God, Who Raised Up Judges

This passage deals with the situation in which, when the people of Israel forgot God, served idols and became corrupt, God handed them over to Cushan Rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, and they suffered for eight years. When the people cried out in their suffering, God raised up Othniel as a judge and saved them, but once peace came they again forgot to be thankful and turned back to sin.

To discipline their pride, God made Eglon king of Moab strong, and raised up Ehud, a left-handed man whom the world looked down on, as their deliverer. This was to put the world's wisdom and strength to shame and to work by God's unseen power. Through the example of Shamgar, who defeated the Philistines with a single ox goad, it also shows that God uses those who give themselves with full faith, not according to their qualifications or possessions.

Are we living a repeated pattern of seeking God only in hard times and abandoning him once things are comfortable? Rather than measuring our worth by the world's standards and possessions, it asks whether we will move toward a life of fulfilling God's will by becoming a judge for the weak.