Judges 3:7-11
Othniel
7 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. 8 Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. 9 But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10 The Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. 11 So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
The title of today’s devotional Bible Study is ‘A Family Legacy Continues!’ There are always exceptions, but as a whole, fathers want to leave a legacy for their children. Legacy is a tricky word. One definition of legacy is the amount of money that is left for a child in a will. Another definition, on the other hand, is the preferential treatment, skill, personality, or character a person receives because they are a parent’s son or daughter. For example, my ancestral home is in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky. One would wonder why I now live in the beautiful state of Hawaii and not in Eastern Kentucky. God’s plan is timeless and He uses many generations to fulfill His will. For example, my ancestors were not coal miners because the family own a large amount of land. Instead of working in the coal mines, my ancestors were apple farmers. However, in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the United States of America went into a horrible economic depression. Around that time, my grandfather got an athletic scholarship to play basketball at the Univerity of Kentucky in Richmond, KY. My grandpa left the mountains of Kentucky and went to college. He was the first in his family to go to college, but he left a legacy for all his descendants to follow. Grandpa’s son, my father, went to Bible College and beyond. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in theology. My dad was a pastor and loved to study. My dad passed this trait on to me. I also went to a university for my bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Additionally, I went to a Baptist seminary and got my degree in theology as well. Because, I, like my grandpa and dad, desire to seek Christ and His righteousness in Scripture. While I never became a pastor, I followed in their footsteps. I know that both of my children also went to college and got their bachelor’s degrees too. We can say that my grandfather’s legacy is going to college to get degrees in higher education. Nevertheless, it would be more meaningful if my family’s legacy is being devoted to Christ. My grandfather, father, and I are all Bible-believing, Bible-toting, Bible-teaching, and Bible-preaching men of God. O how I pray for the salvation of my children. I pray that they also receive this legacy that was started by their great-grandpa. No! It is not about going to college but believing and serving Christ.
In our passage today, we are reintroduced to a man who was first mentioned in Judges 1:11-15. He is the grandson of Jephunnah, a Kenite. Kenites were in the land of Canaan during the time of Abraham when God made His covenant with him. We assume Jephunnah to have married a Hebrew woman in the tribe of Judah. However, this was not a situation where the Jews intermarried by giving their sons to marry the Canaanite women and their daughters to marry the Canaanite men, which caused Israel to reject God and worship the false gods of those they married. Instead, Jephunnah left his idolatrous gods and came to worship ‘Yahweh’, the creator God of the universe, the covenant-making God of Israel. Jephunnah’s sons were Caleb and Kenaz. Caleb’s daughter was Achsah and Kenaz’s son was Othniel. Because of Caleb’s promise: if anyone would come and fight to defeat Kiriath-Sepher, that is, Hebron, then that man can marry Caleb’s daughter, Achsah. Othniel defeated the Canaanites and became Caleb’s son-in-law. Jephunnah left a legacy for his descendants to follow, which is, to be faithful to ‘Yahweh”, the one true God, and to serve Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and body. Othniel and according to this legacy, became Israel’s first judge who delivered them from the oppression of their enemies, Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia.
Judges 3:7 begins by stating the most horrid thought, “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.” Because they rejected the Lord God of Israel, the Lord became angry with them and led them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. Israel had to serve the severe and deadly attacks of the people from Mesopotamia. Eventually and in due process of time, the Israelites cried out to the Lord and He heard their cries. In love and faithfulness, the Lord sent them a deliverer, who was Othniel, grandson of Jephunnah and the nephew and son-in-law of Caleb, the great man of valor, strength, and devotion. It was appropriate that God chose Othniel from the tribe of Judah. The Israelites did not have a leader after the death of Joshua. Joshua and Caleb were the only two men in their generation who believed and trusted in God; they wanted the Israelites to go in and take possession of the land of Canaan when Moses was alive. Now with Moses and Joshua dead, Caleb, through his victorious conquest, defeated the three giant sons of Anak. Caleb was now an old man too. The Legacy of servicing God was passed from Jephunnah, to Caleb and Kenaz, and now to Achsah and Othniel. Othniel proved himself to be a great man of valor, strength, and devotion as well. He captured and defeated the Canaanite city of Kiriath-Sephar, which is now called Hebron. Because Othniel prevailed, he lived as judge of Israel for forty years, and during this time, the nation had rest all the days of Othniel’s life.
In application, we need to consider how important it is to leave a legacy for our children to follow. Not a legacy of higher education, although that is important. But a legacy of loving and serving Christ. The Bible commands us to teach our children God’s law. We are to teach them to fear and revere the Lord God Almighty. We are to bring all children to Christ so they may learn about Jesus, the Son of God, and what He did for them.
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My Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Savior of the world, I pray for the salvation of my children. Lord God, I repent and confess that I should have been a better father to them. I should have led them in the Way and in the Word of God. I should have taught more to be a lover of Scripture and You, as their Lord God and Savior. Forgive me, Lord God. Forgive and save my children. May they also follow in the footsteps of their great-grandpa, grandpa, and dad. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen
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Dare to be a Daniel, by Philip P. Bliss in 1873
