Judges 2:6-23
The People Disobey the Lord and Lose Their Battles
Joshua sent the Israelites away. Then they went to take over the land. All of them went to their own shares of land. The people served the Lord as long as Joshua lived. They also served him as long as the elders lived. Those were the elders who lived longer than Joshua did. They had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.
Joshua, the servant of the Lord, died. He was the son of Nun. He was 110 years old when he died. His people buried him on his own property at Timnath Heres. It’s north of Mount Gaash in the hill country of Ephraim.
All the people of Joshua’s time joined the members of their families who had already died. Then those who were born after them grew up. They didn’t know the Lord and what he had done for Israel. The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They served gods that were named Baal. They deserted the Lord, the God of their people. He had brought them out of Egypt. But now the Israelites served other gods and worshiped them. They served the gods of the nations that were around them. They made the Lord angry because they deserted him. They served Baal. They also served female gods that were named Ashtoreth. The Lord became angry with the Israelites. So he handed them over to robbers. The robbers stole everything from them. The Lord handed the Israelites over to their enemies all around them. Israel wasn’t able to fight against them anymore and win. When the Israelites went out to fight, the Lord’s power was against them. He let their enemies win the battle over them. The Lord had warned them that it would happen. And now they were suffering terribly.
Then the Lord gave them leaders. The leaders saved them from the power of those robbers. But the people wouldn’t listen to their leaders. They weren’t faithful to the Lord. They served other gods and worshiped them. They didn’t obey the Lord’s commands as their people before them had done. They quickly turned away from the path their people had taken. When the Lord gave them a leader, he was with that leader. The Lord saved the people from the power of their enemies. He did it as long as the leader lived. The Lord felt very sorry for the people. They groaned because of what their enemies did to them. Their enemies treated them badly. But when the leader died, the people returned to their evil ways. The things they did were even more sinful than the things their people before them had done. They served other gods and worshiped them. They refused to give up their evil practices. They wouldn’t change their stubborn ways.
So the Lord became very angry with the Israelites. He said, “This nation has broken my covenant. I made it with their people of long ago. But this nation has not listened to me. Joshua left some nations in the land when he died. I will no longer drive out those nations to make room for Israel. I will use those nations to test Israel. I will see whether Israel will live the way I, the Lord, want them to. I will see whether they will be like their people of long ago. I will see whether they will follow my path.” The Lord had let those nations remain in the land. He didn’t drive them out right away. He didn’t hand them over to Joshua.
Judges 3:1-31
The Lord left some nations in the land. He left them to test the Israelites who hadn’t lived through any of the wars in Canaan. He wanted to teach the men in Israel who had never been in battle before. He wanted them to learn how to fight. So he left the five rulers of the Philistines. He left the people of Canaan and the people of Sidon. He left the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains. They lived in the area between Mount Baal Hermon and Lebo Hamath. The Lord left those nations where they were to test the Israelites. He wanted to see whether they would obey his commands. He had given those commands through Moses to their people of long ago.
So the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. They married the daughters of those people. They gave their own daughters to the sons of those people. And they served the gods of those people.
Othniel
The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God. They served gods that were named Baal. They also served female gods that were named Asherah. So the Lord was very angry with Israel. He handed them over to the power of Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Aram Naharaim. For eight years Israel was under his rule. They cried out to the Lord. Then he provided someone to save them. The man’s name was Othniel, the son of Kenaz. He was Caleb’s younger brother. The Spirit of the Lord came on Othniel. So he became Israel’s leader. He went to war. The Lord handed over to him Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Aram. Othniel won the battle over him. So the land was at peace for 40 years. Then Othniel, the son of Kenaz, died.
Ehud
Again the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord gave Eglon power over Israel. Eglon was the king of Moab. He got the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him. All of them came and attacked Israel. They captured Jericho. Jericho was also known as The City of Palm Trees. For 18 years the Israelites were under the rule of Eglon, the king of Moab.
Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord. Then he provided someone to save them. The man’s name was Ehud, the son of Gera. Ehud was left-handed. He was from the tribe of Benjamin. The Israelites sent Ehud to Eglon, the king of Moab. They sent him to give the king what he required them to bring him. Ehud had made a sword that had two edges. It was about a foot and a half long. He tied it to his right leg under his clothes. Eglon, the king of Moab, was a very fat man. Ehud gave him the gift he had brought. After that, Ehud sent away those who had carried it. When he came to the place where some statues of gods stood near Gilgal, Ehud went back to Eglon. He said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.”
The king said to his attendants, “Leave us!” And all his attendants left him.
Then Ehud approached him. King Eglon was sitting alone in the upstairs room of his palace. Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” So the king got up from his seat. Then Ehud reached out his left hand. He pulled out the sword tied to his right leg. He stuck it into the king’s stomach. Even the handle sank in after the blade. Eglon sagged and fell to the floor. Ehud didn’t pull out the sword. And the fat closed over it. Ehud went out to the porch. He shut the doors of the upstairs room behind him. Then he locked them.
After he had gone, the servants came. They found the doors of the upstairs room locked. They said, “Eglon must be going to the toilet in the inside room of the palace.” They waited for a long time. They waited so long they became worried. But the king still didn’t open the doors of the room. So they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their king. He had fallen to the floor and was dead.
While Eglon’s servants had been waiting, Ehud had gotten away. He passed by the statues of gods and escaped to Seirah. There in the hill country of Ephraim he blew a trumpet. Then he led the Israelites down from the hills.
“Follow me,” Ehud ordered. “The Lord has handed your enemy Moab over to you.” So they followed him down. They took over the only places where people could go across the Jordan River to get to Moab. They didn’t let anyone go across. At that time they struck down about 10,000 men of Moab. All those men were strong and powerful. But not even one escaped. That day Moab was brought under the rule of Israel. So the land was at peace for 80 years.
Shamgar
After Ehud, Shamgar became the next leader. He was the son of Anath. Shamgar struck down 600 Philistines with a large, pointed stick used to drive oxen. He too saved Israel.
