Village Schools of the Bible

RASCALS USED BY GOD
A Devotional Study of Judges
by Max Frazier, Jr.

STOP! I WANT TO GET OFF THE ROLLER COASTER
Judges 3:5-7

Let me begin this study by asking you a question. For how many of you is life like a roller coaster? You know, you are up one day and down the next? Now to ride a roller coaster at one of many amusement parks can be a thrill. My wife, Marlys, finds great enjoyment riding them. But to be on a roller coaster every day of your life soon becomes a problem.

Now you might ask what I mean by a roller coaster? Well, you get all inspired on Sunday, but along comes Monday or Tuesday and it is a different story. If that characterizes you, I have good news for you, you are not alone. There are countless Christians who share the same frustrations. Jesus Christ never intended for our lives to be roller coaster experiences. He states in John 10:10, I am come that they (that is you and me) might have life, and that they (that is you and me, again) might have it abundantly. Now the abundant life is not a roller coaster ride.

The book of Judges depicts the life of Israel as being like a roller coaster ride. Some of you are ready to ask me, "Max, how did Israel get on this roller coaster anyway?" That is a great question. I believe the answer is found in verse five through seven of the third chapter of Judges. Listen to these words from verse seven: The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; (and here comes the important part of the verse) they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.

How could Israel have forgotten what God had done for them? But how often do I forget what God has done for me? Instead of being difficult to do, it seems that forgetting God is very easy to do. Remember those words with which David reminded himself in Psalm 103: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits. Remembering the goodnesses of God takes a conscious decision on my part. Remembering what God has done is not something which occurs automatically. I have to want to remember God. I have to want to count my blessings, naming them one by one. I have to want to say thank you to God for all that He has done. Israel chose to forget God. What they needed was a day of thanksgiving before God.

Friends, as we close our study today, may I encourage you to take a few moments to just remember how God has blessed you. If it helps, take a piece of paper and a pen and write down a list of God's blessings. Then take time to rejoice and to praise God for each one. This will help to get you off the roller coaster and back into the joys of abundant living.

Father, You are so worthy to be praised, and yet we find ourselves so full of ingratitude much of the time. How easy it is for us to forget You and the blessings You have given to us. Lord, today I want to just take some time to rejoice in Your presence and to remember all that You have done for me. Take me from the roller coaster and place me into the joys of abundant living. Thank You for Who You are. In Christ's name I pray. Amen.

OTHNIEL: A MAN WHO GOT INVOLVED
Judges 3:9-11

As we observed in our last study, Israel had forgotten God, and when that happened, they turned to idolatry and began to serve sin. So we read in verse 8, The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years.

This king, Cushan, was used by God for eight years to punish Israel for their sin. And Israel suffered greatly under his rule. The people Cushan ruled were known for their tortures and were very cruel and barbaric in their ways. These were eight long hard years for Israel.

But, there is an eternal truth in this verse. God always punishes sin and the wages of sin is always a difficult one. Paul reminded us that the wages of sin was death (see Romans 6:23). Yes, there may be momentary pleasures in sin, but the consequences often prove to be very costly, as Israel was experiencing.

But, after verse 8 comes verse 9. But when they (that is the people of Israel) cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them. God's people cried out in repentance while in their slavery to sin and sought God's forgiveness and His relief. And God not only heard their cries, but He sent them a deliverer, a man by the name of Othniel.

Othniel appears earlier in the book of Judges. In chapter one, there is the account of Caleb's asking for help in ridding the giants from off the land which he had inherited. Caleb asked for volunteers and who shows up, but Othniel. As a result God used him to gain the victory over the giants of Debir. Now God needed another volunteer to rid Israel of Cushan and his horrendous army. It seemed that the only man willing to get involved was Othniel, so God used him once again.

But Othniel did not go in his own strength. We read this about him in verse 10, The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, so that he became Israel's judge and went to war.

Friends, there is no task which God gives to you but what He will help you to do it. But our confidence must be in Him. Our dependence must be upon Him and not upon ourselves.

In our next study I want us to explore deeper into the realities of our dependence upon God. Won't you plan to join me?

Father, I thank You that when we cry out in an attitude of repentance, that You not only hear us, but You also forgive us and You deliver us. How precious is Your forgiveness. How powerful is Your deliverance. Help us to understand the great consequences of continuing in sin. Convict our hearts and bring us to our knees before You. For Your forgiveness we give You praise. In Christ's name. Amen.

MORE THOUGHTS ABOUT OTHNIEL
Judges 3:9-11

You might remember that yesterday we started our brief study into the life of this first great judge of Israel, a man named Othniel. So far we have observed that he volunteered for service with God in driving out those who had enslaved Israel because of sin. And, we also observed that he had gone in the strength of the Lord. Othniel's dependence was not upon himself, but upon God. I stated that there is no task which God gives to you but what He will help you to do it.

Let's just suppose for a few moments, that when God asked Elijah to go to Mount Carmel, Elijah would have said to God, "Oh, God, I can't go to Mount Carmel. After all the people are so set in their ways. What will I accomplish?" Would the fire of God had fallen from heaven? Absolutely not!

Let's just suppose also, that when God asked David to go out to fight Goliath, that David would have said to God, "Oh God, I can't face that giant. He is so much bigger than I am." Would Israel have then defeated the Philistines? Absolutely not!

Now before we become overly critical, let us ask ourselves if we don't do the same from time to time. We can come up with more excuses why we should not get involved with the Lord in doing His work. After spending nearly 28 years in ministry, I think I have heard most of them, and, I must admit, have used some of them myself.

The reason why we do this so easily is because we fear defeat. Yet, God has asked me this question on many occasions. "Max, has anyone ever defeated God?" You know lots of people have tried. Pharaoh and the Egyptians tried, but they lost. The Canaanites tried, but they lost. Nebuchadnezzar tried, but he also lost. Caesar, Herod, and Pilate all tried, but they each lost. Hitler tried, and lost. The Communists have tried, and they also have experienced failure. Friends, no one has ever defeated God, and since God is on our side, there is no way we can be losers.

What is the secret? It is having the Spirit of God come upon us, filling us with the power of God. This will happen when we yield ourselves completely to God.

In closing, I am reminded of the appearance of Jesus before Peter there on the seaside after the resurrection. Peter, still shrouded in the guilt of his denial, is busy counting the fish the disciples had caught. Jesus walks over to him and asks him a very simple question: "Peter, do you love Me?" When Peter says, "Yes, Lord, you know I love You", Jesus reply is "Then feed My sheep." It is like Jesus was asking Peter if he wanted to get involved with Jesus, or just to talk about getting involved. It is time for us to have the heart of an Othniel, a heart to get involved with God.

Lord, we close another study in Your Word. Our lives have been challenged with the spirit of Othniel. Give us a heart to serve You even as he had. I pray that You would continue to use the Village Schools as Your instruments of blessing. We will give You all the praise, for it is in Christ's name that we pray. Amen.

USED BY GOD IN SPITE OF HANDICAPS
Judges 3:12-30

I want to welcome you to another study in the lives of some of the unusual people whom we meet in the Book of Judges. I believe that God has given us this marvelous book to instruct us in two areas. First, it is a reminder of the consequences which we face when we chose to willfully disobey God. Sin always comes with a price tag. And second, reading the stories of these men awakens within us the sense that God can use anyone who is committed to Him. If God can use a Samson, then surely He can use me if I am yielded to His will.

Last week we closed our time of study with a brief examination of the life and times of Othniel. For forty years he ruled over Israel and for those forty years the nation enjoyed peace and prosperity. But, it seems that once Othniel died and was absent from the national scene, the people again forgot God and His blessings and began sinning against Him.

This time, God sent oppression in the form of the Moabites. Just eighty brief years previous to this time Israel had had a victory over Balak and the Moabites. Now, Moab was their oppressor, having conquered the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Judah. After eighteen years of intense slavery, the people of Israel cried out for deliverance and God sent them a man by the name of Ehud. You will find his story in Judges 3:12-30.

Ehud came from the weakest of all the tribes, Benjamin. It had become that way because of the immorality which is described for us in Judges 19 through 21. In fact, only six hundred Benjaminites had been spared. The tribe of Benjamin never fully recovered, as is evidenced when the nation was to divide years later, the southern tribes of Benjamin and Judah were simply known as Judah.

Not only was Ehud from the weakest of tribes, but he was left-handed. Left-handed people could not fight as well because they took longer to draw their swords. In essence we could say that Ehud was handicapped. In today's world, Ehud might have been excused from serving God because of these limitations.

Yet God delights in using our limitations to bring glory to Himself. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, And he (that is, God) said unto me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me (2 Corinthians 12:9).

God used a Fanny Crosby, in spite of her blindness, to bring encouragement to many even a century after her death. God used a George Whitefield, with such terrible asthma that he would become violently sick after speaking, to stir two continents with revival. God used a shoe salesman in Chicago, a man who butchered the King's English, to impact not only his generation but our generation today with his enthusiasm for God. That man's name was D. L. Moody. And God has used Joni Eareckson Tada to bring comfort and hope to those with great physical and emotional handicaps.

One of the great lessons from the life of Ehud is that no one is handicapped when it comes to serving God. God wants you just as you are.

Father, You are the one who has made us. We belong to You. Our limitations only become vessels through which You can exercise Your strength. Encourage us through the life of Your servant Ehud that we might respond in service to You. For it is in the name of Jesus who is our strength that we pray. Amen.

EHUD: A STUDY IN AVAILABILITY
Judges 3:12-30

Yesterday, you might remember, we began our brief study of the life of one of the unusual servants whom God used in the Book of Judges. You will remember that Ehud would have been considered as handicapped if alive today, yet he did not let those limitations detour him from serving the Lord.

But there is another truth which I observe in this brief account of this man, Ehud. Here was a man who was available for God to use. He was willing to carry the tribute to the Moabite King, Eglon. He was willing to risk his life to bring deliverance to Israel. He saw the opportunity God had given to him and he used it.

Why was Ehud this way? Although the Bible does not state directly, I believe Ehud had prepared himself for this role as a deliverer. I believe he had rehearsed what he would do if and when God called him to act.

How many of us use the opportunities which God has given to us to share our faith with others or to help others in their hour of need. I am reminded often of the challenge which flows from the heart and pen of Peter. Listen to his words: But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have....(1 Peter 3:15). Always be prepared to give a testimony for Christ. Always be prepared to explain to another why you belief the way you do. Always be prepared to be used by God.

I remember standing at the front door of my home, one evening, visiting with a man whom I had never met before. He had been drinking and his voice was about a hundred decibels higher than it should have been. He thought I was someone else, and wanted to talk before going out an committing suicide. His girlfriend had left him. His life was a wreck. He did not believe in a loving God who might care for him. I stood there and challenged him, before he took his own life, to read the Bible and to see if God was real. He roared away on his motorcycle, and I thought I would never hear from him again. A week later he called me. I knew by his voice something had happened. He told me that he had gone to a motel, found the Gideon Bible lying on the table next to the bed, and began reading at Genesis. He had found God, gave his life to Christ, and God began using him to minister to the motorcycle gangs around the country.

Friends, always be prepared to share Christ's love and the Word of God. You will never know who God will bring into your life. Ehud was ready and God used him.

Our loving heavenly Father, Thank You for Your reminder that really all You desire from us is our availability. You want us to be vessels prepared to serve You as You see fit. What a great privilege it is to be used by You to impact the lives of others around us. Give us boldness where that is needed. Give us love where that is missing in the life of another. Give us a spirit of compassion and encouragement so that others will see that You are the great healer and encourager. And we will be careful to give You all the praise and glory. For it is in Christ's name that we pray. Amen.

SHAMGAR; A MAN WHO USED HIS GIFT WISELY
Judges 3:31, Judges 5:6

Two verses tell us the story of this great man of God. We know so very little about him, except that his name, Shamgar, means "cupbearer." From Judges 5:6, we notice that during his time, people were afraid to travel on the main roadways. It appears that the Philistines guarded them closely and intimidated the travelers so that many used the backroads.

Shamgar had grown up in the closing years of the reign of Ehud, and had, I believe, patterned himself after his hero. That thought was arresting. Shamgar was observing the lifestyle and attitudes of Ehud. I am sure that Ehud probably never met Shamgar and never realized the impact that he was having upon this young man. Yet, as Christians, I need to be reminded that my life is to be an example for others to follow.

This is seen most importantly within my family. I remember a little poem which crossed my desk many years ago. Its words stirred within me the great responsibility which I had as a father. Listen to the words:

A careful man I ought to be, A little fellow follows me.
I do not dare to go astray For fear he'll go the selfsame way.
I cannot once escape his eyes, What e're he sees me do he tries.
Like me he says he's going to be - The little chap that follows me.
He thinks that I am good and fine, Believes in every word of mine.
The base in me he must not see - The little chap that follows me.
I must remember as I go, Thru summer's sun and winter's snow
I'm building for the years to be - That little chap who follows me.

The way we conduct our lives is important because someone is always looking at us. If we are careful to follow Christ, then we can lead by example and say with the Apostle Paul, Join with others in following my example, brother, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you (Philippians 3:17).

A second truth observed in the life of Shamgar is that he was able to achieve a great victory through an imperfect means. An oxgoad was a long-handled instrument used to guide the oxen. Some scholars suggest that it was eight feet long and six inches in diameter with a sharp point at one end. Now, the slaying of the six hundred Philistines was the possible prevention of a Philistine invasion.

An oxgoad, in the hands of one committed to God, can become a powerful tool to communicate God's power. God still delights in using the insignificant to overwhelm the mighty. Jesus awed the crowd that day along the seaside when He fed them all with merely five loaves and two fish. David overwhelmed the Philistine giant with a mere slingshot and a smooth stone.

So often we feel that our gift and talent is so small and insignificant for God to use. But listen to these words of encouragement from the Apostle Paul: But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27). All you may have to offer God is an insignificant oxgoad like the one Shamgar had, but God can use that to accomplish His purposes if you allow God to use it.

Father, too many times we think that we can only serve You if we have a great talent or ability. But the size of our gift is not that important to You. You desire its availability. So, take our insignificant gifts and use them to bring glory to Yourself. We pray in Christ's name. Amen.

Judges 1-2 Return to the Table of Contents Judges 4-5