Lessons from Judges 3

I didn't know what to expect from the study in Judges 3, since it was a narrative that didn't really contain any famous Bible characters or stories, nor any deep theological doctrines.   I don't even think I've heard of the first three judges:  Othniel, Ehud, or Shamgar, prior to this series. Yet, as is often the case, after finishing the preparation for the study, I find that there are some pretty important insights to be gleaned, which are applicable to our lives today.

So, the beginning of the chapter could help us to view the "testing" in our lives in different ways.  Not only can testing be part of God's discipline and judgment for our sins; but, it can also be used to teach us, that we may learn what we might need for the future.   The testing is also an opportunity for us to prove our obedience and faithfulness to God, like a refinement process.

Then, as we see the Israelite's cycle of disobedience, we could learn to avoid falling into a cycle of sin by learning from their experience and pattern.   From the passage, we see how important it is not to "forget the LORD", that is, to remember His faithfulness, His power, His hatred of sin, His covenant, etc.  It is important to share of His goodness from generation to generation; to turn to Him for help first, instead of waiting till He is our "last resort"; and not to yield to the temptations of the false "idols".   The gory details of how Ehud defeated the Moabite King show the ugliness of sin's consequences; but, also show the realistic truth of Scripture and what it takes to deliver and save.

Also in this passage, we see that those God uses for His work may have unusual or uncommon abilities - Ehud being left-handed and Shamgar using an oxgoad to defeat the Philistines.   This shows that it is by the power of God that we have victory; and God can effectively use whomever He chooses in ways that we may not expect.