Judges 3

Why did it happen that the conquest of Canaan was not immediately complete? We learned one answer before from the standpoint of mankind. Israel did not do the job. They were to be agents of judgment, and they often made agreements to use the people of Canaan as servants rather than destroy them. Sometimes they were intimidated by their enemies and did not fully attempt the conquest of the land as they were supposed to.

Another way of looking at this question would be from God's perspective. What was the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ doing when he ordained this from before the foundation of the world? Surely His purpose was good. We are told here that He was testing His people, not with the purpose of condemning Israel, but in order to strengthen them through the trials that they would face. They would learn to fight for His glory and to call upon the Name of the Lord, and they would find the Lord to be the Captain of their salvation.

All of the judges presented to us in this book are Christ figures. They come as the gift of God to the people. They bring deliverance and establish peace. Some of them are mentioned only in passing, but five or six of them are presented in colorful detail. We have already heard of Othniel in the opening chapter of this book. His story is briefly repeated here as we begin to address the history of Israel chronologically moving through this age from the death of Joshua to the birth of Samuel.

A more significant story than that of Othniel comes with the second judge Ehud. The enemy nation at that time was Moab. God uses enemies throughout the history of Israel and even into the era of the New Testament church in order to test His people and to strengthen them. In this case the Moabites thought that they were in charge of everything, but it was the Lord who was using these stout men for His own good will. It was God who strengthened Eglon, king of Moab, for His own purposes.

After eighteen years under Moabite oppression, the people cried out to the Lord, and He provided a savior. The story of the big man's demise is very colorful. That may be entertaining to read, but what would it be like for us to be under the oppression of a whole host of big adversaries? Who would save us from that overwhelming trouble? The Lord would bring deliverance. He has a Son who has a sword. Jesus used the sword of the Word against Satan in the wilderness, and He equips us to use that same “sword” on the spiritual enemy who tries to overwhelm His bride. The Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, is very powerful for the Lord's good purposes.

One day our Savior will come again, and He will defeat every adversary who stands against His people. Already the devil and His armies have been publicly exposed through the cross of Christ. Soon they will be cast into the lake of fire, and will never again trouble the Lord's children.

Until that day, when we face the trials that are an important part of this present age, we need to remember that God is using these for our good. He is testing us, not to destroy us, but to strengthen us in the inner man. We need to have the Word of God in our hearts and on our lips. One day our Savior will return, and He will save Israel and the church from all distress. Then we will have rest, not just for eighty years, but forever and ever.