The First Judges, Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Judges 3:1) Now these are the nations which the Lord left to prove Israel by them, as many as had not known all the wars of Canaan.

The last chapter of Judges told how the Lord had purposely left some nations in the Israelites' promised land in order to prove their need for Him.  These were the people who had not lived during the time of Joshua and his conquest and did not personally know of God's mighty works in delivering Canaan to His people.  A list of the nations that remained follows.

(2) (Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing of it.)

It was important that the next generation of Israelites understand war as there would always be enemies in the world that would try to destroy them.  Adversity is an important teacher.  We learn the most through conflict and distress.  That which does not kill us makes us stronger.  And people draw closer to their God in times of trouble.

(3) Five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entering in of Hamath.

The list of the nations the Lord had let remain in the land of Canaan began with the Philistines, the lords of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron (Joshua 13:3).  In Judges 1:18, we were told that Judah had taken Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron, after the death of Joshua, but apparently they recaptured the cities and remained thorns in Israel's sides.  The Canaanites remained.  In Judges 1:4, the Lord had delivered the Canaanites into Judah's hand.  That referred to the specific tribe of Canaanites, not Canaanites as the whole of all the tribes that inhabited Canaan.  Since the scripture said, "all the Canaanites," I am assuming this refers to all the Canaanites who were dispersed throughout the land.  The Sidonians, inhabitants of the city of Sidon, also remained, as well as the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, north of where the Israelites dwelt to the east of Lebanon to Mount Hermon and northward to the entrance of Hamath.  This map from JesusWalk.com shows the areas left unconquered in white:

(4) And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken to the commandments of the Lord which He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

Those nations were left in Canaan in order to try the Israelites' courage and prove their faithfulness to their Lord to know whether or not they would follow the commandments of the Lord that He gave them through His servant Moses.  It's not that the Lord had to do this in order to know what they would do.  Of course, the Lord already knew what they would do.  That's why He left the nations.  The people had to be repeatedly reminded of why they needed their Lord God.  They could not prosper without Him.

(5) And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites.

Because the Lord did not completely drive out all the nations from Canaan, the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

(6) And they took their daughters to be their wives and gave their daughters to their sons and served their gods.

The Israelites intermarried with the pagan inhabitants of Canaan and served their pagan gods, which was disobedience to the direct command of God (Deuteronomy 7:3).  That is a natural occurrence in such situations.  That's why the Lord had told them to drive out all the nations.  That is the reason the Apostle Paul said, obviously by inspiration of the Lord, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion has light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14)

(7) And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and forgot the Lord their God and served Baalim and the groves.

As a result of their intermarriages and serving of their spouses' gods, they forgot their one true God and did only evil in His sight.  They served the Baals and the groves, as trees and groves were worshipped by the Canaanites.  As the original word for groves is "asherah," perhaps Ashtaroth was meant, as the female gods were also often worshipped with groves of trees.

(8) Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia, and the children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years.

The anger of the Lord burned hot against Israel, and He allowed them to become subjects of Cushan-Rishathaim, which meant literally Cushan of double wickedness.  He was the king of Aram in the northeast corner of the map above.  Aram was the same as Syria.  Mesopotamia was the Greek name for Aram Naharaim, which is the name some other Bible translations besides the KJV used.  That name meant Aram or Syria of the two rivers (Tigris and Euphrates).  The Israelites became subjects of the king of that region in the northeast.  John Wesley, in his Notes on the Bible, pointed out that that region lay at such a far distance from Israel, one wouldn't think the Israelites would have any trouble with it, but that may be all the more reason to believe God's hand was in it.  The Israelites served that king for eight years.

(9) And when the children of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

When the Israelites cried out in distress to their Lord because of their oppression, He raised up a deliverer, the first judge, Othniel, the son of Kenaz who was Caleb's younger brother.  Othniel was Caleb's nephew who received the hand of his daughter Achsah in Judges 1:12, because he took Kirjath Sepher.

(10) And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel and went out to war, and the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, and his hand prevailed against Cushan-Rishathaim.

The Spirit of the Lord came upon Othniel to move him to act as judge and deliverer of Israel, and he went to war against Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Aram, and the Lord gave him victory over the king, and he delivered the people out of the hand of Aram.

(11) And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

With Othniel as its judge, the land had rest from their enemies for forty years, and then Othniel died.

(12) And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord.

After forty years, another generation passing, the Israelites began to do evil in the sight of the Lord again, most likely serving idols again.  The Lord strengthened Eglon, the king of Moab, and stirred him to rise up against Israel.  Moab was southeast of Israel.

(13) And he gathered to him the children of Ammon and Amalek and went and struck Israel and possessed the city of palm trees.

Eglon gathered the Ammonites and the Amalekites to him, which may have been the strengthening the Lord gave him, and they went and struck Israel and possessed the city of palms, which was Jericho.

(14) So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

Therefore the Israelites became servants of the king of Moab for eighteen years.  It may be noteworthy that this was ten years longer than they had been in servitude to the king of Aram.  Perhaps it was God's will that they should have a longer oppression this time in order to press upon them more greatly their need to resist the temptation to follow after false gods and follow only their Lord God.

(15) But when the children of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man left-handed, and by him the children of Israel sent a present to Eglon the king of Moab.

When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord after being so long oppressed, the Lord raised up another deliverer, or judge, Ehud, a Benjamite from the family of Gera, the son of Bela, Benjamin's first born.  It's interesting that it was of note that he was a left-handed man.  Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, wrote that this was most likely not to be seen as a defect but rather power to use left and right hands equally well, as was the sense in other scriptures (Judges 20:16, 1 Chronicles 12:2).  Ehud delivered a present to the king of Moab from the children of Israel.

(16) But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length, and he girded it under his clothing on his right thigh.

However, Ehud had made a dagger that had two edges and was about 18 inches in length.  He hid it under his clothing on his right thigh which was probably the proper side for a left-handed man.  It would probably give the appearance that he was unarmed and thus is the reason it was noted that he was a left-handed man.

(17) And he brought the present to Eglon king of Moab; and Eglon was a very fat man. (18) And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people who bore the present.

Ehud brought "the present" to King Eglon with attendants he had with him.  When he had made an end to offer the present, which may have been a speech to the king made in the name of the Israelites, he sent away his attendants, whom it appears had indeed borne a present.  It was noted that King Eglon was a very fat man.

(19) But he himself turned again from the quarries by Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret errand to you, O king," who said, "Keep silence!" And all who stood by him went out from him.

I believe the sense is that Ehud had turned away from the king to dismiss his attendants, and he now turned back to the king.  As the original word that was translated as "quarries" most often meant "graven or carved images, idols," I'm sure that is what was meant here.  Perhaps there was an abundance of them in one area.  Regardless of the exact meaning, the point was that Ehud now turned back to the king and told him that he had secret business for him.  With that, the king sent away his attendants.

(20) And Ehud came to him, and he was sitting in a summer parlor which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, "I have a message from God to you." And he arose out of his seat. (21) And Ehud put forth his left hand and took the dagger from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly.

The king was now alone sitting in his summer parlor.  Ehud told him that he had a message from God for him.  As the original word for message was "dabar" which actually meant either a word or a thing, it is true Ehud had something he called from God for the king.  The king arose out of his seat to receive the message, either out of some sort of respect or perhaps fear.  John Wesley wrote that the name Ehud used for God was Elohim which did not always mean the one true God, but gods in general.  Ehud then took the dagger from his right thigh with his left hand and thrust it into the king's belly.

(22) And the haft also went in after the blade, and the fat closed on the blade so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly, and the dirt came out.

Ehud had thrust so hard that the handle of the dagger went into the king's fat belly as well as the blade.  The king's excessive fat closed over the blade so that Ehud could not draw it back out.  Dirt here actually meant excrement; either the content of his bowels came out as the intestines were ripped, or his bowels emptied the normal way as they often do upon death.

(23) Then Ehud went forth through the porch and shut the doors of the parlor on him and locked them.

It appears that instead of running for his life, Ehud calmly and methodically went forth in that sun porch and shut and locked the doors of the summer parlor and went calmly on his way with confidence that he had performed the will of God.

(24) When he was gone out, his servants came and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlor were locked, they said, "Surely he covers his feet in his summer chamber."

After Ehud had left, the king's servants attempted to enter the summer parlor and found it locked.  The consensus of the commentators I study is that the servants used an expression that the Jews used that meant "he was going to the bathroom," as we would say today.  As one would sit down to relieve himself, his long garments would naturally fall and cover his feet.  The servants assumed the king had locked his parlor as he desired privacy for that reason.

(25) And they tarried till they were ashamed, and behold, he did not open the doors of the parlor; therefore they took a key and opened, and behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.

The servants waited embarrassingly long and still the king had not opened the doors of his parlor.  They finally took a key and opened the doors themselves, and there they found their king dead on the ground.

(26) And Ehud escaped while they tarried and passed beyond the quarries and escaped to Seirath.

While the king's servants waited on their lord to open the doors of the summer parlor, Ehud was able to escape.  He passed beyond the quarries of idols which would have been in the king's kingdom and escaped to Seirath.  It is not known exactly where Seirath was located, but as seen in the next verse, it was located in the mountainous area of Ephraim.

(27) And it came to pass when he had come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them. (28) And he said to them, "Follow after me, for the Lord has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand." And they went down after him and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab and did not allow a man to pass over.

When Ehud had come to Mount Ephraim, he blew a trumpet which summoned the Israelites, and he led the people down from the mountain.  He told them to follow him and be assured that the Lord had delivered the Moabites into their hands.  The people went down after him and took the fordable places of the Jordan River and did not allow anyone of the Moabites to cross over.  There were surely Moabites in Israel as they controlled their land, so the Israelites wouldn't let those Moabites go back into their country, nor would they let any Moabites back into Israel.

(29) And they killed of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all stout and men of valor, and there escaped not a man. (30) So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest eighty years.

The Israelites killed ten thousand Moabites, even though they were large men of bravery.  Not one Moabite was able to escape the Israelites.  Moab was subdued under Israel.  It's not that the Israelites destroyed Moab, but they killed the Moabites in their land and were therefore no longer subject to them.  Israel then had rest for eighty years.  

Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, struggled with and took many pains to describe how what Ehud had done to the king was an immoral sin of murder.  Indeed, the Lord commanded man not to murder.  Clarke points out that the scripture does not indicate that Ehud ever inquired of the Lord before his action.  However, I have to believe that Ehud was justified in what he did.  The Lord had initially told the people to kill all the inhabitants of the land which they had failed to do.  It was always His will that the Canaanites should be punished for their wickedness.  Additionally, verse 15 states that the Lord raised up Ehud to deliver the people from the Moabites.  And the fact that they had rest for eighty years thereafter certainly seems like a blessing from the Lord after a job well done.  Yes, it seems harsh and immoral, but the Old Testament times were different times.  God used mortal men to exact His punishment.  When God told someone to kill, it cannot be seen as murder.  God cannot murder; He is without sin and only holy.  He cannot abide sin, and it must be eliminated.  The Old Testament was the perfect illustration of what all sinners deserve.  And that is all of us!  Jesus came in the New Testament to provide salvation from what we deserve.  The Old Testament killings had a just purpose.  If there was nothing to be saved from, what would have been Jesus's purpose?  And we must remember that God is the author of life; He gives it and He takes it away.  But as a just and perfect God, we can be sure that anyone who died or was killed as a righteous person, is in eternal joy with Him in heaven.

(31) And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad, and he also delivered Israel.

After Ehud, God raised up Shamgar as a judge.  He fought against the Philistines in the south and west regions of Israel and killed six hundred Philistines with only an ox goad, a prod for driving oxen.  That could have only been possible by the Lord, and he also delivered Israel.