– Bondage and Deliverances	Judges 3:7 – 16
– Cycle #1: Oppressed by Mesopotamia – Delivered by Othniel	Judges 3:7-11
– Cycle #2: Oppressed by Moab – Delivered by Ehud	Judges 3:12-30
– Cycle #3: Oppressed by Philistia – Delivered by Shamgar	Judges 3:31
– Cycle #4: Oppressed by Canaan – Delivered by Deborah	Judges 4 – 5
– Cycle #5: Oppressed by Midian – Delivered by Gideon	Judges 6 – 9
– Judgeships of Tola and Jair	Judges 10:1-5
– Cycle #6: Oppressed by Ammon – Delivered by Jephthah	Judges 10:6 – 12:7
– Judgeships of Ibzan, Elon, Abdon	Judges 12:8-15
– Cycle #7: Oppressed by Philistia – Delivered by Samson	Judges 13 – 16

 

 

Judges 3:7-31. This section shows the repeated cycle of Israel’s sin, bondage, and God’s gracious deliverance. Under Mesopotamia, their first oppressor, we see how pride and self-will lead to dark bondage, yet God raised up Othniel, a younger brother, to deliver Israel. Moab then enslaved Israel through the dead weight of empty profession, but God raised Ehud, left-handed and weak in himself, who used a hidden two-edged sword, the Word personally applied, to strike down Eglon. His escape by Gilgal reminds us that victory comes through self-judgment. Finally, Shamgar with an ox-goad shows that God can use even the simplest instrument, in the hand of a pilgrim, to defeat mighty foes and preserve His testimony.

 

 

 

v.8 Oppressed by Mesopotamia. Israel’s relapse into idolatry brough the Lord’s judgement against Israel though Chushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, and eight bitter years of bondage. The king’s name, Chushan-rishathaim, means “blackness of double wickedness.” It shows how dark the bondage becomes when the creature takes the place of Christ. This first captivity already points to the final Babylonish captivity. Yet even in chastening, we see the grace of God. This was not God abandoning His people, but using discipline to lead them back to Himself.

v.9 Othniel raised up.When Israel cried to the Lord, He raised up Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. God did not choose the firstborn, the natural leader, but the younger—one marked by weakness in man’s eyes. Earlier we read of Othniel’s individual faithfulness, winning his inheritance and springs in Judges 1. Now we read of him being used by God in a public way. Before a believer can be publicly used he must have made individual progress in the Christian path. God often tests a man in private life before He gives him public work. This shows us that God delights to use humble vessels, prepared by quiet faithfulness, to bring about His deliverance.

 

 
vv.10-11 Deliverance From Mesopotamia. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Othniel. He judged Israel, went to war, and the Lord delivered the king of Mesopotamia into his hand. Othniel’s hand prevailed, and the land had rest forty years. Here we see the order: first the Spirit’s power, then rule, then conflict, then victory, and finally peace. Othniel’s name means “lion of God,” which speaks of strength, not human strength, but the strength that comes from God. His earlier conquest of Kirjath-Sepher (“city of the book”) to Debir (“oracle”) reminds us that victory comes when God’s Word is abiding in us: “I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one” (1 John 2:14).

 

 

vv.12-14 Oppressed by Moab. After Othniel died, Israel again did evil. The Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab, who joined with Ammon and Amalek to fight against Israel. They took Jericho, called here “the city of palm trees” (a place of refreshment). Moab was distantly related to Israel through Lot, but in character Moab pictures mere profession without reality, and especially the character of laziness; “Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity” (Jer. 48:11). Eglon, whose name means “circuit,” was a very fat man. His bulk suggests dead weight, without vigor, that smothers spiritual life. Moab setting up his throne at Jericho shows how empty profession makes its home in the world, of which Jericho was a type before the conquest.

vv.15-16 Ehud Raised Up: His Sword. When Israel cried again, the Lord raised up Ehud, a left-handed man of Benjamin. Ehud means either “praise” or “confessor”. Benjamin means “son of the right hand,” yet Ehud’s own right hand was weak, showing that his strength was not in himself but in God. It is good for us to confess our weakness, for “my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:10). Each judge God raised up carried some natural weakness: Othniel as a younger brother (v.9), Ehud as left-handed, others with their own defects, so that the power might be of God. Israel, who had stooped to send presents to the king of Moab, serving Satan’s yoke, was about to see God take a vessel bound in weakness and use him for great deliverance (Eph. 4:8). Ehud made a cubit-long, two-edged sword, and girded it under his raiment on his right thigh. Its two edges apply to evil within and without, and pierce to the dividing of soul and spirit (Heb. 4:12). The weapon was hidden, and speaks of the quiet reality of keeping God’s Word close to ourselves. The sword, though short in man’s eyes, was sharp and sufficient, a weapon exactly suited to Ehud. Just as David refused Saul’s armor and chose the sling and shepherd’s bag; so the Word must be fitted to each servant’s own hand: personally enjoyed and applied. We need to be personally familiar with the Scriptures to wield them effectively in the battles of faith.

 

vv.17-22 Ehud Slays Eglon. Ehud brought the tribute to Eglon, then returned alone saying, “I have a message from God for you.” In the quiet of the summer parlor, he drew the hidden sword and thrust it into Eglon’s belly, handle and all. The oppressor fell without a cry. Here we learn that victory comes through the Word of God, applied in secret before God, rather than in public show. Just as the Lord overcame Satan in the wilderness with “It is written,” so Ehud by the sword of God slew the tyrant of empty profession. The description of the fat of the king highlights the character of that man, and also of the spiritual condition he represents: false profession coupled with the indulgence of the flesh.

vv.23-26 Ehud’s Escape. Ehud shut and bolted the doors on Eglon and escaped by the way of the idols near Gilgal. The servants thought the king was resting and delayed, which gave Ehud time to flee. God turned their pride into their snare! The way of safety passed by Gilgal, the place that speaks of self-judgment. What a lesson! The solution to what Moab represents is found in Gilgal: self-judgment. This is the path will take when walking in the Spirit.

 

 

vv.27-30 Deliverance from Moab. Ehud blew the trumpet in Ephraim, and the people gathered. They took the fords of Jordan so no Moabite could escape, and slew “about ten thousand men, all fat, and all men of valour”. The men of Moab took their character from the king. The land had rest eighty years, double the previous rest after deliverance from Mesopotamia. Perhaps this was due to the fords of Jordan being taken. True deliverance is followed by separation. If the crossings to the world are not cut off, the enemy will return. But when God’s Word both slays the oppressor and guards the fords, His people enjoy lasting peace.