Christianity Oasis Forum

by **cimi** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 10:59 pm

February 7
Friday

*Rapture*

WHO'S THAT
HERO?

READ:
Judges 3:7-11
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Let your light so shine
before men, that they
may see your good
works and glorify your
Father in heaven.
__Matthew 5:16
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Reading the book of judges, with its battles and mighty warriors, can sometimes feel like reading about comic book superheroes. We have Deborah, Barak, Gideon, and Samson. However, in the line of judges (or deliverers), we also find Othniel.

The account of his life is brief and straightforward (Judges 3:7-11). No drama. No display of prowess. But what we do see is what God did through Othniel: "The LORD raised up a deliverer" (v.9). "the Spirit of the LORD came upon him" (v.10), and "the LORD delivered Cushan-Rashathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand" (v.10).

The Othniel account helps us focus on what is most important__the activity of God. Interesting stories and fascinating people can obscure that. We end up concentrating on those and fail to see what the Lord is doing.

When I was young, I wished I could be more talented so that I could point more people to Christ. But I was looking at the wrong thing. God often uses ordinary people for His extraordinary work. It is His light shining through our lives that glorifies God and draws others to Him (Matt. 5:16).

When others look at our life, it is more important that they see God__not us. __Posh Fang Chia

```````````````````````May the Word of God dwell richly```````````````````````
````````````````````````In my heart from hour to hour,````````````````````````
````````````````````````So that all may see I triumph``````````````````````````
````````````````````Only through His power. __Wilkinson``````````````````````
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Our limited ability highlights God's limitless power.

*****************************Today's Bible Reading __ Judges 3:7-11***************************
7 So the children of Israel
did evil in the sight of the
LORD. They forgot the
LORD their God, and served
the Balls and Asherahs.

8 Therefore the anger of the
LORD was hot against
Israel, and He sold them
into the hand of Cushan-
Rishathaim king of
Mesopotamia; and the
children of Israel served
Cushan-Rishathaim eight
years. 9 When the children
of Israel cried out to the
LORD, the LORD raised up a
deliverer for the children of
Israel, who delivered them:
Othniel the son of Kenaz,
Caleb's younger brother.

10 The Spirit of the LORD
came upon him, and he
judged Israel. He went out
to war, and the LORD
delivered Cushan-
Rishathaim king of
Mesopotamia into his hand;
and his hand prevailed over
Cushan-Rishathaim. 11 So
the land had rest for forty
years. Then Othneil the son
of Kenaz died.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

The book of judges gives the story of the people of Israel in the
Promised Land, but without their great leaders of the past__Moses
and Joshua__and before the first of the kings. This lack of leadership
resulted in repeated seasons of rebellion and idolatry during which
God would raise up judges to defeat the Israelites' enemies and to
guide the wayward people back to Himself. The story of this era is
a difficult one, summarized in the words of judges 21:25, "In those
days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his
own eyes."
*harp*