Why did Israel often fall into enemy hands? Who rescued them? Will we have enemies? How should we treat them? Who will rescue us? Let’s look at Judges 3.
Did God have another reason for letting enemies stay in the promised land? Do we have enemies in the church?
And the Lord had another reason for letting these enemies stay. The Israelites needed to learn how to fight in war, just as their ancestors had done. Each new generation would have to learn by fighting the Philistines and their five rulers, as well as the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites that lived in the Lebanon Mountains from Mount Baal-Hermon to Hamath Pass. (Judges 3:1-3 CEV)
Was God testing whether or not they would obey Him? Is God testing us?
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. (Judges 3:4-6 ESV)
Who was the first judge or governor of Israel and what did he do?
The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; they forgot the Lord their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He sold them to Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim, and the Israelites served him eight years. The Israelites cried out to the Lord. So the Lord raised up Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s youngest brother, as a deliverer to save the Israelites. The Spirit of the Lord came on him, and he judged Israel. Othniel went out to battle, and the Lord handed over Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram to him, so that Othniel overpowered him. Then the land was peaceful 40 years, and Othniel son of Kenaz died. (Judges 3:7-11 HCSB)
What did the second judge Ehud do to rescue Israel from Eglon the king of Moab?
The Israelis again practiced evil in full view of the Lord. So the Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab in his control over Israel, because they had practiced evil in full view of the Lord. Eglon assembled together the Ammonites and the Amalekites, proceeded to attack Israel, and captured the cities of palms. So the Israelis served king Eglon of Moab for eighteen years.
But when the Israelis cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up Gera’s son Ehud, a left-handed descendant of Benjamin, as a deliverer for them. The Israelis paid tribute through him to king Eglon of Moab. Ehud forged a double-edged sword that was one cubit long, tied it to his right thigh under his cloak, and went to present the tribute to King Eglon of Moab. Now Eglon happened to be a very obese man.
As he finished presenting the tribute, Ehud sent away the people who had been carrying it. He had turned away from the idols that were at Gilgal. So he told Eglon, “I have a secret message for you, king.”
King Eglon responded “Silence!” and all of his attendants left him.
Ehud approached him while he was sitting by himself in the cool roof chamber of his palace. He said, “I have a message from God for you!” So when Eglon got up from his seat, Ehud used his left hand to take the sword from his right thigh and then plunged it into Eglon’s abdomen. The hilt also penetrated along with the sword blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over the blade. Because he did not withdraw the sword from Eglon’s abdomen, the sword point exited from Eglon’s entrails.
Then Ehud left the cool chamber in the direction of the vestibule, shutting and locking the doors behind him. After he left, Eglon’s attendants came to look, but the doors to the cool chamber were locked! So they said, “He must be relieving himself in the inner part of the cool chamber.” They waited until they were embarrassed, since he never opened the doors to the chamber. Eventually they took a key, opened the doors, and found their master dead on the ground.
Meanwhile, Ehud escaped while they were delayed, passed by the idols, and escaped in the direction of Seirah. When he arrived there, he sounded a trumpet in the mountainous region of Ephraim. While the Israeli army accompanied Ehud from the mountainous regions, he told them, “Attack them, because the Lord has given your enemies—the Moabites—into your control.” So the Israeli army followed after him, seized the fords of the Jordan River opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross. At that time they attacked about 10,000 Moabites, all of whom were strong and valiant men. Not one man escaped. As a result, Moab was subdued under the control of Israel, and the land remained quiet for 80 years. (Judges 3:12-30 ISV)
Who was the third judge or governor of Israel and what did he do?
And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel. (Judges 3:31 KJV)
Will we also have enemies? Who will rescue us from them?
As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—Salvation from our enemies, And from the hand of all who hate us, To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. (Luke 1:70-75 LSB)
How are we to treat our enemies who hate us, curse us and abuse us?
But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who are abusive to you. (Luke 6:27-28 NASB)
Why did Israel often fall into enemy hands? Who rescued them? Will we have enemies? How should we treat them? Who will rescue us? You decide!
