Judg. 3:12-30
Full Lesson HERE
INTRODUCTION. The children of Israel were faithful to the Lord God all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua. These people had seen all the miracles and great works the Lord had done for the Israelites. However, when that generation died, the generation that arose after them did not know the Lord or his marvelous works. These people rebelled and forsook the Lord, intermarrying with the Canaanites, and worshipping the pagan gods Baal (the male god) and Ashtoreth (the female goddess) of the Canaanite people (Judg. 2:7-13).
Thus the Lord became angry with his people, the Israelites, and He delivered them into the hands of their enemies who oppressed them. After some time the people repented of their evil, turned back to the Lord, and cried to him for deliverance. The Lord raised up a judge to deliver them from their enemies, and the people enjoyed peace and rest once again. However, when the judge died the people forsook the Lord once more, turned again to their idolatry, and worshipped their false gods. God then delivered them into the hands of their enemies, and the cycle repeated itself.
This is the story of the judges of Israel-the period of time between the death of Joshua and the establishment of the United Kingdom under Saul, David, and Solomon. During this time the government of Israel was a loose confederation of the tribes gathered around their shrine, the ark of the covenant. There was no national leader such as Moses or Joshua. The judges were merely tribal leaders-leaders of their own and perhaps surrounding tribes. " ... every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judg. 17:6; 21:25).
The first enemy to conquer the children of Israel during this period was Cushanrishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. For eight years Israel served this foreign king, the they cried to the Lord for deliverance who raised up Othniel, Caleb's younger brother. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Othniel, and he warred against the king defeating him (Judg. 3:7-11 ).
The next enemy was Eglon, king of Moab, who smote the Israelites and possessed the city of palm trees (Jericho) with his allies, the people of Ammon and Amalek. When the children of Israel cried to the Lord, He raised up Ehud from the tribe of Benjamin.
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