The message today is about courage. Two boys entered a dentist’s office and one of them asked the dentist, "Doc, will you pull a tooth right this minute? Don’t use any painkiller. Just give it a yank." "Certainly," replied the dentist. "You are a very brave and courageous young man. Now, show me the tooth you want pulled." The young boy turned to his friend, "Johnny, show the Doc your tooth."

It is easy for us to have courage for others, but when we are the one facing the fear, its not so easy. We are going to look at a man who was not afraid to do what God wanted him to do. After Israel had conquered the land of Canaan, there was a long period of peace under Joshua. But after his death, God raised up different people to rule over the land called judges in the Bible. Othniel was the first judge. Othniel, in the Hebrew, means "lion of God." He certainly lived up to his name.

Watson writes concerning him, "Othniel, the first of the judges, seems one of the best. He is not a man of mere rude strength and dashing enterprise; nor is he one who runs the risk of sudden elevation of power, which few can stand. A person of acknowledged honour and sagacity, he sees the problem of the time and does his best to solve it. He is almost unique in this, that he appears without offence, without shame. And his judgeship is honourable to Israel."

Othniel was the baby brother of Caleb. While Joshua was still alive, Othniel had distinguished himself when he defeated Kiriath-sepher as recorded in Judges 1:12-16. After this battle, Othniel and his new bride settled in the land of the Negeb. They planted their crops, raised their livestock, and had a family. There life was pleasant and the land was at rest. As Joshua 1:16 says, "They went and settled with the people."

Judges 3:7-11

Othniel and his family lived far south of the rest of Judah. While Judah began serving other gods, Othniel and his family courageously resisted this trend toward idolatry. The people of Israel were worshipping the two main deities of Canaan - Baal, the main male deity, and Asheroth, Baal’s wife and goddess of fertility. Baal was the farm god who gave increase to family and field, flocks and herds. The appeal of Baal worship was its sensuousness and how it appealed to man’s sinful nature through its lustful practices.

As long as Israel had been fighting the enemies of God, they stayed true to their faith. But once peace came and things were easy, the pagan influences around them starting to sneak into their thinking and their actions.

America is a nation founded by those who were persecuted for their religious beliefs. For the first 200 years, America has courageously clung to its Christian heritage. God has blessed this nation with wealth and prosperity. The struggles of taming the frontier are now over. The great world wars of earlier this century have been won. Even the Cold War has disappeared. America has entered a time of peace and prosperity, and the pagan influences are starting to sneak into our thinking, just as they did to Israel so long ago.

As is apparent from what happened, Othniel and his family courageously resisted these influences and stood firm in their faith. I wonder if America will do the same thing?

Gibbon asks, "But courage, what is it? How does any one get courage? Well, if we take another look at Othniel we shall see that the lion in him was not born on the day Debir was taken. It was already strong, matured, full grown. Born long before this in the desert, it had been nourished by daily deeds of unrewarded valour. Acts such as this take years to grow. All his life he had been unconsciously preparing for this. Yes, that is the story of all courage. God gives it to us as He gives all things in seed form. Every heart is full of germs - courage-germs among them. If we cultivate any germ it grows and bears fruit; if we neglect it it dies. If you want courage you must grow it from a seed - that is you must practise the little you have."

Because of their sin, Israel was in bondage for eight years. But what happened? It says the people cried to the Lord. Are you in bondage? Do you feel overwhelmed by fear? If you feel enslaved, whether by sin or by circumstances, follow the example of the people here and cry out to God. As Jamison-Fausset-Brown informs us, "In their distress they had recourse to earnest prayer, accompanied by humble and penitent confession of their errors."

Let us do the same. Let us go to the Lord in earnest prayer, let us come with a humble and penitent attitude, and let us confess of our errors. It sometimes takes great courage to admit when we are wrong or to admit our own weaknesses. Courage comes as we take those steps of faith.

You do not have to be under bondage any longer. God wants to deliver you and set you free! Notice that when the people cried out, God began to raise up a deliverer. When you cry out to God, he will begin the work of deliverance in your life. Don’t succumb to fear and feelings of weakness. Trust in God and he will deliver you.

This is how Othniel was able to win the victory - "the Spirit of the Lord came upon him." What battle are you facing? Allow the Spirit of the Lord to come upon you. God will give you courage and lift you up out of your despair. The king of Mesopotamia was a formidable enemy. Othniel would have reason to fear greatly. But remember how he had proven himself faithful in the past. Othniel was willing to stand firm for God when he took the land years before. And he was willing to stand firm in his faith when the rest of the nation was chasing after idols. He did not suddenly become courageous and full of faith. He had learned to become this way by taking smaller steps of faith for years. Now the time had come for Othniel to be used in a way he could not have imagined.

I suppose that Othniel and his family were fairly isolated from the problems of Israel since they lived along the southern edge of the land. He could have said to himself that it wasn’t his concern. He could have felt that he didn’t want to disturb his peaceful existence by going back to war. He certainly wouldn’t want to leave his wife and children and relatives. But God raised him up and he boldly stepped forward to do the Lord’s work.

This verse tells us that he prevailed. He won the war and delivered the nation. But did you notice that before Israel went out to war, Othniel did some preparation work first? It says "he judged Israel." Before defeating the enemy without, Othniel knew that Israel must defeat the sin within the nation. So he judged Israel and called on the nation to repent and turn from their wicked ways.

We may want to be delivered from some trouble we are in, but have we repented from our sinful behavior which got us into the trouble in the first place? Othniel knew that some changes had to be made. The Asheroth poles had to be torn down, and the groves planted to honor Baal had to be destroyed. In the same way, God wants you to remove those sins in your life. Perhaps its greed or sinful desires. Perhaps its pride or rebelliousness. Whatever the idols are in your life, cast them down and repent. Allow God to be Lord of your life once again.

Jamison-Fausset-Brown comments, "Impelled by a supernatural influence, he undertook the difficult task of government at this national crisis, addressing himself to promote a general reformation of manners, the abolition of idolatry, the revival of pure religion, and then, after these preliminary measures, he collected a body of choice warriors to expel the foreign oppressors."

Because of Othniel’s courage the land had rest for forty years. There was peace throughout Israel. Othniel judged the nation and kept them focused on God. Because of his courage in the face of evil and danger, he was able to bring peace during his lifetime. As Hall remarks, "How powerful the influence of one good man is, in church or state, is best found in his loss."

Are you looking for peace in your life? Perhaps God is stirring you up to take a courageous stand for him. Finding courage is never easy. But God will help you through whatever you are facing if you will only take those steps of faith and move forward in God’s love.

Sidney Lanier fought in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. After the war his health was never the same. He battled sickness until he died in 1881. Throughout this troubled time of his life he continued composing songs and poems in spite of his physical weakness. He wrote his last song when he had a fever of 104 degrees. These are the words he wrote:

But I fear not, no, I fear not the thing to be done;
I am strong with the strength of my lord the Sun:
How dark, how dark soever the race that must needs be run,
I am lit with the Sun.

This study on Judges 3:7-11 © 1999 by David Humpal, all rights reserved.
All scriptures unless otherwise noted are from the Revised Standard Version © 1971, A. J. Holman Company

Watson: The Biblical Illustrator, vol. 3, pg. 38, Baker Book House

Baal information partly from The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, electronic version © 1996, Biblesoft

Gibbon: The Biblical Illustrator, vol. 3, pg. 39, Baker Book House

Jamison-Fausset-Brown Commentary, electronic version © 1997, Biblesoft

Jamison-Fausset-Brown Commentary, electronic version © 1997, Biblesoft

Hall: quoted in Jamison-Fausset-Brown Commentary, electronic version © 1997, Biblesoft