Pattern of the Book of Judges

In today’s passage, the pattern of the Book of Judges is depicted in a typical form. (1) The faithlessness of the Israelites. They forgot the Lord and served Baal and Asherah. Asherah and Ashtoreth are the same goddess. (2) Judgment from the Lord. This time, the Lord used Cushan-rishathaim from Aram Naharaim to afflict Israel. Cushan-rishathaim means “a doubly wicked Cushan.” (3) The cry of the Israelites. After enduring eight years of suffering, the people finally cry out to the Lord for help. (4) Salvation through a judge. The Lord raised up Othniel and through his leadership, he saved the Israelites. Cushan-rishathaim was destroyed, and Israel enjoyed peace for forty years.

Othniel

Othniel became the first judge. (1) He was appointed by the Lord as a judge. As evidence, the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. The work of the Lord must be carried out through the encouragement and guidance of the Holy Spirit. When we feel powerless in our daily lives, let us seek to be filled once again with the Holy Spirit and be carried by His power. (2) He first judged Israel and then went out to battle. He resolved the internal turmoil and addressed the problems within the nation. He started with what was close at hand before engaging with external enemies. This was the right procedure. From this, we can also learn spiritual lessons. We need to begin by aligning our own inner lives, then our households. Start with what is close and then move outward toward greater goals. Let us pray for the mercy of the Lord to be poured out upon what is close at hand. The period of peace came to an end after 40 years. When Othniel died, the Israelites once again became unfaithful. The span of 40 years represents one generation. In other words, the Israelites failed to pass down true faith based on repentance to the next generation.