January 9 - Othniel

January 9 - Othniel

Who is Othniel?  The first judge of the Israelites.  The judges attempted to lead the children of Israel after Joshua died, and after their failure to do so because of the insistence of the people that they be allowed to worship other gods and their subsequent turning away from the Lord, they called for a king when Samuel (January 15th blog) was in place as their leader.

The pattern that is followed in the book of Judges is that 1) the people turned away from the Lord, 2) the Lord punished them by bringing in a foreign power to oppress them, 3) the people cried out to the Lord, 4) God raised up a deliverer … a judge for them.

Othniel, the lion of God, was the first of these judges.

We first meet him in Judges 1.  The Israelites are fighting against the Canaanites.  Caleb (the friend of Joshua’s who traveled into Canaan and brought back a good report, but who wasn’t believed, offered his daughter’s hand in marriage to the one who would attack and capture Kiriath-sepher.  Othniel did just that.  So, he received Achsah as his wife and when she met him, she told him to ask her father for a field.  Caleb gave her the land of the Negeb and the upper and lower springs of water (remember, water was very important to these desert nomads).  (Judges 1:11-16)

Then, a group of them settled that area.

Not surprisingly, by the time we get to Judges 2, Israel is disobedient and unfaithful.  They did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals.  And they abandoned, the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt  (Judges 2:11-12).

The Lord gave them over to plunderers and sold them into the hand of the enemies.

…And they were in terrible distress (Judges 2:15b).

He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia.  And the people served him for eight years. But when the people cried out to them, he raised up a deliverer.  Othniel was that first deliverer.

The Spirit of the Lord was upon him. He went into battle and prevailed.  For the next forty years, the Israelites were at peace.  Then, Othniel died. (Judges 3:7-11)

Fortunately for the people of Israel, there were men and women who loved the Lord and refused to turn away from Him.  Since this will become a pattern for them … they’re going to need these people.