Have you ever questioned, “How could God use someone like me?” Perhaps you are consumed with guilt over sin and failure. You may suffer with the wounds of your family history or individual circumstantial realities. Perhaps you have physical difficulties and weakness. Maybe you have struggle accepting yourself and bear the burden of a deprived self-image. Maybe you feel inadequate due to a lack of education, skills, or spiritual gifts. Here is the story of three weaknesses, WHO turned out to be victors of their time.
TEXT: JUDGES 3:7–31
7 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. 8 Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. 9 But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. 10 The Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. 11 So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
12 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 13 He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms. 14 And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
15 Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab. 16 And Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit[a] in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his clothes. 17 And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18 And when Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. 19 But he himself turned back at the idols near Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he commanded, “Silence.” And all his attendants went out from his presence. 20 And Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he arose from his seat. 21 And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. 22 And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the dung came out. 23 Then Ehud went out into the porch[b] and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them.
24 When he had gone, the servants came, and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber.” 25 And they waited till they were embarrassed. But when he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them, and there lay their lord dead on the floor.
26 Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader. 28 And he said to them, “Follow after me, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and did not allow anyone to pass over. 29 And they killed at that time about 10,000 of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.
31 After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel.
1. STORY ONE: OTHNIEL
A MAN WITH INFERIORITY (A GENTILE, SOCIALLY WEAK)
Gentile becoming first Judge of Israel…He turned his anonymity into his availability…accomplished God’s plan for Israel. Our first story in 3:7–11 begins on an ominous note. “The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot [abandoned] the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth [female Canaanite deities…Baal’s girlfriends]” (3:7). The opening phrase “the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” is repeated throughout Judges (3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1). Othniel is a man of ANONYMITY. People didn’t know much about him. But what is clear is that Othniel was a KENIZZITE a gentile. This serves as an example that background should not limit your service to Christ. Regardless of your family of origin, ethnicity, or nationality, God wants to use you powerfully with the same power of the HOLY SPIRIT. Your AVAILIBILTY is response to God’s ability.
2. STORY TWO: EHUD
A MAN WITH INABILITY (A LEFT-HANDED, PHYSICALLY WEAK)
A man with physical debilitation destined to destroy enemy.
Our second story is found in 3:12–30, and it begins just like the first account. “Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek;25 and he went and defeated Israel, and they possessed the city of the palm trees.
In 3:15, we come across a very important verse. “But when the sons of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them, EHUD the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.” The Lord raises up EHUD to take on King Eglon and deliver Israel. The narrator states that Ehud is LEFT-HANDED.
In Hebrew, being left-handed is described as “restricted in his right hand.”
Ehud is a left-handed man from the tribe of Benjamin, a name that means “son of my right hand.” Perhaps you’re still not convinced of the significance of this narrative insertion. Let me explain.
People were encouraged to correct their left-handed children. Being left-handed was even seen by some as being a sign of evil! Language seems to bear out this meaning. A man who is awkward is called GAUCHE, a French word meaning left-handed. Something that is wicked or evil we call SINISTER, the Latin word for the left-handed. At the very least, being left-handed was considered unnatural and peculiar in antiquity. Ehud could have been devastated by this problem.Ehud turned a physical disability into a possibility because he depended on the Lord by recognizing weakness and finding God’s strength.
3. STORY THREE: SHAMGAR
A MAN WITH INADEQUACY (AN OX-GOAD, MILITARILY WEAK)
Our third and final story is a “one-verse wonder” a mere sound bite. Check out this amazing and unorthodox story in 3:31: “After him [Ehud] came SHAMGAR the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad; and he also saved Israel.” I love this name Shamgar.
Shamgar is a man with INADEQUATE WEAPONS. Nevertheless, he is a man who obeys God and defeats the enemy even though his resources are limited. Instead of complaining about not possessing a sword or spear, Shamgar gives what he has to the Lord, and the Lord uses it. God makes His power obvious in human weakness. So give your education, experience, and talents to Him. Give whatever tools you have to the Lord, stand your ground courageously, and trust God to use what’s in your hand to accomplish great things for His glory.”
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