Slow to Seek God

With today’s passage, we move into the main section of the book of Judges, the record of the particular judges who are raised up by God to deliver Israel from oppressors during this period. This section runs through the end of chapter 16, where Samson’s death is recorded. In between we find the chronicles of six major judges and six minor ones, ranging in length from 100 verses to just one. The stories of three of them appear in chapter 3 alone. But the account of the first, Othniel, is prototypical in many ways of the ones that follow.

Following the scenario the author laid out in Judges 2:11–14, Israel does evil, forgets God, and serves idols, arousing God’s anger. Therefore, He allows His people to be conquered by Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Mesopotamia. “God being justly displeased with them for plucking up the hedge of their peculiarity, and laying themselves in common with the nations, plucked up the hedge of their protection and laid them open to the nations,” Matthew Henry writes in his commentary. Amazingly, the Israelites apparently serve this pagan king for eight years before it occurs to them to turn to God for rescue; perhaps they spend those years appealing futilely to Baal and Ashtoreth for aid. But when at last they do cry out to God, He is quick to respond. We are told that He “raised up” a deliverer for His people—Othniel, the nephew and son-in-law of Caleb, who already has been held up for admiration (Josh. 15:16–17; Judg. 1:12–13). Othniel moves into his judge’s role not by a natural progression in his demonstrated courage and military prowess; rather, God raises him up by bestowing the Holy Spirit upon him. He is supernaturally gifted to lead his people into battle. Following him, the Israelites cast off the yoke laid upon them by Cushan-Rishathaim.

The happy result is that “the land had rest for forty years.” For 40 years, the people enjoy peace and freedom from tyranny, gracious gifts of God to them through His judge. Sadly, however, no true reformation occurs in Israel during this time. The people do not learn from their eight years of subjugation or their 40 years of peace. They continue to allow the Canaanites to live in their midst and practice their evil idolatries. Thus, when Othniel dies, the stage is set for yet another generation to rebel against God.