Judges 3:12-15
Ehud
12 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 13 He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms. 14 And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
15 Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord …
The Israelites enjoyed rest for forty years while Othniel of Judah was the judge of Israel. When he died, our passage says in Judges 3:12, “And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” While we are not told explicitly what evil the Israelites were doing, we can rightfully assume that they are returning to their former sins: rejecting the Lord and worshiping the false gods of the Canaanites and the nations that surround them. Again, the Lord’s jealousy cause Him to be angry and He strengthened the king of Moab, who allied himself with the Ammonites and the Amalekites. The Moabites and Ammonites were descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. They rejected ‘Yahweh’ and worshiped idols and false gods. They even sacrificed their children to these false gods. However, the Lord did not drive them out of their land because He gave that land to Lot. (Deuteronomy 2:9-23). The Amalekites were the people of Negev, the southernmost part of Israel. They fought and discouraged the Israelites when they came out of Egypt (Exodus 17:8–13). in the early years of the monarchy, the prophet Samuel told king Saul to destroy the Amalekites for what they did to Israel after the exodus, but Saul disobeyed God. Eventually, Saul was removed as king of Israel (1 Samuel 15:1-35). In verse 3:13, these three nations made an alliance to defeat Israel and take the City of Palms, which is Jericho, a border town between the lands of Benjamine and the half-tribe of Manassa. Eglon, the king of Moab put the Israelites in servitude for 18 years.
In verse 3:15, it says, “Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord …” This doesn’t sound right! Why would anyone who is placed into subjection to another, not cry out immediately? Why did they wait for 18 years? Why was Israel willing to tolerate being dominated by this idolatrous nation? The answer to this may be due to Israel’s guilt and shame, which hindered their relationship with the Lord their God. Those who are guilty of a crime, even when others may not know it, may act shamefully because of the guilt their conscience will bare; if in fact, they have a conscience. Let us consider why this trouble began. Verse 3:12 says, “And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord ” even though the Lord called them to be holy as he is holy (Leviticus 11:44). However, we know the Israelites had to wander in the desert for forty years because of their disobedience. And on top of this, God warned them through Moses what would exactly happen when they rebelled and disobey God. Deuteronomy 11:26-28 says,
“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, 28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.”
Yet, in spite of the warnings, they had no fear or respect for their God. They disobeyed Him. When the Lord strengthened the king of Moab to come against the Israelites, the Israelites knowingly could not come to their God and plea for mercy, saying, “Help us, Lord, for we are innocent!” No! They were guilty. And now, who can they turn to? Maybe they didn’t turn to Yahweh, the LORD, because they were praying and trusting in their idols and false gods to deliver them. Maybe it was because of their guilt and shame. We really do not know. For 18 years, they had to suffer.
The Israelites delayed asking God for help. This meant they were bound and steeped in their sin for all those years. They were not repenting and confessing their sins, Instead, they were worshiping false gods. For sure, our psyche is programmed to avoid the stress caused by shame. But yet, God does allow sinners to sin because they chose to sin. A dog returns to its vomit; a pig returns to its wallow (Proverbs 26:11, 2 Peter 2:22). The Apostle Paul said in Romans 1:21-25 and 1:28
“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen … And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.”
Being turned over to the consequences of a reprobate mind is a horrible thing. This condition is more than a sickness. It is an absence of holiness. Our Confession of Faith calls this the Doctrine of Depravity. In regards to the Fall of Man, Our Confession of Faith says,
“We believe that man was created in holiness, under the law of his Maker. But, by voluntary transgression, fell from that holy and happy state. The consequence of this is that all mankind are now sinners, not by constraint, but by choice; being by nature utterly void of that holiness required by the law of God, positively inclined to evil. Therefore, mankind is under just condemnation to eternal ruin, without defense or excuse.”
In application, we see what Paul said to the Romans about how continuing to sin sears our minds to the point where we reject the truth and live Satan’s lies. Instead of worshiping the one true God, our Creator, the depraved mind will reject God and create idols and gods of their own making. In our age, these false gods may not be made of stone, wood, silver, or gold. Nevertheless, they are deadly, causing us to take our focus and dependence off our Lord Jesus Christ. These idols could be fame, fortune, prestige, beauty, or possessions. They hinder and cause us not to worship the Lord our God. Therefore, we need to live according to what Scripture says in Hebrews 12:1-2, which says, “let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.”
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My loving sovereign and just God, I worship and praise You, Lord, for taking me from a life of sin and planting my feet on a higher ground, which is Jesus Christ my Lord God and Savior. I confess that I am of a depraved nature that loathes the constraints of the law. Praise You, Lord, for You have given me the law of the Spirit. Though my flesh fights against the Spirit, I pray that You give me faith, love, and a desire for Your righteousness. Give me eternal rest in Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen!
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Lord, I Deserve Thy Deepest Wrath, by Basil Manly, Jr. in 1850
