Today I am once again praying with gratitude, but I am also asking that the Lord be with me and family today as we go about our day. Please protect us from harm and guide us in the right direction. And please give us the chance to serve another.
Judges 2-3
Israel’s failure to defeat their enemies resulted in them living among their enemies. After a while, they became like their enemies, adopting the wicked ways of the various Canaanite tribes around them. Eventually, Israel began to worship the false gods of the Canaanites. When they followed this downward path, God allowed them to know His displeasure and His judgment.
When judgment came, eventually the people would realize that they were to blame. They would repent and seek the Lord. When they did, God forgave them and raised up a deliverer, called a Judge. These men and women helped Israel throw off the yoke of their oppressors. They also helped them to live for God.
Israel would follow a Judge until that Judge died, then they would revert to their wicked ways and the cycle would begin again. This continued in Israel for about 400 years, until they got their first king.
As we look at these men and women God used to deliver His people in those days, we should read knowing that He is still looking for men and women He can use in our day. God is no longer looking for judges, but He is looking for leaders. He is looking for people who will rise up and take their stand with God. In that age, God used common, ordinary men and women to accomplish His purpose in Israel, and that is the kind of people He will use in this day as well.
Othniel
When Israel came to their senses, they called to God and He heard them. When they turned back to Him in their hearts, He reached out to them in deliverance. He raised up their first judge, a man by the name of Othniel. Othniel is called “a deliverer”. The word means “a savior”, and that’s just what Othniel was.
Credentials
We are told that Othniel is “Caleb’s younger brother.” We are also told that he is the son of Kenaz”. Caleb’s father was a man named “Jephunneh” (Num 13:6). This is not a contradiction. Kenaz was probably Caleb’s brother, and Othniel was probably his son. That would have made him Caleb’s nephew. And, if Kenaz was dead, Othniel would have been elevated to a place of leadership in the family. Thus, he would have been recognized as Caleb’s brother.
At any rate, Othniel was a man of courage and bravery. In Judges 1:12-13, Othniel defeated a Canaanite city to win Caleb’s daughter as his wife.
So, Othniel was a man of great courage with strong ties to a former generation of leaders in Israel. He was an older man, some believe around the age of 75. He was battle tested. He was available and God chose him.
God enabled Othniel to defeat "Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand ” then He empowered Othniel to judge the nation of Israel for the rest of his life, some 40 years. God gave Othniel victory because Othniel gave himself to the Lord! What a great example of being a servant of God.
Othniel reminds us that God can use anyone. Regardless of how old we might be. Regardless of our past. Regardless of who we are or what we have against us, God can use us if we will make ourselves available to Him. Othniel did that and the Lord used him in a mighty way. It has been said, “The greatest ability is availability!”
Companion
Othniel is described as “the Spirit of the Lord came upon him." (Judges 3:11) Othniel did not possess the power to deliver Israel by himself. But, when he allowed the Spirit to control his life, God was able to use him in great ways.
The truth is, the best way we can be useful to God is when we are filled with the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-25; Eph. 5:18.
Conquest
God enabled Othniel to defeat "Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand ” then He empowered Othniel to judge the nation of Israel for the rest of his life, some 40 years. God gave Othniel victory because Othniel gave himself to the Lord! What a great example of being a servant of God.
Do you have the qualifications to be a leader among the people? We are not required to come from a strong religious background, we are just asked to open our hearts to the Lord. We are asked to allow the Spirit into our lives and to listen and follow the promptings. We are asked to make ourselves available. It sounds too easy I know, but He needs leaders, especially now in today's world. So I have given myself something to think about today: What can I do to be a better leader for the Lord? This will be an interesting day!
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