Day 70: Judges 1, 2 and 3

The Lord raised up judges, who saved them. (Judges 2:16)

Here in the opening chapters of Judges the writer sets the stage not only for the rest of the book, but for hundreds of years of Israel chasing after foreign gods. Theirs was a rollercoaster ride of faith and faithlessness. Every time God raised up a judge to lead and deliver them, Israel would follow his (or her) example of faithfulness as long as he was alive, but once he died, the nation would forget his faithfulness and forget Yahweh too.

The third chapter introduces three judges. We've already met the first. Othniel is Caleb's nephew, who captures Kiriath Sepher and wins the hand of Caleb’s daughter in the process (gotta love an action romance story – probably had explosions... maybe not).

Then we meet Ehud, the left-handed judge. This was a paradox – the right hand was the hand of honor; being left-handed was a euphemism for being dishonest, or at the very least crafty. To that regard, Ehud lived up to his street cred, using subterfuge to assassinate Moab's king and free Israel from Moabite oppression.

The ongoing pattern for this book is Israel rejects God; Israel gets in trouble; they cry out to God for relief; God raises up a judge who delivers them and leads them until his death, at which time Israel once again rejects God.

Ever get yourself into trouble and then cry out for God to save you?