness in your own life and in your own future family, and your emotional state, and your mental state, and your social skills. There are others who, for some reason, fail to see a righteous example in their mother, in their father, in spiritual leaders.

And you know what God is saying essentially? Just because you came from such a shattered background, just because you inherited a card that was dealt to you that you did not ask for, instead of you becoming a victim to it, instead of you experiencing bondage because of it, what am I gonna do? I'm gonna make you stronger through it. I'm gonna make a testimony out of it, and I'm gonna create something through this that will actually bless you even though it feels like a curse in your life. What about a generation of Christians that grew up in a specific church setting and it was not spiritual?

It was carnal? It was sinful? You know how many people are walking away? Do you know how many specifically Middle Eastern youth, second generations are walking away from the faith because there is no investment from the previous generation into their lives and it's not just strictly for Middle Eastern, but all cultures? Do you know why?

You know what's happening because of that? They're walking away. But this is the principle for us. You don't have to walk away. God can use the vacancy of that to stir you and encourage you to not repeat the same mistake and to not fall into the same trap.

And so the parents left the nations in the land and God says it doesn't have to continue like this. You can actually change the script if you trust in me. So even early on, we see that God already has a plan for them to be restored and renewed and utilized and cleansed and refined. By who? Because of the failures of others, the shortcomings, the lack of example.

But there's a second reason here. We've been studying Joshua and it was all about warfare, and I'm actually asking this question. Is God just wanting them to know military strategies and battle techniques just for the sake of doing so? What was the essence of victory throughout the book of Joshua when it came to their conquest? What was it?

Obedience and more specifically in the relationship with God, what was it? And obedience is right, but there is another element to it. There is an ingredient in their walk with God that made those things possible. What was it? Trust.

Faith. The only reason why they knew what they knew was because they relied on the power and wisdom of God always. So what is God doing through this? In his wisdom, look at the depths of the wisdom of God. He could have rid those nations and started with a blank canvas with this new generation, but instead he says, I see the failure.

I'm gonna keep these nations and I'm gonna teach this new generation how to trust in me. I'm gonna teach this new generation how to lean on me, pray, seek me, fast, whatever it takes. And this is the beauty. It would have been, I guess you can say, a testimony for God to just snap the finger and evaporate those nations, but instead he says, I'm gonna keep them and you're gonna see throughout a specific period of time my power, my wisdom, my glory, the miraculous, my intervention, my love, my grace, my charity. You're gonna see it through these enemies.

That's why I'm allowing this to happen. What a glorious god. What an astounding god who actually is able to take a colossal mess like this and use it to redeem. And so the question is as we read this, because he goes on from verse three to verse five to describe the different nations that are there. He names them and our hearts as readers are going, okay, is this generation gonna get it?

Are they gonna do it? Are they gonna trust God? Are they gonna are they gonna see the redemptive purpose behind this? Are they gonna are they gonna copy paste the previous generations, or are we gonna see a different cycle here? And as you and I read and we explore and we're seeing the names and we see God's mind behind it, we come to verse six and we see the end result.

And their daughters, Israelite daughters, they took to themselves for wives, rather the enemy's daughters, and their own daughters they gave to their sons and they served their gods. So we see God's perspective from heaven and then now we come down to earth and we we see what they chose to do and what did they choose to do. They intermarried with the enemy. Joshua didn't die too long ago. The elders with him didn't die too long ago, and already we are now in chapter three in blatant apostasy without much time to even breathe.

And here's here's what we look at. We read this and we go, how did it happen so fast? How did we get here so quickly? The same way people who profess to know Christ get to a place of dangerous habits and decisions in phases in phases. Look at verse five.

Look at the first phase. So the people of Israel did what? Lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And here's the second phase, and their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and here's the third phase, and they served their gods. That's how it happened.

Neighbors, in fact, you're slaves. You're gonna be performing forced labor for us. We're not gonna destroy you, we're gonna use you for our own gain, our own comfort. Okay. Harmless.

Right? Next thing you know, their daughters and their sons were attracted to them and vice versa and they married. And you know what's amazing? It's not clear here, but it could have been in their minds a strategy to say, hey, we could win them. We could win them if we marry with them.

We can bring them into worship our God. We can we can woo them to to worship who we worship. And so it could have even been a strategy like it was for Solomon who married politically so that he can be at an advantage. Then all for a sudden, as we learned a few weeks ago, it's not holiness that's easily transmitted. It's disease.

And so instead of them inspiring them, they were now lured to worship their gods, and now we have a very dangerous situation for the generations to come for the nation of Israel. And what do we learn from this? Well, one simple truth that these things can happen in our own lives. I'm telling you, people can make idols and here's the truth from it. One of the ways, the strongest ways that idolatry creeps into a believer's life is the same way it did here.

Idolatry is often the result of influence. Idolatry is often the result of influence. It's much easier to be introduced to an idol than you creating one. Oh, yes. We are capable of doing that, but we are quickly introduced to idols, especially when we are in relationships that are romantic illicitly.

If you are in this place, you'd be shocked to know you'd be shocked to know the temptation that serious minded believers have in giving their hearts to people who don't really love God. You would be shocked to know. You'd be shocked to know. You'd be shocked to know the conversations I've had with Christian young women that are tempted to marry Muslim men. You'd be shocked to know.

And here's my warning for you, if you feel like you're strong enough to engage in any kind of relationship, never mind Muslim or Buddhist, let's talk about lukewarm and half converted. If you think you're strong enough, you think that you, like the Israelites, can woo them to worship the true and living God because of your influence, I want you to think about the man who wrote to us by the spirit in his wisdom to keep your heart with all diligence. Why? For out of it springs out the wellspring of life. Solomon wrote that, make sure that you guard your heart above everything.

Make sure that you set up alarm systems, that you code it with truth. You make sure that if anybody's gonna take that heart, you know exactly who you're giving it to. Because the same man who wrote, keep your heart with all diligence, the same man, this is a commentary of his life, not in his youth, in his older years. Listen to this, in first Kings eleven four, for when Solomon was old, his wives that's that's bad enough. K?

His wives turned away his heart. The same guy that said, keep your heart with all diligence, couldn't even take his own advice. Because that is the power of emotion. That is the power of romance, whether it is genuine or it is forbidden. They turned his heart away after other gods.

And his heart was not wholly true. It was partly true, but not wholly true. Are you settling for partly true or wholly true? Holy true to the Lord his God as was the heart of David his father. Can I give you an important exhortation?

Before you plan on giving your heart to somebody, realize that they have the ability to turn it away from God or tune it to love God. Never forget that. Never forget that. And if you ever attempted to think that even though their heart is not holy for the Lord and they have idols in their life, but I still wanna give their heart, Or maybe I can change their heart. The wisest man in the world, the wisest man in the world had his heart turned to do what he warned and preached about all his life, and he had idols.

And he actually created temples to satisfy his wives to worship their gods. And so we don't know the minds behind this generation of Israelites that intermarried, but we have a warning from them for sure. And this is the spiritual climate. This is what we're dealing with. And from this scenario, we are introduced to our first judge in the book of Judges.

And so we read from verse seven down. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Begins the cycle. Here it is, that cycle that we talked about in the introduction. Here is the cycle.

It now begins. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Ashroth. Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and he sold them into the hand of the king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan rishathaim eight years. Say that 10 times.

Eight years. This is astounding for many reasons. Question, why is it significant that this man, this king came from Mesopotamia? Any idea? Mesopotamia, Mesopotamia, put up the rearview mirrors.

Mesopotamia, where have I heard that? Where have I seen that? Where have I read that? Here's where you've seen it. In Stephen's sermon in Acts chapter seven verse two, when he preaches, he gives a historical insight into his people and the redemption that God had in mind.

And look what he says in Acts chapter seven verse two, and we'll get some insight concerning Israel here. And Stephen said, brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was where? In Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. Mesopotamia, that is the origins of the nation of Israel.

Mesopotamia was where their father of the faith, the father of our faith was called out of with his idolatrous lifestyle to birth a nation that would worship the true and living God. And here they are now in the promised land experiencing the goodness of God, experiencing the fruit of obedience, and now they are in, for the first time in their national state of apostasy in the promised land, and the first oppressor that is brought in by God to discipline them is the king of Mesopotamia. And here is the insight, that if you and I are not careful and we abandon the commands of God and we walk away from his standards, we are in danger of falling under the influence of the very same thing we were called out of. If you and I are not careful to stay in fellowship and in the fear of the Lord, the very thing that God called you out of and you stood here and you testified how God delivered me from this and that, the very same things that you testified that God saved you from can potentially become your king again. Careful.

I know people who came out of drugs and when they backslid, they went into heavier drugs. People who came out of sensual lifestyles and when they went back, they did things more gross and more erratic than they did when they were even before saved. Be very careful. Mesopotamia is where they were called out of as a nation and would you know it? Mesopotamia is the first oppressor in their lives because if you're not careful to walk in his ways, you are in danger of falling under the influence of the very thing that you were called out of.

That's what Israel is experiencing. And it's amazing. How long were they in bondage under this king for? Eight years. Eight years.

Think about that. Imagine being in bondage for one year. Two? Three? Six?

Eight? And it's after eight years that we read verse nine. What do we read? But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel. Here's my simple practical question when I read this.

Why did it take you eight years? Eight years of being in bondage. Eight years of giving and sacrificing and slaving for a king who is not worthy. And it wasn't until eight whole years that you now feel the burden to now cry out to God and we're quick to judge him. Right?

There's so many out there doing the same today. There's so many out there convincing themselves, attempting to think that they can be comfortable and successful in that state of spirituality. And we don't know what the triggering point was, but it's a sad reality for some that it would take years for them before they come back to the Lord. Years. But here's what's amazing.

This speaks of our folly and our foolishness and our stubbornness, but notice this, and you'll notice this quite often in the book of Judges. No matter how long they were in bondage, the moment they cried out to God, he immediately answered. Immediately. Eight years, eighteen years, twenty years, it doesn't matter how long you've walked away from him. The moment you give a genuine cry, he brings genuine deliverance.

That is the mercy and the grace of God. That's exactly what's about to happen here. Eight years of bondage, eight years of walking away from God, eight years of experiencing the discipline of God and still not learning. How stubborn are we? But the moment they said, God deliver us.

His compassion, his bowels, as we are told in the prophets, were moved and stirred and he says, I can't help but bring restoration. And he does. And would you know it, our old friend Othniel. Othniel. Remember Othniel?

Nephew to Caleb, son-in-law to Caleb. Othniel is the first judge. And when we read about Othniel, we wonder why him? And we understand his background, so we have good reason to believe why. But it's more than just a good reason.

Othniel presented a series of judges. I believe Othniel, being the first judge, was God's ideal judge, was the standard for a leader, for his people. Think about the qualities. Let me ask, what qualities did Othniel possess? Think about it.

Boldness? Boldness. Absolutely. Caleb says, okay, let's see who is a real man of God here. I got a daughter, she's beautiful.

She's a woman of God. Alright boys, gather up. Whoever will take over these giants, your reward is you can marry my daughter. And nothing is like, you don't have to ask me twice. And he steps forward and he takes over those areas.

Why? Because it wasn't about his muscle, it wasn't about his military strength. Like we learned, every aspect of warfare determined the faith in a man. This is a man of God. You can have my daughter.

Boldness. Yes. Anything else? Was Othniel faithful to God before he was a deliverer and a judge? Yes.

Even when his task was small and even when he was under the leadership of Caleb, he still served God and faithfully obeyed him and trusted in him. So Othniel's faithfulness to God and zeal for God wasn't dependent upon a title or an opportunity. Give me what you give me, I will represent him as best as I can by his grace. Othniel. Othniel?

What about his wife? Was she godly? Oh, she was godly. What a partnership. What a family they must have raised.

Othniel married a godly woman and their household was a household of faith. What else can we say about the man? Read about him here in these two, three verses and you'll realize one simple thing that is different from other judges, especially as we go deeper into this book. You won't find a scandal with Othniel. You won't find a moral failure with Othniel.

When you are introduced to him in Joshua as a potential spouse to Caleb's daughter up to the point where he dies, in fact, he brought rest to Israel for forty years, He was constant. He was straight as an arrow. He was faithful. He remained faithful to God until the end. Compare Othniel with Samson.

So I believe Othniel is presented first, because God wants to present the ideal leader, ideal judge. And here's what you and I can learn here, because these are examples of faith and vessels that God is willing to use. Ready? If you are ready to serve God, even if you don't have the position or title of leadership, if you can serve God in your home, and if you can come to a place where you make him priority in that home, and what do we read about Othniel? Verse 10, the spirit of the Lord was upon him.

If you know how to depend upon the spirit of God, you know what you can do for God potentially? I don't care who you are or what you think about yourself, you can bless an entire generation. Othniel's qualities allowed him to bless an entire generation for forty years. That's the length of a generation. If you choose to just take this faith seriously, be bold with your faith, be serious with your faith, be committed to the Lord no matter what you're in, God can actually do something in you that can bless a generation.

Think about that. Now from Othniel, who gave, by his service, rest to the land of Israel for forty years, he dies. And the death of Othniel was what? The reset button to the cycle. Apostasy, punishment, we need you God.

Deliverance, death, apostasy. Verse 12, and the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord, notice, the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. And Eglon was so, perhaps even weak in his own knowledge, that he know he knew he needed help. So he recruits the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and they went in and defeated Israel, and they took possession of the City Of Palms. Here we are.

The same thing, different package. And the first thing that happens when Eglon recruits these other nations to come against Israel, the first thing to go is the City Of Palms. Does anybody know what city that is? Does anybody have an idea? The City Of Palms.

The City Of Palms. I hear whispers. Don't worry. You won't be looked upon as less spiritual if you don't get the answer right. If you want the answers in Deuteronomy 34, Deuteronomy 34, just a few books back, and look at verse three of Deuteronomy 34.

The Negeb and the plain that is the Valley Of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as or. So the first thing that Eglon takes over is the very first place that Israel conquered because of their faith, because of their trust and their commitment to the Lord, Jericho and its valley was in their name. And the very first thing to go because of their faithlessness was that. What's the principle? Here's the principle.

When you and I choose to walk in our own ways and we want to serve a different master even if it's your own name, you will always give something up. You will give something up. Something of joy, of peace, of victory, you will give something up. It's always coming with a price, always. And this was true for them.

Jericho was now surrounded by pagan idol worshipers, and they forfeited something that was in their possession. And the way we know victory is when we're convinced that if sin is always gonna cost me something, I so value what I have in God that I'm not willing to trade it for anything, For anything, even for a short spurt of pleasure, or even if I think it's gonna give me some advantage in my future, if I tell a lie or if I cheat. If you're so convinced of what God has given you as valuable and treasures to you, you will not be so easily convinced to give it up. The problem is people think that if you just do what you want, you'll never give anything up. That's not true.

You will. And they gave up Jericho. And when we come to verse 15, what do we read? The same thing that we read earlier. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord.

But wait, after how long? Look at verse 14. How long were they in subjection? Eighteen years. Eighteen years.

It is amazing how people can be comfortable under bondage. It's amazing how much we are willing to settle for, the lack of peace and victory, the lack of joy and purpose. It is amazing. When you talk to people and they talk about their misery, and they talk about the the enslavement, and they talk about the torture in their minds and in their souls, and you think to yourself, if it's so bad, why are you staying in this state? But they finally cry out to the Lord, and what do you see on God's end?

His willingness to answer again. And he answers, but this time he answers with a different package, Same concept, different package, because we don't get an Othniel this time. We get an Ehud. Ehud, verse 15, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left handed man. Now we read Benjaminite.

We go, that's interesting. And and then right after that, for some reason, we are told which hand is stronger than the other, which one he used. And the question is, why is the Holy Spirit wanting to take up real estate in his word to highlight to us that Ehud was a left handed man? Anybody have an idea? Anybody have an idea why?

Well, here's one reason why. Does anybody knows a special quality about the tribe of Benjamin concerning their warfare? Does anybody know? Anybody have an idea? This is worth noting.

First Chronicles chapter 12. First Chronicles chapter 12 verse two gives us an insight. They were bowmen and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either right or the left hand. They were what? Benjaminites.

Saul's kinsmen. Some people interpret Ehud's left handed quality as as an insight that he was probably disabled with his right hand, or that he, these different theories. But when you just look at the testimony of the scripture, you see that the tribe of Benjamin were trained to use their left hand. And it's a play on words. Does Does anybody know what the name Benjamin means?

Son of my right hand. Son of my right hand. So you have the son of my right hand and you have a deliverer from the tribe of the son of my right hand, who's a left handed man. Man. Play on words.

But what's interesting is that there was a special ops unit in the tribe of Benjamin where they perhaps were trained not to use their right hand so that they knew how to do warfare with their left hand. So the fact that this is being highlighted here is to not highlight a disability, but a skill. A skill. He was a very trained, highly trained, special ops soldier among the tribe of Benjamin. And the picture is that God took this man who had an incredible ability and Ehud sanctified it for the use of the kingdom and the glory of God.

If hands speak of anything in the scripture, it speaks of service. They who put their hands to the plow. If you're gonna move on in the kingdom of God and be effective, you cannot look back. Hands speak of service. Hands speak of purity.

Who shall ascend upon the hill of the Lord? He who has a pure heart and what? Clean hands. Ehud sanctified his hands to the glory of God. His skill for the purpose of Yahweh.

And what's incredible is this man who is willing to do so in the beginning of the book of Judges does not reflect the tribe of Benjamin at the end of the book of Judges where we see a civil war between the tribe of Benjamin and all the other tribes. Because Benjamin was stubborn, wouldn't repent and give up those who raped a concubine. And so what do you read of in Judges chapter 20 verse 16? Turn your pages there and look. What do we see at the end of the book of Judges?

This is in the context of the civil war with Benjamin and the rest of the tribes. And what are we told? What are we reminded? In verse 16 of Judges 20, among all these, the soldiers of the tribe of Benjamin, 700 chosen men who are left handed. Everyone could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

Can you imagine? The precision and the accuracy with their left hand, which is which is not really a dominant hand for many, but able to sling a stone and cut somebody's hair to precision. That's incredible. But here's the problem, in this context, it wasn't sanctified for God's purpose. It was actually utilized to bring division and destruction toward God's purpose.

And so in the beginning of the book of Judges, you see one man from Benjamin saying, Lord take my hands and do as you please. At the end of the book of Judges, you see the tribe of Benjamin who had this incredible skill and ability and saying, forget you. This is about me, myself, and I. And God, what you gave me, I'm gonna do as I please with it. God said, be fruitful and multiply.

You as a nation, you're gonna have descendants as numerous as the stars and the the the grain of sand on the beach. And what are they doing at Judges 20? They're killing each other. They're killing each other. And we all have the same choice as Ehud or at the end of the book of Judges.

Lord, you can use me and whatever I have to give, whatever you've deposited in me, sanctify it for your purpose, or Lord, I will utilize it for my own. But it's it's more than that because as you know today, numbers show that there are less, much less people who are left handed dominantly than right handed. Right? That's still true today and it was true back then, especially among soldiers. Very, very few men were known to being dominant with their left hand.

And that is important because what do we read about Ehud here? We read here in verse 16, and Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it where? On his right thigh. On his right thigh, under his clothes. And we think, why is this being told to us?

Because Ehud is about to operate as an assassin. And the reason why we're being prepared with this information is so that we know Ehud is gonna come with a surprise attack toward Eglon. And so we are being brought into the strategy, and here's the strategy, Ehud represents an unusual and unexpected servant to perform the will of God that's almost unorthodox and uncommon, because that's what God does. He loves to use the unusual and the unexpected, and God doesn't always operate in our cookie cutter, how seminaries push push out preachers. God's mind is beyond that, and God is not limited, Because if we think that there's a way and there's a model to do it, we will feel like David in Saul's armor.

That's what they wanted to do with David. There's the enemy. You think that God's gonna help you? Then put on Saul's armor. And you know how David felt?

He's like, I really don't like this. You're putting something on me that that seems standard, but it's not the way God called me and wired me. Just give me some rocks and here's my slingshot. And so sometimes we look at a model of how something works and we wanna imitate it and we wanna implement it and we wanna copy paste it, and God is not limited to the way we think. He uses people.

And so Ehud has his sword strapped to his right thigh and he's about to go now as a chosen person to give a tribute to Eglon and he's about to approach Eglon. And if there's any searching for him to go into the presence of the king, perhaps they would have missed it because they thought people are usually right handed. And so what happens with Eglon, what happens with Ehud, we read here in verse 17 down that he goes and gives a tribute and he has people joining him. And as they come up, they give their tribute. Ehud walks away with the fellow Israelites and as they walk away, look at verse 19, but he himself turned back at the idols near Gilgal and said, I have a secret message for you, oh king.

So here's what happened. They give their tribute, perhaps it was some kind of tax, perhaps it was some kind of offering to this pagan king. And what happens? They turn back, they walk away and as they walk away, the other fellows move on. He's here at a specific location.

Gilgal, which represents what? The 12 stones that came out of the Jordan. Gilgal that represents the circumcision that was made as an act of covenant before God. And what's surrounding Gilgal? Idols.

Eglon comes in and plants his own images of false gods around the place of God's declaration of faithfulness and goodness and mercy. And surely Ehud is stirred in his spirit as he sees the sight. How far have we come? How did we get here? And so he tells his brethren to move on and he stops at that point, turns around and he's about to perform his deed.

He comes up to the king and I'm just gonna describe it, you can read it for yourself, I'm not making any of this stuff up. Comes up to Eglon in the presence of his servants and we are told that Eglon was a very obese man, very obese. And it speaks about his character. He lacked self control. He lacked discipline.

He's a picture of the flesh unleashed. And he says, I have a secret message for you, oh king. And the king says, silence. And he dismisses all his servants. And what are we told?

We read that he approaches the king and he says, I have a message for you from God. And when he approaches Eglon, Eglon stands up, perhaps anticipating that he's going to whisper in his ear, and instead, with stealth, approaches Eglon, pulls out his knife from his right thigh, plunges it into his belly, and we are told he is so obese that his fat even rolled over the handle of the knife. The man stands there in shock, falls to his death, but even more specifically, that knife was so driven in an area that dung came out of him. Feces. Ehud locks the door, he makes his way and escapes and the servants of Eglon are standing outside the door and waiting and wondering what's taking so long.

A message doesn't take that long to deliver. And all of a sudden they come to the conclusion that perhaps with embarrassment, he's actually refreshing himself. He's using the bathroom. And I always wondered why they thought that. And then I made the connection that perhaps they smelled the dung.

And they realized, okay, he's probably using the bathroom. I don't know why he's using it with Ehud in there with him, but And then finally they realize this is taking too long. They barge in, they open, they see their Lord dead. And they're too late, because we read here in verse 26. Ehud escaped while they delayed and he passed beyond the idols and escaped to Sira.

When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader. Verse 28. And he said to them, follow after me, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand. So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and did not allow anyone to pass over. I love this man.

You notice that he gave glory to God for the stealthy, and some criticize you here for being deceptive and cunning, but he was acting as an agent of God's judgment and deliverance. He kills Eglon, and when he comes, I want you to see, if we're talking about leadership and examples of God's vessels, notice his language. Notice the sequence. He approaches the people, he grabs a trumpet, he blasts the trumpet, they gather and he says, follow after me. And he grants them confidence.

What? The Lord has given the Moabites into your hand. Now he just killed one guy. The king, important fellow, yes, but there's still a whole army of Moabites. But do you see the faith in Ehud?

Do you see the faith that this man possessed? Do you see what made him a rightful and righteous leader? I'll tell you how. The reason why Ehud could say follow after me and grant them the assurance that God would bring deliverance to all of them was because he himself saw deliverance in and through his own life. Ehud had no right to be able to say the Moabites are in your hand if he himself did not experience God bringing Eglon into his hand.

And if leadership can confidently save any vessel of of a person of faith can ever say and give people the assurance that they can be delivered from sin, from worldliness, from inconsistencies, they themselves must know that the Lord is able to do it in and through them first. Ehud says, I know that God can bring deliverance to you because I've seen it in my own life. Follow after me. That is true leadership. That is true Christian living in discipleship.

I've seen it. I've experienced it. I've walked past it. I'm living in it. Come and join me, and let's see God do it in your life.

And they did, and they moved on, and they saw victory. And I love this. Ehud's story ends with this, he gave the people the confidence that whatever was oppressing them, depressing them, beating them, he could say, God will give victory into your hand because this left handed man saw God do it in him. And Ehud gives us a ring to a New Testament fellow, Paul. Right?

What did Paul say in that simple verse that I don't I don't I don't think I'm sure I've never heard any other human say it. I love how it's said in the King James. It's clarified in modern translations, but you know it as be followers of me as I am of Christ. First Corinthians eleven one. Esu would say, be imitators of me as I imitate Christ.

Have you ever heard a human being say, follow me as I follow Christ? We hear that, we say, what an arrogant fool. Who would ever dare to think that they have the right to say, follow me? You don't say follow me, you say follow Jesus. But Paul's not operating in pride here, God forbid, and he knew that very well.

This is what Paul is saying, because what Paul is saying is what every Christian should aspire for. Listen. Paul's passions, his desires, his ambitions, his plans, his dreams were so centered on Christ, were so targeted towards his glory and his honor, he was able to say, if you live the way I live, you will grow in your reflection of Christ and honor to his name. That's astounding as well. His pattern, his habit, his determination was so obvious.

He was so confident to look at another Christian and say, if you actually live the way I live, you will grow in Jesus Christ. And every single one of us should aspire to say, if you to watch my life and imitate my life from Monday to Sunday, you don't have to fear. You would actually grow in the Lord. Can we say that? Or would we be fearful of even giving the suggestion?

Because we know that a person wouldn't grow in God, they would actually revert back to their old man or they would stay in the same place. And you think, are you sure that's what Paul's saying? Well, first Corinthians 11 is a statement made after an emphatic statement made in first Corinthians ten thirty one. You've quoted it. It's probably in your kitchen wall or in a mug somewhere.

First Corinthians ten thirty one. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. And then two verses later says, imitate me. Because when I eat, when I drink, whatever I do, I do for God's glory. Amazing.

Ehud could say, follow after me. Follow my lead because I've seen God deliver my enemy, my flesh into my hand, he'll do the same for you. He'll do the same for you. These judges seem very impressive, right, off the start? Well, it's not gonna last too long, but we do have one more fellow.

We come back to verse 31 of Judges chapter three. And what do we read here in Judges chapter three? One verse for the next judge after Ehud. And we are told, after him was Shamgar, the son of Enath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an ox goad, and he also saved Israel. Full stop.

Next chapter. Shamgar doesn't seem very impressive. It doesn't seem very, bold or courageous. There doesn't seem to be much highlight there like Ehud. Ehud, like, it grips you when you read it.

When you hear it, it grips you. You can just imagine it as a scene in a movie almost. Then you come to Shamgar and we almost think, Lord, was it even necessary to mention the man? I'm sure if we removed him from this, that would be fine because we don't really draw anything from Shamgar's mention anyway. And that's exactly the point.

Because what man fails to honor and recognize, God does. The little that we see, I mean, 600 Philistines in comparison to what? What do we read in verse 29? Of 10,000 Moabites that were slaughtered? 10,000 to 600?

You're talking about a sword with a left handed man that kills a man in his own palace? And here's here's Shamgar. He has an ox goat. You know what an ox goat is? I didn't know.

A long stick with a pointy edge and another scrape on the other end that pokes oxen so they can go in a certain direction and the other piece cleans the machine. An ox goad. This is not very attractive. So why dimension? Because God is unlike us.

He does not fail to recognize any act of obedience. And there are many unsung heroes in our day just like in the days of judges. And it's a beautiful picture of God never failing to reward or recognize a servant who has acted out in obedience. Whether they were praised by their fellow man or not, God will have their name esteemed. And I love this because 600 Philistines, we think, okay, and an ox goad, and we go under, why an ox goad?

I mean we just read of a man who customized a sword and it's perhaps because the Philistines had a strategy whenever they oppressed a people. So look at this. In first Samuel 13, look at this in verse 19 and it will make sense. An ox goat is a farming instrument. It's not very threatening.

But what are we told here? This is in David's day. Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel for the Philistines, the the same group of people, the Philistines said, lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears. So it's very possible that even early on in the book of Judges, they had the same strategy. They removed all blacksmith, those who would make weapons, they fired them, they closed down shop so that there was no threat of a revolt from the Israelites.

So Shamgar as a deliverer had no option other than what he did for a living, that was be a plowman. And all he had at his disposal was an ox goad. And here's the lesson, whatever you would give God, whatever is at your disposal, he will use it to do miracles if you're for his glory and his honor. Lord, we only have an ox goad. The Philistines literally shut down everything.

What do we do? Well, whatever's in your hand, just like that little boy with those fish and loaves, give it to me and watch what I'll do. You know, there are many believers that think that they need to be like an Ehud, extremely skilled. Right and left hand. They can make a sword, they're bold enough to step into the presence of a king and look him in the face and then kill him.

There are many people who feel like the only way they can be effective and recognize and bear fruit is that if they're able to blow a trumpet and everybody follow their lead and then all for a sudden we're introduced to a Shamgar. 600 Philistines and an ox goad and yet still with limited resources, limited influence, God still recognized, anointed and used. Here's the principle, give him what you have and watch what God will do with it. Watch what God will do with it. I love the fact that the Philistines shut down shop.

And we look at our day today and we think that the church cannot be as effective as she was before this whole pandemic, whatever you want to call it. No church, no this, no that. What does the church do? Crawl in the corner and wait for the rapture? Lord, we don't have our resources.

Lord, people are not giving us much. Lord, we can't be able to reach out. Lord, we can't open doors. Lord, we can't do this. People are not coming.

They're afraid. They want to wear whatever it is. Lord, it seems like everything has been stripped from us. Or do we act in faith and say, Lord, this is what we got. Do something, Lord.

Whatever you want to do, do it, and God will do something with it. So individually or corporately, here's the principle from Shamgar's life. Whatever's in your hand, give it to him, and watch what he'll do with it. And although Shamgar had a farm tool, what are we told? The same conclusion as the other judges.

He saved Israel. He saved Israel. You have no idea what your little obedience with your little resources can do. You have no idea. You think you're only impacting 600 whereas an Ehud touched 10,000, but the 600 had the same result as the 10,000.

You have no idea what one act of obedience can do for the kingdom and the glory of God. You have no idea what one opportunity can do for the kingdom and the glory of God. I love Ravi Zacharias' story because he tells of I love his stories. And he tells of one story where he speaks about the man who brought the Bible to his hospital room when he had committed suicide or attempted to commit suicide. And there he was in his hospital bed and somebody had brought a Bible to him and his mother read that verse that changed his life.

Because I live, you also will live. And he tells the story of how he he had, throughout his life, kept in touch. He had kept in touch with this man, this unsung hero, this Shamgar, so to speak. And one day this man told Ravi Zacharias, I feel like my entire ministry, I feel like the reason why God called me to be a missionary, all of that was for this one thing to give that Bible to you in that hospital room. I feel like that's all I've lived for.

One opportunity, one act of faithfulness, one handout of a small bible, and a man has a ministry that is international. You have no idea what one act of obedience, one word of encouragement, one track can do if you just have it in your mind to live for the glory of God. So don't be discouraged if you feel like you don't have the influence of a Ehud. God records the Shamgar as well. Let's pray.

Father, tonight, we thank you for this bible study. Lord, we see that in your mind you continually have restoration and redemption for even those who chose to walk away from you. Lord, for those in this place who have inherited brokenness from a previous generation, Failure, lack of example, lack of resources, lack of spiritual training. Lord, let them know that it doesn't have to be repeated in their lives, but that that can be used to train them and build them and see your faithfulness despite failure being handed to us. Father, we think about the different judges you raised up in this day and we see great examples, Lord, to inspire us as Hebrews 11 tells us to look to as inspirations of faith.

And Lord, in a day like this where things have been stripped from the church in the West and around the world, help us out of faith to give you what we have, whatever tools and resources. Lord, we give you the sanctuary. We give you the sanctuary with the limitations that it has with the attendance And we say, God, multiply it. Do something wonderful and marvelous. Lord, for every person in here who feels discouraged because they don't have a pulpit, they don't have a a YouTube channel, they don't have a Facebook page, They feel like they have nothing to reach out.

They don't have a dagger that's sharp enough. They don't have a weapon that can shoot far enough. Let them know tonight with everything within them that you can bless and anoint what they have in their hands now. May they feel that and believe that. And tonight, Lord, may people dedicate what is theirs to you to trust that you can do something miraculous even if it comes down to one simple act of obedience that can have a harvest unlike we've ever even dreamed of.

Lord, tonight we are inspired. In the midst of failure and apostasy in this book, we are inspired that this is the God that we serve tonight, and we give you glory, we give you honor, we give you praise. And tonight, Lord, as an act of faith, we respond by handing you what's ours. In Jesus' name, amen. That's between you and the Lord tonight, because this isn't information night.

This is bible study, and all doctrine that is taught is to draw us to the person. So if you feel drawn to the Lord, in this particular lesson, you give him what you have in this place, and things can change for you. Things can change for you.