Judges 3

Era of the Judges. Courtesy of the Moody Bible Atlas.

          A total of twelve judges are described in this book, six major and six minor. The six major ones are Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. Their stories make up the bulk of this book. (Judges 3-16) The six minor ones are Shamgar (3:31), Tola (10:1-2), Jair (10:3-5), Ibzan (12:8-10), Elon (12:11-12), and Abdon (12:13-15). The accounts of Micah and his priest (chapters 17-18) and the Levite and his concubine (chapters 19-21) are meant to show the appalling level of anarchy and depravity to which Israel as a nation had fallen. During those years there was no judge at all and “…every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)
 
            Verses 1-8: The author continues the point he made at the end of chapter 2. Verse 1 makes it clear that God used Israel’s disobedience to not only test them but also punish them for their sin. The nations that Israel failed to drive out are listed in verses 3 and 5: the Philistines, Sidonians, Hivites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, and Jebusites. Verse 2 gives a third reason that God used these foreigners: to teach the sons of Israel how to fight. One of the other consequences of the peace and rest that God gave the previous generation that conquered the promised land under Joshua was that their sons did not know proper warfare. Not only did their fathers not teach them of God and His law, but they also failed to continue to train their sons in the art of war.
            As a result, the fathers and sons take for wives the daughters of those nations previously listed and also give their daughters and sisters as wives to the sons of those heathen. (v.6) This causes exactly what God had warned His people would happen: they turn away from Him and begin worshiping the false gods of the Canaanites. (v.7) We know from other passages of the OT, especially that of Leviticus, that that worship included all forms of sexual immorality and perversity (i.e. homosexuality and bestiality) as well as child sacrifice. That’s what the author means in verse 7 when he says, “…the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD…”.
            As a result, “…the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel…”, and He punishes them by allowing the army of King Chushan-rishathaim (translation: “Cushan of double evil”) of Mesopotamia to invade and conquer them. (v.8) His rule over them lasts eight years.
 
              Judge #1: Othniel (Judah)
            Verses 9-11: Othniel is the younger brother of Caleb (v.9), and though his exact age isn’t stated in the text we can logically infer that he is well into his eighties based on what we know of Caleb from the book of Joshua. (Joshua 14:10) A phrase that is repeated often in the OT is “…the Spirit of the Lord came upon him…” (v.10), meaning that the Holy Spirit indwelt them in order to give them the ability they needed to do whatever task God has assigned to them. (Numbers 27:18, 1 Samuel 11:6, 2 Chronicles 15:1) In this case, God gives Othniel and the Israelite army victory over King Chushan-rishathaim and his army.
            Othniel judges Israel for forty years, during which time the people remember the Lord and obey Him. Thus the land has rest until Othniel dies. (v.11)
 
             Judge #2: Ehud (Benjamin)
          Verses 12-30: the cycle begins anew. As soon as Othniel dies the people of Israel forget God and fall back into sin. (v.12) This time God uses Eglon, king of Moab, to chasten His chosen people. Both the Moabites and the Ammonites (v.13) are descendants of Lot (Genesis 19:36-38), and the Amalekites are descended from Esau. (Genesis 36:10-12) The city of palm trees referenced in verse 13 is Jericho. (Deuteronomy 34:3, Judges 1:16, 2 Chronicles 28:15) But that city, which had been destroyed by the Israelites nearly a century earlier, is still in ruins. What this verse is most likely referencing, therefore, is that Eglon sets up his headquarters near the ruins of Jericho, and that includes the palace where he is eventually assassinated by Ehud.
            After eighteen years of oppression by Eglon (v.14) Israel repents of their sin and cries out to God for deliverance. (v.15) Ehud is a Benjamite, the son of Gera, and one of his unique physical traits is that he is left-handed. The Moody Bible Commentary has this comment on verse 15: “Archaeology demonstrates that the left-handed were not considered a serious military threat. Figures on monuments in victorious military poses are almost always right-handed.” This helps explain why Eglon did not consider Ehud a threat when he arrived with the Israelite’s tribute. (v.15)
            After giving the king his present Ehud tells him he has a secret message for him, and this causes Eglon to send his bodyguards out of the room. (v.19) Ehud also dismisses his fellow Israelites, and now the two of them are alone in Eglon’s summer parlor. (v. 18, 20) Verse 17 states that Eglon is obese, and he is sitting when Ehud approaches him with the statement, “I have a message from God unto thee.” (v.20) Ehud then draws his dagger and stabs the king in his stomach. The dagger is described in verse 16 as being a cubit long, which is about 18 inches including the handle. It sinks so far into Eglon’s belly that it gets stuck, and he bleeds to death. (v.21-22) Ehud makes a hasty exit, locking the doors behind him. (v.23) After Ehud departs the palace, Eglon’s servants approach the parlor door, but when they find it locked they surmise he’s using the toilet. (v.24: “…covereth his feet in his summer chamber.”) But sometime later, when the king has still not emerged from his chambers, the servants grow fearful and they unlock the door. King Eglon’s body is on the floor of his parlor. (v.25)
            Ehud successfully escapes to Seirath where he gathers Israel’s army at mount Ephraim. (v.26-27) God gives them the victory over the Moabites whose army is about ten thousand mighty men. (v.28-29) After this, Israel has peace and rest for 80 years. (v.30)
 
            Judge #3: Shamgar (Tribe unknown)
            Verse 31: The name “Shamgar” is not Hebrew, according to Strong’s concordance, and the name “Anath” was derived from a Canaanite goddess who was the sister and wife of Baal, according to the Thomas Nelson Bible commentators. She was worshiped as the goddess of love and war, and so this verse has caused problems for many Biblical scholars and theologians. Besides the fact of his non-Israelite first name, the commentators also dispute the mention of the Philistines here since it seems to contradict established historical records that claim the Philistines didn’t arrive in Canaan as an established people and nation until much later than the time period of these early judges. Add to this the fact that Shamgar is mentioned in Judges 5:6, which would make him a contemporary of Deborah and Jael, and the logical conclusion seems to be that Shamgar was not a judge at all, technically speaking.
            None of that, however, matters in the final analysis. God’s word states clearly in this verse that Shamgar “…slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.” Enough said. We don’t need to dissect and dispute and try to second guess God’s word with man’s “wisdom”. God said it, so that makes it so. Period. Shamgar is the third judge, and he delivered the Israelites from their enemy, the Philistines, with only an ox goad. According to the Moody Bible Commentary, this “…was a long stick with a point at one end for poking the ox and a shovel at the other for doing necessary work around the ox. Sharpening either or both ends would produce a formidable weapon in the hands of a stout peasant warrior.” Whether or not he was an Israelite is irrelevant. He was chosen by God to fulfill a divine purpose, and he carried out his mission accordingly, same as all the other judges recorded in this book.