Clark Kent: Shy, bespectacled, mild mannered reporter. But give him an emergency and a phone booth (you kids don’t know what one of them is, except if you watch ‘Doctor Who’), and he becomes the man of steel. Faster than a speeding locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look, up in the Sky. Is it a bird. Is it a plane. It’s Superman.
Or what about this: Steve Austin. Astronaut. A man barely alive. We can rebuild him. We can make him better than he was before. Better, Stronger, Faster.
That was the 6 million dollar man, another hero for the children of the 70s and 80s. Now, with inflation, he’d be the 6 hundred million dollar man.
The Unlikely hero. The weak hero who saves through weakness. Harry Potter is full of them – Severus Snape, who you think is evil until the last chapter. The bumbling Neville Longbottom. Even Harry himself, who like his mother before him, offers himself up to Voldermort without casting a spell so that the bloodshed will stop and his friends will be protected.
Or the hobbits in Lord of the Rings. Frodo and Sam, three foot six inches tall, bring an unlikely victory in the face of the host of Mordor. Or Two foot high Yoda, the most powerful Jedi in the universe.
Seemingly weak, insignificant, powerless. But they become heroes none the less. Weakness is turned into strength.
That is the story of the judges: So the author to the Hebrews, which we looked at in morning church last term, says in chapter 11:
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. (Hebrews 11:32-34 NIV)
Weakness turned into strength is the story of our Judges today. We turn to chapter 3 of Judges, and we see three Saviours, three Rescuers, that God raised up and used: Othniel, Ehud and Shamgar. I’ve called them ‘the Spiritual Warrior, the Sinister Minister, a Saviour with a Stick’.
Last week we saw that Israel made it to the promised land. Joshua led them in. And they wiped out many of the Canaanite nations who lived there.
In doing this, God was doing two things. First, God was punishing the evil Canaanites. And second, God was fulfilling the promise he made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses. God gave Israel the land as a free gift.
But we also notice some other things. Israel didn’t completely remove all the nations from the land. They started making deals and treaties with the people in the land (Judges 2:2). Wicked Canaanites still remained in the land.
Why did a remnant of the Canaanites remain? It was partly the result of Israel’s compromise and disobedience (eg Luz: Judges 1:22ff). They had military and strategic reasons, of course. If they made deals with some to betray the rest, it would make for an easier war. That’s why Luz survived. But then he built a city, and his wicked culture continued (Judges 1:22-26).
Israel also, seemingly, had an economic reason. Canaanites might be good to keep them as slaves. So Israel started keeping them to do the dirty work (Judges 1:28, 35). But all this was disobedience and compromise (Judges 2:2).
But God had his own reasons to allow the remnant of Canaanites to persist. God would use these Canaanites to punish Israel. They were ‘thorns’ in Israel’s side (Judges 2:3). They would serve to test Israel (Judges 2:22; 3:1, 4). Would Israel be seduced by their gods? Or would Israel remain faithful to Yahweh? (Judges 2:3) And of course, God knew. It wouldn’t be long before the Israelites were serving these Canaanite gods (Judges 2:3, 11-13, 17, 19). They would worship Baal and Asherah using the same fertility rites as the Canaanites. And in so doing, Israel would have learnt why the Holy war was necessary (Judges 3:2).
Judges sees Israel in a moral and spiritual downward spiral. At the beginning of Judges, hopes are high that Israel would be faithful. God has fulfilled his promises and Judah succeeds in clearing their part of the promised land. But by the end of Judges, we see that Israel is not that different to Canaan. At the end of the book, we have Sodom and Gomorrah in the middle of Israel, a tribe being brought to the brink of extinction, and a mass kidnapping and shotgun marriages.
What starts with great hopes ends with tragedy. The people of Israel become gradually worse. Indeed, the judges become less heroic and more like the people they save. Unlikely, flawed heroes, yet God still uses them to save his people.
Today we look at the first three Judges or deliverers: Othniel of Judah; Ehud from Benjamin; And Shamgar – we don’t know where he is from. We see with them the same pattern operating that we saw in Judges chapter 2.
God gives the people quiet and rest. But they turn to the gods of the Canaanites, the people around them. So Yahweh sends a nation to punish them. And the people call out to Yahweh in their distress. So Yahweh raises a Saviour, a judge from among them. And the Saviour delivers them. But after that Saviour dies, the people become more corrupted than they were before. So we see operating a vicious downward spiral.
First, we meet Othniel of Judah. We’ve already met Othniel in chapter 1. Othniel is the hero of Caleb’s clan (Judges 1:11-15). He is Caleb’s nephew, who takes up the challenge of capturing the city. And he wins Acsah’s hand in marriage for his valour.
Soon after the death of Joshua, Israel apostasizes. During the peace that Yahweh gave them, they turn from worshipping Yahweh. They are lured into worshipping the Canaanite god Baal and his wife Asherah. No doubt, they were attracted to the fertility rites that were involved in worshipping those pagan gods. They liked the sexually immoral worship the Canaanite gods offered.
Yahweh’s response was to raise up a nation to punish them. In this case it was a superpower from far away, from the North East.
Othniel is the first judge. He is also the model judge. He is from the tribe of Judah, of whom Jacob said:
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. (Genesis 49:10 NIV).
Moses blessed Judah with these words:
"Hear, O LORD, the cry of Judah; bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends his cause. Oh, be his help against his foes!" (Deuteronomy 33:7 NIV)
So Othniel is from the ruling tribe, the tribe destined to rule. He himself has proven himself a valiant hero already. He is Caleb’s nephew, from good stock. Remember, Caleb was the Spy who with Joshua said the people should take the land? He stood against the others, came through the 40 years of testing, and received what even Moses failed to receive.
But in one sense he is still unusual. Caleb’s family were actually proselytes. They weren’t originally Jewish, but like Ruth, they joined themselves to Yahweh. And they became more Jewish than the Jews before them. We might say, they were as Aussie as Bing Lee, or Jeff ‘I luv youse all’ Fenech or the blonde Russian Pole vaulter Tatiana Grigorieva who won silver for Australia at the Sydney Olympics, or Aussie Frank Lowie, ‘Aussie Kim’ Clijsters, who used to go out with Leyton Hewitt, so even though she’s actually Belgian, we will claim her, or Aussie Ahn Do on channel 7, who came on a boat from Vietnam. Perhaps not original, but the best. And we will claim them as Aussie heroes, especially when they win. That’s Othniel to the Jews.
The Spirit was upon Othniel. And so he went out to War against the invader. The adopted Jew against the enemy of the Jews. And Yahweh gave him victory and peace.
This was the way Israel was meant to act. By the Spirit of God, they were to meet their enemy in battle. And trusting in YHWH was to be their strategy. Othniel was the Spirit filled Warrior, and won another 40 years peace for his people.
Friends, see how God takes the outsider and brings him in. And not just brought in, but he becomes the great leaders and model. As Aussie as Aussie Kim. And as Jewish as Othniel, who wasn’t a Jew to begin with. If you are outside of Christ, come and do as Othniel did. Come and seek shelter under the wings of the mighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And who knows, maybe God will raise you too as a great warrior among us, our leader and model.
But of course Israel turned from Yahweh. In verse 12, they literally increased in their evil doing. And so God this time strengthened and sent Eglon, King of Moab. And it had to be God helping Eglon, because Eglon was a bit of a joke. He was really fat, really fat. Now, I’m fat, but Eglon was much fatter than me. Because his huge gut managed to suck in an 18 inch sword and leave no trace. Eglon was like Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars, sitting in his palace at Jericho, growing fat by oppressing others. Eglon was like Garfield the cat after pigging out on a plate of lasagne, so that he becomes helpless and immobile, with his feet no longer touching the ground. Fat and stupid like Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so greedy for me that he can’t see the disaster around the corner. The original ‘Biggest Loser’. That’s Eglon.
Ehud was from the tribe of Benjamin. There is a deep irony, because ‘Benjamin’ means, ‘son of the right hand’. But Ehud is literally, ‘bound in his right hand’. It probably meant that Ehud had a disability in his right hand. And it also probably meant that Ehud was one of the specially trained warriors of Benjamin. Ironically, Benjamin, the tribe of the right hand, had some warriors who they trained to be ambidextrous by tying up their right hands (compare Judges 20:16). A bit like if you’ve got a lazy eye, and you get a patch put over it to make it work harder. They then had the advantage of surprise in battle.
We greet each other by shaking hands. We shake with the right hand. Unless of course, you are a scout, when you shake with the left so you can salute with the right. And we shake hands that so we can’t draw our swords out.
But of course, a left hander can shake your hand and stick your belly at the same time. In latin, the word for left handed is ‘sinister’. 'Watch out for the left handers, they are cunning, underhand, deceptive. Watch out for the left handers, they are the sinister ones!' That was the way of thinking.
I remember a friend telling me what his daughter said. She saw a minister sin. And she said, ‘Hey, he’s a minister. And he’s sinning’. He’s a sinning minister. He’s a sinister!' How right she was. Nothing more sinister than a sinning minister.
Ehud is the sinister minister. He doesn’t meet his enemy in battle as a warrior, as Othniel did. He is underhanded, sneaky, sinister. He looks harmless enough, safe, friendly, on your side, but beware.
Ehud gets fat Eglon alone and promises him a surprise, a secret message. I have a hidden thing for you, a message from God. And of course, Ehud has a sword to give him, and he loses his sword. Worse than this, Eglon poos his pants – the NIV seems to be a little bit shy of this, but the King James Bible, NASB and ESV has it. That’s why his attendants think Eglon’s on the toilet ... the smell. The boy’s bible loves that bit. 'Oh, is that really in the bible?' Yes. It’s a macabre comedy, black humour. Lord Eglon, King of the Moabites, reduced to a fat pile of poo.
God can raise up such a man as Eglon to punish his people. And God can bring fat Eglon down again.
And what of Ehud? He is not a soldier but an assassin. The Spirit is not said to be upon him. He doesn’t have the valour of an Othniel. He’s not as worthy a Saviour. But he is still a Saviour nonetheless. He looks harmless. But looks can be deceptive.
For all his sinister activity, Ehud is still a Saviour. And after his decapitation strike, Ehud leads Israel to victory. 10,000 well fed Moabite troops fall. And God grants Israel 80 years peace.
Sometimes God uses noble warriors. Sometimes God uses sneaky underhanded tactics, which in themselves are blameworthy. But God is still in control, bringing about his purposes.
The third Judge, we don’t know a lot about. Shamgar is his name. We don’t know what tribe he is from. We don’t even know if he is an Israelite. In fact, it is possible that he, like Othniel, was not an Israelite. For Anath is the name of a foreign god.
Moreover, the weapon he uses is a cattle prod, a pointy stick to make cows do what you want. Shamgar is a savior with a stick. Now, I don’t know about you, but if I was going into war, and the enemy had swords and spears and bows and arrows, I would want more than a farmers stick. But God can use whoever and whatever he wants to bring his victory. God loves being the underdog because then his power is shown through human weakness. So Shamgar defeats 600 Philistines with a cattle prod. And Israel once again was saved.
Who were these three saviours? Othniel: A Spirit filled Saviour, of the tribe of Judah. But not originally Jewish, but adopted into the Jewish family. Ehud: A sinister Saviour who succeeds by surprise. Shamgar: A Saviour with a stick. And each in their own way point to our Saviour, and Judge, Jesus Christ.
Like Othniel, Jesus was a Spirit filled Saviour of the tribe of Judah. Jesus is the Son of David, the lion of the tribe of Judah. And Jesus is the Messiah on whom the Spirit rests without measure. His ministry was powered by the Holy Spirit. ‘Through the eternal Spirit’ the Messiah Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice to God' (Hebrews 9:14 NIV). And by the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus was raised from the dead (Romans 1:4; compare 1 Peter 3:18). Jesus is the Spirit empowered Saviour from the tribe of Judah par excellence.
Like Ehud, Jesus saved through surprise, and in a surprising way. Who would’ve constructed the scenario that the way countless billions would be rescued was through the Messiah dying on the cross taking their punishment and release us from the captivity of the devil.
Did the devil identify the danger? Was he saying to himself, ‘I must not let the Messiah Jesus go to the cross. I must do everything in my power to avoid the disaster of his death.’
No. One imagines Satan rejoicing at the Christ’s death and seeming defeat. Did Satan have any idea when he entered Judas to betray Jesus, that this act would release from his kingdom an innumerable multitude?
No, the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (including, one imagines, the devil). But to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
Like Shamgar, Jesus is a Saviour with a Stick. But he didn’t hit with it. He was stuck on it. By his crucifixion, Jesus saves all who look up to him with the eye of faith. As Jesus himself says:
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. (John 3:14-17 NIV)
You be one of those who believes in Jesus.
Let’s pray.
My translation of the passage
7 And the sons of Israel did evil in the eyes of YHWH, and they forgot YHWH their God, and they served the Baals and the Asheroth. 8 And the anger of YHWH burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia (Aram of the two Rivers); and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. 9 And the sons of Israel cried out to YHWH, and YHWH raised up a savior for the sons of Israel and he saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb that was smaller than him. 10 And the Spirit of YHWH was upon him, And he judged Israel. And he went out to war, and YHWH gave into his hand Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia, and he strengthened his hand over Cushan-rishathaim. 11 And the land was quiet forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
12 And the sons of Israel increased to do evil in the eyes of YHWH. And YHWH strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, for they had done evil in the eyes of YHWH. 13 And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek, and he went and he struck Israel, and they possessed the city of the palm trees. 14 And the sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. 15 And the sons of Israel cried out to YHWH, And YHWH raised for them a saviour, Ehud the son of Gera, the Son of Benjamin (lit, son of the right hand, a man bound/restricted in the right hand).
And the sons of Israel sent in his hand tribute to Eglon the king of Moab. 16 And Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges (lit, mouths), a short cubit (from elbow to the knuckles of the clenched fist) in length, and he bound it under his garment on his right thigh. 17 And he brought the tribute near to Eglon king of Moab. And Eglon [was] a very fat man.
18 And it happened that just as he completed offering the tribute, also he sent away the people carrying the tribute 19 And he turned from the idols which [were] at Gilgal, And he said, ‘King, I have for you a hidden thing/secret message’. And he said, 'Hush'. And all the ones standing about him went out from about him. 20 And Ehud came to him and he [was] sitting in the cool roof chamber which belonged to him alone, and Ehud said, ‘a thing of God I have unto you’. And he arose from upon his throne. 21 And Ehud stretched out his left hand, and he took the sword from upon his right thigh and he thrust it into his belly. 22 And also the handle went in after the blade, and the fat shut over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the faeces came out. 23 And Ehud went out into the colonnade and he shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and he bolted [them]. 24 And [when] he went out and his servants came and they saw, and look, the doors of the roof chamber [were] bolted; and they said, ‘Surely he [is] covering his feet in the cool room.’ 25 And they writhed until shame; And look, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber, and they took the key and they opened [them], and look, their Lord [had] fallen to the ground dead. 26 And Ehud escaped while they were delaying and he passed by the idols and he escaped to Seirah. 27
And it came about [that] when he arrived, also he thrust by the trumpet in the hills of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came down with him from the hills, and he [was] before them. 28 And he said to them, ‘Pursue behind [them], for YHWH has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.’ And they went down after him and they captured the fords of the Jordan belonging to Moab, and they did not grant a man to cross. 29 And they struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabites, all robust/fat and every man powerful; And not a man escaped. 30 And Moab was subdued on that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was quiet for eighty years.
31 And after him came Shamgar the son of Anath, And he struck six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad of the cattle; and he saved, even he, Israel.