Othniel: The First Judge

Living side by side. “Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites” and five other nations (3:5). God had told Israel not to copy the people of the land. Instead they settled in among them and copied their ways. One step at a time. First they lived next to them. Then they married into their families. Then “they served their gods” (3:6). Turning away from God usually happens one small step at a time. Baal and Asherah. Baal was a made-up god people prayed to for rain and good crops. Asherah was a made-up goddess. People set up statues and wooden poles for them. “Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands” (Psalm 115:4). They forgot. “They forgot the Lord their God” (3:7). Israel still knew the stories of Egypt and the Red Sea. But they stopped living as if God was real and near. God saw it. “The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord” (3:7). Nothing is hidden from God's eyes. Remember Him. David prayed, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits” (Psalm 103:2). Benefits means the good things God does for us. What this means for you. An idol is anything you love or trust more than God. Ask God to show you if something is pushing Him out of first place, and thank Him every day for what He has done.

Dwelt among (3:5). Israel lived among six nations: Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. God had said, “You shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land” (2:2). Israel did the opposite and settled in comfortably beside them. Marriage and worship (3:6). Moses had warned that marrying into these families would turn Israel's sons away from the Lord to serve other gods (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). That is exactly what happened: “they served their gods.” The problem was never where a person came from. Rahab and Ruth joined Israel and trusted the Lord. The problem was a heart pulled toward other gods. Baal and Asherah (3:7). Baal (say: BAH-al) means lord or master. The Canaanites believed he sent storms and rain. Asherah (say: ah-shay-RAH) was a goddess worshiped at carved wooden poles. In a farming land, Baal looked useful. Idols often promise the very things only God can give. Forgot (3:7). The Hebrew word shakach (say: shah-KAKH) means to forget, and here it means to ignore and leave behind. Israel still knew God's name. They stopped trusting and obeying Him. Judges 2:10 explains that a new generation grew up “who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.” Evil in the sight of the Lord (3:7). Israel did evil in God's sight again and again in Judges (3:12; 4:1; 6:1). Right and wrong were measured by what God saw, not by what the nations thought or what Israel felt. Exchanging glory. Paul describes the same trade: people “changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man” (Romans 1:23). For you. John ends his first letter, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). Anything you depend on for joy, safety or worth more than Christ has become an idol. The cure is to remember Him on purpose: “That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God” (Psalm 78:7).

Joshua and the older leaders had died. Their children grew up in the land. But they did not remember what God had done. The people around them served fake gods. Israel lived side by side with those people. Then Israel married into their families. Soon Israel was serving their gods too. The Bible says they forgot about the Lord their God. Forgetting God is more than losing a thought. It means living as if He is not there. An idol is anything we love more than God. It could be a game, a toy or being liked. God wants first place in our hearts. He never forgets us, and He wants us to remember Him.

God's people forgot God. They served idols instead. An idol cannot love you. Only the true God loves you that much.

God's anger. “Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel” (3:8). God's anger is not a bad temper. It is His holy, right response to sin, because sin ruins the people He loves. Slow to anger. “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy” (Psalm 145:8). God had been patient with Israel for a long time. Sold. God “sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim” (3:8). Israel had chosen other masters, so God let them feel what having another master was like. A far-off king. Cushan-Rishathaim was “king of Mesopotamia” (3:8). His land was far to the northeast, near the great Euphrates River. Eight years. “The children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years” (3:8). They had served false gods. Now they served a foreign king. Love that corrects. “For whom the Lord loves He chastens” (Hebrews 12:6). Chastens means corrects and trains. God's discipline shows that He has not given up on His people. What this means for you. When sin leads to hard things, God is not pushing you away. He is calling you back to Himself, and He is ready to forgive.

The anger of the Lord (3:8). The Hebrew af (say: AHF) can mean nose or anger, and the phrase pictures anger burning hot. God's anger is His settled, just opposition to evil. It is never cruel or out of control. When God showed Moses His glory, He proclaimed Himself “merciful and gracious, longsuffering” (Exodus 34:6). Sold (3:8). Makar (say: mah-KAR) is the ordinary word for selling. God handed Israel over to the kind of master they had chosen. Judges 2:14 uses the same picture: “He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around.” Cushan-Rishathaim (3:8). Rishathaim (say: rish-ah-THAH-im) means double wickedness. It may have been a nickname Israel gave him. He came from Aram Naharaim (say: ah-RAHM nah-hah-RAH-im), which means Aram of the two rivers, a region in the north of Mesopotamia far from Canaan. Served (3:7-8). The same Hebrew verb avad (say: ah-VAHD) is used for serving the Baals and for serving Cushan. Whoever refuses to serve God ends up serving something cruel. Jesus said, “Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). A test with a purpose. God left the nations in the land “so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the Lord” (2:22). The eight years brought Israel to the end of its own strength. Discipline that heals. “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). For you. Hard results of sin are not proof that God has rejected you. They are an invitation to come home to the Father who disciplines the children He loves.

God was angry with Israel. God is never angry for no reason. He was angry because sin is wrong and hurts His people. So God let a king from another land rule over Israel. His long name was Cushan-Rishathaim. His land was far away to the northeast. For eight years Israel had to serve him. Those years were hard and sad. But God had not stopped loving His people. A good parent corrects a child because of love. God was using hard times to bring Israel home. Sometimes God lets us feel how bad sin really is. Then we run back to Him.

God was angry at sin. He let a king from far away rule them. God wanted His people to come back to Him.

A cry for help. “When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord” (3:9). This is the memory verse. Israel did not fix itself first. It simply cried out. God answered. “The Lord raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel” (3:9). A deliverer is a rescuer, someone who sets people free. Mercy, not payment. Israel did not deserve help. God helped because He is kind. “The Lord was moved to pity by their groaning” (2:18). Pity means kind sadness for someone who is hurting. Othniel. He was “the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother” (3:9). Caleb was the spy who trusted God when ten others were afraid. Caleb “wholly followed the Lord God of Israel” (Joshua 14:14). Ready already. Years earlier, Othniel had captured a strong city called Kiriath Sepher, and Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah as his wife (Judges 1:12-13). God had been getting His rescuer ready all along. God hears. “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). What this means for you. You never have to clean yourself up before you call on God. “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

Cried out (3:9). Za'aq (say: zah-AHK) is a loud cry for help. It is the same kind of cry Israel raised as slaves in Egypt (Exodus 2:23). Israel's cry came from pain, and God answered it with mercy. He was “moved to pity by their groaning” (2:18). Raised up (3:9). Israel did not elect Othniel, and he did not seize power. “The Lord raised up a deliverer.” Every rescue in Judges begins with God's choice (2:16). Deliverer (3:9). The Hebrew moshia (say: moh-SHEE-ah) means one who saves. It comes from yasha (say: yah-SHAH), to save. The name Yeshua (say: yeh-SHOO-ah), Jesus, comes from the same root and means the Lord saves. The angel told Joseph, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Caleb's family (3:9). Othniel the son of Kenaz came from the family of Caleb, who “wholly followed the Lord God of Israel” (Joshua 14:14). Faith had been lived out in front of him for years. A proven man. Othniel had already captured Kiriath Sepher, also called Debir, and married Caleb's daughter Achsah (Joshua 15:15-17; Judges 1:11-13). God often trains His servants in smaller battles before larger ones. Mercy before merit. The order matters: Israel sinned, suffered and cried out, and then God sent a savior. Titus 3:5 describes our salvation the same way: “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.” For you. “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). The first step home is not a promise to do better. It is a cry for help to the Savior God has already provided.

After eight hard years, Israel cried to the Lord. They did not use fancy words. They just called out to Him for help. And the Lord heard them! God did not tell them it was too late. He sent a man to save them. His name was Othniel son of Kenaz. Othniel came from Caleb's family. Caleb was one of the spies who trusted God long before. Othniel had seen that kind of faith up close. God had a rescuer ready before Israel even asked. God still hears people who cry out to Him. You can call to Him anytime, anywhere.

Israel cried to God for help. God heard them. He sent Othniel to save them. God hears you too!

The Spirit came. “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel” (3:10). Othniel's power came from God, not from his muscles or his plans. He judged. To judge Israel meant to lead the people, set things right and rescue them. A judge in this book was more like a rescuer and leader than a courtroom judge. The Lord gave the win. “The Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand” (3:10). Othniel went out to fight, but God won the battle. “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). Rest. “So the land had rest for forty years” (3:11). For forty years Israel lived free and in peace. Then he died. “Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died” (3:11). Othniel was a good gift from God, but he could not live forever. A better Deliverer. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me” (Luke 4:18). He came to set people free from sin. He died, and then He rose again and lives forever. What this means for you. The same Holy Spirit lives in everyone who trusts Jesus. He gives you courage to do what God asks, even when you feel small.

The Spirit of the Lord (3:10). Ruach (say: ROO-akh) means Spirit, breath or wind. Here it is the Spirit of the Lord. In Judges the Spirit comes upon a person for a task: Othniel here, then Gideon and Samson. He is not a force but the Holy Spirit, a Person, giving power for God's work. Judged (3:10). Shaphat (say: shah-FAHT) means to judge, govern and set right. The judges were mainly leaders God raised up to rescue His people and restore what was right, not officials hearing court cases. His hand prevailed (3:10). The Lord delivered the king into Othniel's hand, and Othniel's hand prevailed. Othniel fought with everything he had, and the victory still belonged to God. Rest (3:11). Shaqat (say: shah-KAHT) means to be quiet and undisturbed. The rest was real, but it ended with Othniel's life. Hebrews says, “For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:8-9). Then Othniel died (3:11). Judges 2:19 explains what happened “when the judge was dead”: the people went back to other gods. A deliverer who dies can only give rest for a while. The greater Deliverer. In Nazareth Jesus read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor,” and then said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:18, 21). Othniel's rescue lasted forty years. Jesus “always lives to make intercession” for His people (Hebrews 7:25). For you. Since Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), the Spirit does not only come upon God's people for a task. Jesus promised that the Spirit “dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:17).

The Spirit of the Lord came on Othniel. The Holy Spirit is God Himself. He gave Othniel the power to lead. Othniel did not win by being big or clever. The Lord helped him win. Then Israel was free again. The land was at peace for forty years. That was a long, happy time. But then Othniel died. Othniel could only help for a while. Israel needed a Savior who would never die. That Savior is Jesus. He died for us and rose again. Jesus is alive forever!

God's Spirit made Othniel strong and brave. The Lord helped him win the battle. The land had rest. Jesus gives us rest forever.

Othniel: The First Judge

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