Judges 3 establishes the cyclical pattern that dominates the book: Israel sins, God allows oppression by foreign nations, Israel cries out, and God raises a deliverer (a judge). This chapter details why God allowed pagan nations to remain in the land—to test Israel’s obedience and teach them warfare. It then chronicles the first three judges: Othniel, who delivers Israel from Mesopotamia; Ehud, a left-handed strategist who assassinates the Moabite king Eglon; and Shamgar, who defends Israel against the Philistines with a simple farming tool.
1. The Test of the Nations (Judges 3:1–6)
Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. 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. These are the nations: 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 fathers by the hand of Moses. So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.
Commentary:
- Divine Purpose in Incomplete Conquest: The text explains that the remaining nations were not merely a military failure by Israel, but a providential test. God used the presence of these nations to test Israel’s faithfulness and to teach the younger generation the reality of warfare—both physical and spiritual.
- The Danger of Coexistence: The list of nations (Philistines, Canaanites, Sidonians, Hivites) represents a formidable cultural and military threat surrounding Israel.
- The Failure of Israel: Instead of remaining separate and holy, Israel assimilated. This is the root of the “Canaanization” of Israel.
- Intermarriage and Idolatry: Verse 6 highlights the downward spiral: living among them led to intermarriage, which inevitably led to serving their gods (Baal and Asherah). This directly violated the prohibitions in Deuteronomy 7:3-4.
- Insight: God often leaves difficulties or “enemies” in our lives not to defeat us, but to train our hands for spiritual battle and to test the allegiance of our hearts.
2. Othniel: The Model Judge (Judges 3:7–11)
And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. The Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
Commentary:
- The Cycle Begins: This section presents the paradigmatic cycle of Judges: Sin (idolatry) -> Anger/Oppression -> Supplication (crying out) -> Salvation (Judge).
- The Oppressor: “Cushan-rishathaim” literally means “Cushan of Double Wickedness.” He came from Mesopotamia (Aram-naharaim), a distant and powerful region, indicating the severity of the judgment.
- The Deliverer: Othniel is the ideal judge. He is related to Caleb (representing the faithful generation) and is described without any character flaws, unlike later judges (like Samson or Jephthah).
- The Spirit’s Empowerment: Verse 10 is crucial: “The Spirit of the Lord was upon him.” In the Old Testament, the Spirit came upon individuals for specific tasks of leadership and warfare. It was a divine endowment for a specific office.
- Rest: The result of righteous leadership was “rest” (peace and security) for forty years, a standard generation.
- Insight: True deliverance requires divine empowerment. Othniel did not win by mere strategy, but because the Spirit of the Lord equipped him to judge and fight.
3. Ehud and the Fat King (Judges 3:12–25)
And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms. And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab. And Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his clothes. And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. And when Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. But he himself turned back at the idols near Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he commanded, “Silence.” And all his attendants went out from his presence. And Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he rose from his seat. And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the dung came out. Then Ehud went out into the porch and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them.
When he had gone, the servants came, and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber.” And they waited till they were embarrassed, but when he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them, and there lay their lord dead on the floor.
Commentary:
- Divine Sovereignty over Enemies: Verse 12 states explicitly that the Lord strengthened Eglon against Israel. God uses foreign powers as instruments of discipline.
- The “City of Palms”: This is Jericho. Though destroyed by Joshua, it was an oasis region now occupied by Moab, giving them a strategic foothold west of the Jordan.
- Ehud the Left-Handed: Ehud is a Benjaminite (which means “Son of the Right Hand”), yet he is “bound in the right hand” (left-handed). In ancient warfare, left-handedness was rare and unexpected.
- The Stratagem:
- The Weapon: A short, double-edged sword (dagger), easily concealed.
- The Concealment: Because he was left-handed, he strapped the sword to his right thigh. Guards checking for weapons would typically check the left thigh (where a right-handed man draws from).
- The Setting: Ehud uses the pretext of a “secret message” (implying an oracle or intel) to gain a private audience.
- The Assassination: The description is graphic and somewhat satirical. Eglon is depicted as grotesque and gluttonous (representing Moab’s consumption of Israel). The “message from God” was the sword itself.
- The Escape: Ehud locks the doors, creating a delay. The servants assume the king is using the toilet (“relieving himself”), allowing Ehud ample time to flee.
- Insight: God can use what society deems a defect or anomaly (left-handedness) and turn it into a strategic advantage for His kingdom.
4. The Defeat of Moab (Judges 3:26–30)
Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah. When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader. 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. And they killed at that time about 10,000 of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest eighty years.
Commentary:
- Rallying the Troops: Ehud is not just an assassin; he is a military general. He blows the shofar (ram’s horn) in the hill country to gather the militia of Ephraim.
- Strategic Victory: By seizing the “fords of the Jordan,” Ehud cut off the retreat of the Moabite army stationed in Israel. They were trapped between the Israelites and the river.
- Decisive Victory: The text emphasizes that the Moabites killed were “strong, able-bodied men.” This was a crushing blow to Moab’s military capacity.
- Longest Rest: The victory secured 80 years of peace, the longest period of rest recorded in the book of Judges.
- Insight: Individual acts of courage (the assassination) must be followed by corporate action (the army gathering) to secure lasting freedom.
5. Shamgar (Judges 3:31)
After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel.
Commentary:
- A Minor Judge: Shamgar receives only one verse, yet his impact is significant.
- The Weapon: An “oxgoad” was a long wooden pole (up to 8 feet) with a metal tip, used to drive oxen. It was a farming tool, not a weapon of war. This suggests the Philistines may have already disarmed the Israelites (a theme seen later in 1 Samuel 13).
- The Enemy: This is the first major mention of conflict with the Philistines, who would become Israel’s primary antagonist in the days of Samson, Saul, and David.
- Son of Anath: “Anath” was a Canaanite war goddess. This might suggest Shamgar had a mixed background or that his family was influenced by Canaanite culture, yet God used him to save Israel.
- Insight: God is not limited by a lack of resources. He can use a farmer with a stick to defeat an army if the man is willing to stand his ground.
Theological Significance of Judges 3
- The Justice and Mercy of God: God is just in disciplining sin (raising up oppressors) but merciful in hearing the cries of His people (raising up deliverers).
- The Sovereignty of God: The text repeatedly attributes the rise of enemies (“The Lord strengthened Eglon”) and the rise of heroes (“The Lord raised up a deliverer”) to Yahweh. He controls history.
- Spiritual Apostasy: The root cause of Israel’s trouble is forgetting the Lord and adopting the cultural idols of the surrounding nations.
- Types of Christ: The judges serve as imperfect “types” (shadows) of Christ. They are “saviors” (lower-case s) who bring temporary physical deliverance, pointing to the need for an ultimate Savior who brings eternal spiritual deliverance.
Practical Applications
- Guard Your Heart: Israel’s downfall began with “forgetting” the Lord. Believers must actively remember God’s grace through scripture and worship to avoid sliding into sin.
- Use What You Have: Whether you are a standard leader like Othniel, have a unique trait like Ehud, or possess only a work tool like Shamgar, God can use you where you are.
- Don’t Underestimate the Enemy: The nations were left to “test” Israel. Spiritual warfare is a reality, and believers must be prepared (“know war”) through prayer and the Word.
- The Power of Crying Out: No matter how far Israel fell, God responded when they turned to Him in genuine desperation. It is never too late to call upon the Lord.
Final Insight
Judges 3 demonstrates that God’s deliverance often comes in unexpected packages. From the nephew of a hero to a left-handed trickster to a farmer with an oxgoad, God uses human vessels—flaws and all—to shatter the chains of oppression when His people return to Him.
Leave a Reply