Judges 3:1-11
Now these are the nations that the Lord left to test all those in Israel who had no experience of any war in Canaan (it was only that successive generations of Israelites might know war, to teach those who had no experience of it before): the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their ancestors by Moses. So the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and they took their daughters as wives for themselves, and their own daughters they gave to their sons; and they worshipped their gods. The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, forgetting the Lord their God, and worshipping the Baals and the Asherahs. Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim; and the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the Israelites, who delivered them, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. The spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel; he went out to war, and the Lord gave King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. So the land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.
Reflection
The opening verses continue the idea of God testing Israel, although the inevitability of war with other nations is introduced. There is an ambiguity here. Is the writer suggesting that sometimes war cannot be prevented (or might be considered ‘just’), or does v.4 perhaps imply that total obedience to God’s commands might produce different outcomes? I leave you to ponder that.
Verses 5-6 set the scene. The Israelites are living among other peoples, integrating with them; and apparently worshipping their gods, instead of, or alongside, their own God. Then comes the first ‘deliverer’ story.
It contains very little detail, hardly warranting the description ‘story’; but it provides a paradigm for the following series of stories. Israel sins against God (v.7); God ‘sells’ them to the power of another people, who oppress them for a specified timespan (v.8), they turn back to God, crying for help and God raises up someone to deliver them (v.9); God’s spirit equips the ‘judge’ who leads Israel into war and God gives Israel the victory over the oppressor (v.10); the land has rest for 40 years and the deliverer dies (v.11).
The only noteworthy details are the oppressor’s identity – a king of Aram (Syria) located to the north of Israel and that of the deliverer, Othniel. He featured in Judges 1:11-15, in a story ‘borrowed’ from Joshua 15:15-19 which locates him in the south of Judah. The writer is trying to suggest that these ‘events’ impact the whole land of Israel and all its people; but as we will see each subsequent story is confined to a smaller geographic area and the Israelite tribe (or tribes) living there.
40 years represents a generation and it’s also symbolic (many biblical stories mention 40 days or years); but the concept of the land – not the people – having rest is unexpected. The land always belongs to God; it needs to be quiet, undisturbed, in order to flourish and provide for all its inhabitants.
Othniel is the exemplary deliverer; but he has no lasting impact. Israel has not learned to obey God – have we?
Prayer
Gracious God,
forgive us when we forget that the world belongs to you;
and when we disturb its rest by failing to obey your commands.
Help us to learn from the mistakes of your people of old; and from those of our own generation.
In words by H. E. Fosdick (Rejoice & Sing 344)
Cure thy children’s warring madness;
bend our pride to thy control;
shame our wanton, selfish gladness,
rich in things and poor in soul. Amen