Meditate

3. Othniel and Ehud

Nations Remaining in the Land

 3

Now these are the nations that the Lord left to test all those in Israel who had no experience of any war in Canaan²(it was only that successive generations of Israelites might know war, to teach those who had no experience of it before):³the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath.⁴They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their ancestors by Moses.⁵So the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites;⁶and they took their daughters as wives for themselves, and their own daughters they gave to their sons; and they worshiped their gods.

Othniel

⁷ The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, forgetting the Lord their God, and worshiping the Baals and the Asherahs.⁸Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim; and the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.⁹But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the Israelites, who delivered them, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.¹⁰The spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel; he went out to war, and the Lord gave King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.¹¹So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

Ehud

¹² The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord strengthened King Eglon of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord.¹³In alliance with the Ammonites and the Amalekites, he went and defeated Israel; and they took possession of the city of palms.¹⁴So the Israelites served King Eglon of Moab eighteen years.

¹⁵ But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The Israelites sent tribute by him to King Eglon of Moab.¹⁶Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length; and he fastened it on his right thigh under his clothes.¹⁷Then he presented the tribute to King Eglon of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.¹⁸When Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent the people who carried the tribute on their way.¹⁹But he himself turned back at the sculptured stones near Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” So the king said, “Silence!” and all his attendants went out from his presence.²⁰Ehud came to him, while he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber, and said, “I have a message from God for you.” So he rose from his seat.²¹Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into Eglon’s belly;²²the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the dirt came out.²³Then Ehud went out into the vestibule, and closed the doors of the roof chamber on him, and locked them.

²⁴ After he had gone, the servants came. When they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, “He must be relieving himself in the cool chamber.”²⁵So they waited until they were embarrassed. When he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them. There was their lord lying dead on the floor.

²⁶ Ehud escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the sculptured stones, and escaped to Seirah.²⁷When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites went down with him from the hill country, having him at their head.²⁸He said to them, “Follow after me; for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him, and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and allowed no one to cross over.²⁹At that time they killed about ten thousand of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; no one escaped.³⁰So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest eighty years.

Shamgar

³¹ After him came Shamgar son of Anath, who killed six hundred of the Philistines with an oxgoad. He too delivered Israel.

3. Faith or Observance of the Law

²³ Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed.²⁴Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith.²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian,

44. Psalm 44

Psalm 44

National Lament and Prayer for Help

To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Maskil.

1

We have heard with our ears, O God,

our ancestors have told us,

what deeds you performed in their days,

in the days of old:

2

you with your own hand drove out the nations,

but them you planted;

you afflicted the peoples,

but them you set free;

3

for not by their own sword did they win the land,

nor did their own arm give them victory;

but your right hand, and your arm,

and the light of your countenance,

for you delighted in them.

4

You are my King and my God;

you command victories for Jacob.

5

Through you we push down our foes;

through your name we tread down our assailants.

6

For not in my bow do I trust,

nor can my sword save me.

7

But you have saved us from our foes,

and have put to confusion those who hate us.

8

In God we have boasted continually,

and we will give thanks to your name forever.Selah

9

Yet you have rejected us and abased us,

and have not gone out with our armies.

10

You made us turn back from the foe,

and our enemies have gotten spoil.

11

You have made us like sheep for slaughter,

and have scattered us among the nations.

12

You have sold your people for a trifle,

demanding no high price for them.

13

You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,

the derision and scorn of those around us.

14

You have made us a byword among the nations,

a laughingstock among the peoples.

15

All day long my disgrace is before me,

and shame has covered my face

16

at the words of the taunters and revilers,

at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.

17

All this has come upon us,

yet we have not forgotten you,

or been false to your covenant.

18

Our heart has not turned back,

nor have our steps departed from your way,

19

yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals,

and covered us with deep darkness.

20

If we had forgotten the name of our God,

or spread out our hands to a strange god,

21

would not God discover this?

For he knows the secrets of the heart.

22

Because of you we are being killed all day long,

and accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

23

Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?

Awake, do not cast us off forever!

24

Why do you hide your face?

Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?

25

For we sink down to the dust;

our bodies cling to the ground.

26

Rise up, come to our help.

Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.