Leadership Lessons
Book of Judges
Rev. Brian Bill
2/4/07
A couple weeks ago I was asked if I’d be willing to come to Champion Fitness to have my picture taken with some other people who work out there. I’ve been going to Champion for over seven years and I thought that they must have noticed what great shape I was in and wanted me to be the poster boy for bulk and brawn. When I arrived for my photo shoot, I joined about six other people, most of whom were older than me. We posed on the treadmills, then with some free weights. I was feeling pretty good about this until I heard someone mention that they wanted pictures of “middle-age” people. I guess that included me.
Towards the end of the time I posed like I was spotting for a guy on the bench press when I noticed a muscular-looking man throwing some weights around with ease. I turned to the person in charge and asked why they weren’t using him and she said, “We just wanted average and ordinary people for this photo shoot.” And then it hit me. They weren’t looking for a weightlifting champ; they just wanted pictures of an ordinary, average middle-aged guy…and I qualified.
As we finish up our study in the Old Testament book of Judges, that’s exactly the kind of pictures that God puts on display. We could say it this way: God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary.
Last week we learned how to break the cycle of sin by looking at the mistakes made in the Book of Judges as everyone “did as they saw fit.” This morning I’d like to show you a photo gallery of ordinary and average people who accomplished some pretty extraordinary things. We’re going to go pretty fast so get ready to do some heavy lifting. My prayer is that you’ll see yourself in at least one of these leaders and that you’ll be encouraged to allow God to do the extraordinary in your ordinary life. If you’d like to go deeper in the Book of Judges, we have studied three of these judges in past years. You can access these sermon manuscripts online:
Deborah:(http://www.pontiacbible.org/sermons/models_of_mentoring.php?id=C0_534_103); Gideon: (http://www.pontiacbible.org/sermons/keep_story_alive.php?id=C0_216_64);
Samson: (http://www.pontiacbible.org/sermons/keep_story_alive.php?id=C0_218_64).
1. Othniel (good family). The first judge that God raises up is Othniel, who was Caleb’s nephew (Judges 3:9). He had a positive pedigree and no doubt benefited from having a good family but the key to his life is found in verse 10: “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him…” Under his leadership the land had peace for forty years. Some of you come from a great family. You’ve never really doubted your faith and you’re serving the Lord right now. I’m sure you already know that you have a unique heritage due to the godly influence of your parents. Othniel also demonstrates the importance of serving the Lord in the later years of life, as he was older than middle-age. Even though he was from a good family, he was still pretty average himself. God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary.
2. Ehud (physical limitations). The second judge is a left-handed man named Ehud and he was raised up to deliver the Israelites after they had been subject to the king of Moab for eighteen years (Judges 3:12-30). How many of you are left-handed? If so, Ehud is your guy! Actually, it’s very likely he had some physical limitations because the Hebrew literally reads, “Hindered in his right hand.” Some studies have shown that there is a link between being left-handed and being a creative genius. That could be said of Ehud for he was very creative in how he took care of this king. Like many who experience physical limitations, he compensated by thinking of other things he could do. In his case, he made a double-edge sword and strapped it to his right thigh, where no one would look, and then used it to kill Eglon, the king of Moab. The details are pretty interesting so I encourage you to read them for yourself. Due to Ehud’s influence, the land had peace for 80 years – the longest period we read about in the Book of Judges (Judges 3:30).
Incidentally, the Bible is referred to as sharper than any double-edge sword in Hebrews 4:12: “…It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Friend, do you have some kind of physical limitation? When General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army was told that he had lost his eyesight he said, “I have done what I could for God and for His people with my eyes. Now I shall do what I can for God without my eyes.” Joni Eareckson-Tada is another good example of someone who did not allow a limitation to limit what the Lord could do. A quadriplegic as a result of a diving accident, when she accepted what she was, the Lord began to use her as she was. Look to Ehud and be encouraged that a disability does not disqualify you from effectiveness because God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary.
3. Shamgar (strong laborer). While Ehud has 18 verses devoted to him, Shamgar only has one. Look at Judges 3:31: “After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.” Shamgar served during dangerous times when the Philistines were just beginning to flex their muscles. Turn over to Judges 5:6-7 for a picture of life during those days: “In the days of Shamgar…the roads were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths. Village life in Israel ceased…” Somehow this farmer was able to fight and fillet six hundred Philistines, using only an oxgoad. An oxgoad was a long wooden pole with a sharpened iron point on the end that was used to poke the tough hide of oxen to get them to pull a plow.
In their book called, “The Three Success Secrets of Shamgar,” Pat Williams and Jay Strack draw some application points for us from Shamgar’s picture:
• Start where you are. You don’t have to necessarily go somewhere else or be someone else. Just bloom where God has planted you.
• Use what you have. Like the boy with a few fish and some bread, like David with a slingshot and like the widow with an ounce of oil, a little in the hands of a big God is always a lot.
• Do what you can. He was alone but did what he could. Most of us don’t need more talent or more gifts or more abilities. We just need to be willing to do more with what God has already given us.
1 Samuel 17:47 says: “…it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the Lord’s…” A farmer with an oxgoad should not have been able to handle 600:1 odds but God empowered him for the task He had called him to do. God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary.
4. Deborah (a hard-working woman). If you’re a woman perhaps you feel like God can’t really use you and that the church doesn’t really appreciate you. Judges 4:4: “Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.” Deborah was a wife, a mother, a “prophetess” and a judge who was used by God to rally His people during a time of national distress. Shamgar did what he was called to do and then Deborah took it from there. Deborah the deliverer spoke for God, she settled disputes, she was highly respected and she walked in obedience.
In that culture, women were not treated equally with men and were generally relegated to behind-the-scenes roles. To be as esteemed as she was, Deborah must have excelled in wisdom and, even more importantly, had a godly understanding of people and their problems. But most of all, she was known as a woman who walked with God. Under her leadership, the Israelites defeated the Canaanites. When God revealed a task for her, she took Him at His word and obeyed.
The key to Deborah’s fruitfulness was her faithfulness. Don’t tell yourself that you’re not good enough or smart enough or whatever enough. Offer yourself fully to God and He will make the impossible possible. God doesn’t see problems like we do because He knows in advance what He’s going to do to solve them. What obstacles are you overwhelmed with right now? Is your faith faltering in a specific area? It’s time to move forward even when it doesn’t make sense. Women, what is He prompting you to do? Men, have you been discounting the hard-working Deborah’s in this church, and maybe in your own home? God is looking for women who walk with Him and are willing to work for Him. Remember: God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary.
5. Gideon (a fearful man). While Deborah demonstrated conviction and courage and was a hard worker, Gideon was a hero in hiding. Judges 6 tells us that the Israelites were living in fear of the menacing Midianites who were known to “…invade the land to ravage it” (verse 5). The Midianites loved to swoop down during harvest time and confiscate all their crops. When we’re introduced to Gideon, he’s threshing some wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. The Hebrew word used here expresses the idea of hiding.
Verse 12 tells us that the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” God always sees more than we see. When He looks at you, He sees a hero in hiding. When God looks at Gideon, He sees a strong soldier. In one sense, God is speaking prophetically because He knows what Gideon is about to accomplish. But on the other hand, God is speaking a positional truth. Right now, at this very moment, because the Lord is with him, he is a mighty warrior.
Just as Gideon did not see himself as a mighty warrior, many of us don’t fully understand who we are. Some of us have an image of ourselves that is not only unhealthy, it’s not biblical. We need to reframe our understanding by allowing the truth of God’s Word to impact our identity. Let me personalize it. God knows who you are even if you don’t. One of the biggest lies we can tell ourselves is that God only uses special people. This is actually a half-truth. God does use only special people, but they’re special because He uses them. Verse 16 is a verse for all of us when we’re afraid: “I will be with you.” Gideon is given a commission but is also promised the companionship of the Lord himself.
There’s a lot more to the story, but we don’t have time to get into the details. Let’s just say that God wanted to reduce Gideon to the point where he would realize how weak he really was. He experienced great victory but at the end of his life pride causes him to do something sacrilegious. His compromise had some disastrous consequences. Gideon is listed in Hebrews 11 not because he was always strong but because verse 34 says that his “weakness was turned to strength.” Aren’t you glad that God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary? By the way, we’re going to hear more about the Gideon’s Ministry next Sunday morning. God continues to use ordinary men in this group to do some extraordinary Bible distribution and evangelism.
6. Jephthah (dysfunctional family). There are a couple more judges mentioned after Gideon but we don’t know much about them. The next significant leader is a man named Jephthah. Turn to Judges 11:1-3: “Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. Gilead’s wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. ‘You are not going to get any inheritance in our family,’ they said, ‘because you are the son of another woman.’ So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a group of adventurers gathered around him and followed him.” Jephthah’s father apparently visited a prostitute and she became pregnant with Jephthah. Because of the shame of this, and because they didn’t want to share the inheritance with him, Jephthah’s half-brothers kicked him out of the house and he went out and started a gang. Talk about dysfunctional family-of-origin issues!
Some of you come from a fractured family and you’re suffering with some incredible pain. Whether you’ve been abandoned or abused or ignored, God wants to do His work in you and then through you. Even with all that happened to Jephthah, notice Judges 12:29: “Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah.” He led with skill, he was daring and fearless and on top of that he defended the helpless. He’s listed in Hebrews 11:32 even though he made a very rash vow and had to pay an incredible price. Could I plead with those of you who are thinking about marriage right now? Make sure you take time to pray, to get counsel, go slow and be careful. Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 says: “When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.”
If you’re struggling with some issues from your past, let me encourage you to join a new group for women that begins on Monday, February 12th called “Making Peace with Your Past.” The insert in your bulletin explains more. Call Susan Karls at 842-4124 to register. In the midst of your pain, hold on to this truth: God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary.
Three more judges pass quickly with no mention of peace during their reigns: Izban, Elon and Abdon. The downward cycle of sin plunges Israel deeper into despair. Peace is now elusive.
7. Samson (driven by impulses). One of the best-known judges is Samson. Four complete chapters are devoted to his life but the picture is one of wasted potential. He lived to satisfy his appetites and to gratify his impulses. Samson’s feats are legendary but it’s his flaws that prove to be fatal. His two greatest weaknesses were revenge and romance. In fact, his weakness for women often led him on the road to revenge. He was extremely gifted, but certainly not godly. He was strong on the outside, but had no control on the inside. He took three Nazirite vows which meant that he could touch no unclean thing, he had to avoid alcohol and he could never get his hair cut. It’s not long before Samson systematically breaks each one of these vows.
In Judges 13:5 we read that Samson “…will begin the deliverance of Israel…” In reality he never did any delivering, because he never delivered himself. Since he didn’t deal with his fatal flaws, he only “began” to deliver Israel. Notice also in verse 25 that “the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him…” He was set apart and he was stirred by the Spirit of God. Samson had everything he needed to accomplish his task. He was both energized and equipped. Compared to other Biblical heroes, he had more then anyone else. And yet, he let it all slip away.
Look at Judges 14:1-2: “Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. When he returned, he said to his father and mother, ‘I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.” The phrase “went down” is used throughout this chapter, describing both the topography of the land and the condition of his heart. Notice that he has “seen” a woman. There’s no indication that he even talked to her, got to know her or found out whether she worshipped God or not. He just sees an attractive woman and falls head over heels in lust with her. He does this with at least three women that we know of – this Philistine, a prostitute and finally Delilah.
Friend, what are your fatal flaws? Are you controlled by impulses and appetites? To say it another way, what’s your spiritual soft spot? What area of your life has the most potential to ruin you? Amazingly, even though his conduct was reprehensible, God still used him to accomplish His purposes. Sadly, the only time we hear him pray is when he asks for strength to take revenge on the Philistines at the end of his life. We read in Judges 16:30 that “he killed many more when he died than while he lived.” God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary.
8. Parents (pass it on). There’s one final group of leaders in the Book of Judges. While not judges per se, they have an even greater influence and their impact is felt throughout the book. Do you know who they are? Parents. Let me just say that some of you feel bad when you watch your children make unwise choices. I want to encourage you today. You need to remind yourself that you’ve done what you could and now it’s up to them to decide the path they are going to follow. We see this with Samson’s parents. Manaoh, after hearing that he and his wife were going to have a son prayed this prayer in Judges 13:8: “…teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.” These parents prayed. In verse 12 they seek out God’s will for their son; they demonstrate hearts of worship in verse 15 and they fear God in verse 20: “…Manaoh and his wife fell with their faces to the ground.”
These parents prayed, they worshipped, and they feared God. They did their best and sought God’s will but Samson had his own bent and a strong will. Fellow parents, don’t beat yourself up about the behavior of your grown children. Let me just say a word to those of us who criticize or blame parents when their children make ungodly choices. We need to stop doing this. There is nothing automatic about this. I have seen godly parents crushed by the unwise decisions their kids make and I’ve seen godless parents produce godly offspring.
Having said that, it is the responsibility of parents to provide an environment where children can learn about God and grow to love Him. This mandate is given in Deuteronomy 6 where parents are first challenged to make sure God’s commandments are upon their own hearts in verse 6. Then parents are to “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up…” (verses 7-9). A couple verses later, these parents are cautioned about being careless and complacent once they arrive in the land of promise in verses 11-12: “…When you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt…”
This echoes the emphasis in Deuteronomy 4:9: “Only be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” Good words for parents and grandparents. I’ve heard it said that the most important school a child can attend is the home and that the most influential teachers are parents. That doesn’t mean that we are to lecture our children all the time; it means we are to continuously live out our faith on a daily basis.
The sad news is that their satisfaction led to spiritual lethargy. One generation stopped telling the next about the Lord. We see “generation degeneration” again and again in Judges. Look at Judges 2:10. After Joshua’s generation died, “another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel.” These parents stopped passing along the stories and the Scriptures. Once that happens, and when children see that God is not all that important to us, they may walk away from Him altogether. When parents lose their passion for God, their children lose all reason to believe. Fellow parents, God does not have grandchildren. To help our children worship, walk and work for God, we must cultivate our own spiritual lives and jettison any complacency. Faithfulness only lasts as long as one generation passes the faith on to the next.
How many of you are second-generation believers? Were your parents Christians before you were? What a blessing! But this is also dangerous because it’s pretty easy to take your beliefs for granted and never make them personal. Perhaps you’ve placed your faith in your parent’s faith. It’s not that you’re ignorant of God; it’s just that you’re indifferent toward Him. Joshua’s generation lived it because they fought for their faith but the next generation became lukewarm. The second generation often has a second-hand experience with God. If that’s you, make sure your faith is real. Make sure you are born again. And don’t ever lose sight of the fight.
We must tell the stories of faith again and again and take advantage of ministries that help children and teenagers learn about God in a way they can understand and embrace. I’m reminded of what Jesus said in Matthew 19:14: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them…” If you’re working with AWANA, Sunday School, Nursery, Promiseland, Good News Clubs or Student Impact, would you please stand? Thank you for ministering to the next generation! 34 of our Junior Highers are on a retreat right now with Pastor Jeff and five other adults.
Let me also mention two Dive Deep classes that are geared for parents. One is called, “Parenting with a Purpose” taught by Pastor Dick on March 3 and March 10 and the other is called, “Understanding Your Teenager” led by Pastor Jeff on February 24th. In fact, all of our Dive Deep classes will help you become a better parent because they’re focused on helping you go deeper with Christ. When we’re growing in our faith our kids will see that God is real to us.
Which picture most describes you today? Are you from a good family? Do you have some physical limitations? Are you a strong laborer? Are you a hard-working woman? Would you say that you are fearful but you want to be faithful? Is your background painful? Are you driven more by impulse? If you’re a parent, are you passing along your faith? Do you know who the real champions are? Average and ordinary people like me and like you because God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary.
Before we end, I want to share five quick truths that jumped out at me from the Book of Judges.
1. God knows what you’re doing. It doesn’t really matter if a lot is known about you or a little. God knows and He’ll reward you (1 Corinthians 15:58).
2. God uses different kinds of people. No one can do everything but everyone can do something.
3. Challenges change and enemies go by different names. Othniel manhandled the Midianites, Ehud exterminated the Moabites, Shamgar slayed the Philistines and Deborah decked the Canaanites. You and I are in a battle and the challenges go by different names.
4. Do what you can with what you have and let God do the rest. God will bring others along to finish what you started, just like he did with Deborah who took over after Shamgar. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:6: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.”
5. Only Jesus can deliver from sin. While each judge did what he or she could do, none of their work lasted very long. You and I need to be delivered from the tyranny of sin and only Jesus can do that.
I want to introduce you to an ordinary guy who is committed to an extraordinary God. Brian Tumbleson has led our ministry in Biloxi and spearheaded our partnership with Trinity Bible Church. I want him to give an update on where God is leading us next.
