March 15, 2010 Judges 3-5

God wanted the Israelites to learn how to fight for their lives. The Philistines, Canaanites, Sidonians, and the Hivites were left alive to help make this possible. The Israelites lived among these people and intermarried and worshiped their gods. They forgot God which caused Him to be very angry with them. The Israelites were sold into slavery to Cushan-Rishathaim for eight years and cried to God to save them. Othniel was filled with the Spirit of the Lord and rose up to become their deliverer. After Cushan-R was defeated 40 years of peace prevailed until Othniel died.

Again the Israelites did evil things, so God gave Eglon king of Moab power over them. He attacked the City of Palms (Jericho) and overtook it and controlled the Israelites for 18 years. One day a man named Ehud, a southpaw, made a long dagger which he strapped to his thigh under his clothing and went to visit Eglon. Eglon was a very fat man - he was so fat that when Ehud plunged the dagger into him the entire thing was swallowed up inside him. Ehud went out the back and left Eglon with the door closed so the servants thought that Eglon was using the bathroom. The servants waited outside the door so long they were embarassed and finally went in to find the king dead. Ehud blew the trumpets calling the Israelites out to fight and they killed all the Moabites, about 10,000 in all. Moab was made subject to Israel and they had peace for 80 years.

After Ehud a man named Shamgar struck down 600 Philistines and saved Israel.

After Ehud died the pattern repeated and Israel did bad things. So the Lord let them be taken over by Jabin a king of Canaan. The commander of Jabin's army was named Sisera, who was well outfitted for battle with 900 iron chariots. The Israelites had been subject to Jabin for 20 years and cried to the Lord for help. A woman named Deborah, wife of Lappidoth, was a prophetess who was leading Israel at that time. She held court and settled disputes. She sent for Barak and told him that God had commanded him to lead 10,000 men to go to battle against Sisera, and Barak would defeat him. Barak told her that he would go only if she went too. So she went, but she said that the honor would not be his since he insisted she go too and that the Lord would hand Sisera over to a woman. Barak was up on Mount Tabor and Deboran told Barak to go down because the Lord had delivered Sisera into his hands for defeat. Sisera left his chariot and fled on foot to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber, who he thought of as friendly since they had ties to Jabin, his king. He told Jael he was thirsty and she gave him some milk and tucked him into bed. He told her to lie about his being there and he passed out from exhaustion. Jael got a tent peg and a mallet and pounded the tent peg through Sisera's temple into the ground and he died. Barak came to the tent because he was chasing Sisera and Jael went out to meet him. She told Barak to come in the tent to see the man he was searching for. The Israelites persisted against Jabin and eventually destroyed him.

Chapter 5 is the Song of Deborah. They sang the song to God. It told the details of the successes of the battle against the enemies of God. Deborah expressed her gratitude to all the volunteers who made the victory possible. I like the last line that says "...may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength." Then there was peace for 40 years. This song reminds me of the song of Moses in Deuteronomy ch32, which evidently, the Israelites had forgotten. Moses said, "Take to heart all the words I have somemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you--they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." The Israelites did not seem to have a good way to teach their children to follow God.

Tomorrow read Judges 6-7