Story 66: Oth'ni-el And E'hud, Two Heroes Of Is'rael lll

   This time He used the Mo'ab-ites to scourge Is'ra-el. For nearly a century these neighboring heathens had looked with envy upon the growth of a people for whom they had a deep hatred. Struck with awe by the power of God which so often aided Is'ra-el, and long having been too weak to attack them, they had patiently awaited an opportunity of gaining vengeance. Finally, when Is'ra-el began to show weakness through neglect of God's Law, the time seemed opportune. Eg'lon, the king of Mo'ab, invited the Am'mon-ites and Am'a-lek-ites to join him in an invasion of the land. In some strange way Divine Providence caused the schemes of Eg'lon to succeed, while failure and disaster attended every effort of the Is'ra-el-ites to defend themselves.
   The invaders brought the entire land under their control, plundered the country of its products, and oppressed the people with heavy tribute. For eighteen years Is'ra-el was under the iron heel of the combined heathen nations. The city of Jer'i-cho, which had been delivered into their hands by a miracle, was made a Mo'ab-ite stronghold to guard the passes across the Jor'dan, and to force Is'ra-el into subjection. The children of Is'ra-el refused to serve God with the corn and wine and oil which He gave them in abundance, but were forced to include these things in their tributes to the oppressors.
   Once again the Is'ra-el-ites were brought to their knees through suffering, and fled to their only refuge in penitence and prayer. The LORD heard their cry, and raised up another deliverer. His name was E'hud, a valiant man of the tribe of Ju'dah who was more skilled in the use of his left hand than he was with his right.
   The first duty imposed upon E'hud by the LORD was the removal of Eg'lon, the Mo'ab-ite king who had a palace in Jer'i-cho. Eg'lon was a glutton, very fat, and indolent. He had directed his people in seizing the property of the Is'ra-el-ites, and in many oppressive acts filled the homes of the land with misery and wailing. For such cruelty he was doomed by the LORD to a shameful death, and E'hud was chosen to bring it to pass.
   The man of God called upon Eg'lon to pay the tribute which the Mo'ab-ites demanded of Is'ra-el. Then he returnt to the palace, telling the guards that he had a private message for the king. He was admitted to the king's room, where he was left alone with the man he was to destroy in the LORD'S name. The guards had not noticed his sword, for he carried it where a right-handed man could not reach it. He then approached the king with the announcement of God's judgment upon him, and suddenly thrust his sword through Eg'lon's body. Locking the parlor door from inside, E'hud escaped through an unguarded porch and fled to the mountains of E'phra-im. The guards of the palace finally unlocked the door, but were too late to revive the king.
   Terror spread quickly through all the encampments of the Mo'ab-ites, for God had provided a way to confuse and alarm all the people of this heathen nation. E'hud sounded a trumpet to summon Is'ra-el to battle, and the army descended upon the Mo'ab-ites at the fords of the Jor'dan. Nearly ten thousand men were slain, and not one Mo'ab-ite escaped death. The land of Is'ra-el was completely freed of the heathen invaders, and there followed a period of peace and prosperity which lasted for eighty years.

Story 66: Oth'ni-el And E'hud, Two Heroes Of Is'ra-el ll

   These long years of punishment worked out the purposes and mercy of God toward Is'ra-el. They were severely afflicted, not merely for the sake of punishment, but in order to correct and reform them. God was seeking to turn them back to Himself. He was seeking to cure them of the dreadful disease which had done so much harm among them. When these purposes were fully accomplished, He raised up from among them a leader who delivered them from the rule of Chu'shan and restored peace and prosperity to the land. When Is'ra-el repented of their sins and cried in righteous sorrow to the LORD, He came to their help as quickly as He had so many times in the past.
   In choosing the man of the hour, who must be capable of organizing the Is'ra-el-ites for war against their foreign masters, and of leading them in breaking the yoke of a cruel king who had terrified the people for eight years, the LORD laid His hand on a veteran named Oth'ni-el. He was a member of the family Ke'naz, was closely related to Ca'leb, and had won honor in the early wars of Is'ra-el in Ca'naan. In the notable victory at De'bir his name had risen as a star of the first magnitude in the military skies of Is'ra-el.
   Oth'ni-el was a man of ripe experience, being fully eighty-five years of age when he was called to judge Is'ra-el. He had learnt long before that Is'ra-el's hope of victory in war depended upon faith in God, and that their defeats were always the result of unbelief and departure from the Laws of God. He was a deeply religious man, and to him the honor of God's name was more precious than anything else in the world. He attacked the armies of Chu'shan in the name of the all-powerful God, and at the same time used all his own skill as a leader. All the resources at his command were faithfully employed, and, with practical endurance and perfect trust in God, he accomplished what appeared to be impossible. The Syr'i-ans were driven from the land, and Is'ra-el was given forty years of rest from all enemies.
   After the deliverance of Is'ra-el from the oppression of the Syr'i-ans, the worship of God was resumed throughout the nation, and idolatry was overthrown. Civil justice was restored, and the laws and ordinances of God were now fully resumed.
   Upon the death of Oth'ni-el, however, the children of Is'ra-el once again fell into idolatrous practices and evils of various kinds. Again the LORD visited them with severe punishments for their sins. He afflicted them to show that He cannot violate His own Holiness by allowing His people to worship false gods, that sin is always a deep offense to Him, and that He will not let His own people engage in things which undermine their character and destroy their happiness.

Story 66: Oth'ni-el And E'hud, Two Heroes Of Is'ra-el l

   It hardly seems possible that a people who had been so greatly honored by the LORD, and who had made such strong pledges of loyalty to Him, would soon fall into disgraceful idolatry and heathen wickedness. And yet this is exactly what happened within twenty or thirty years after the death of Josh'u-a. A people, chosen of God, highly privileged and well trained, became treacherous in heart and wicked in life. A nation which had been founded by special acts of Divine Providence and blessed with the noblest leaders of any age suddenly forgot the favors of God, fell into a state of idolatry, and disobeyed the known Will of God.
   Instead of driving the idolaters out of the land, the Is'ra-el-ites mingled with them even to the point of worshiping their false gods. The Covenant which they had solemnly made with God was rejected, the fear of God was cast off, His Laws were scorned or forgotten, and the worship which belonged to Him was given to lifeless images.
   Is'ra-el had avoided the danger of war with the heathens among them by forming sinful alliances, by accepting them as good neighbors, by entering into marriages which the LORD had forbidden, and by lowering their standards of religion. Because of these sins the LORD brought upon them a strong enemy from outside the land of the Is'ra-el-ites.
   Chu'shan-Rish-a-tha'im, who was king of Syr'i-a on the Eu-phra'tes, and who was a terror throughout the east, invaded the land of Is'ra-el with a great army. His name stood for lawlessness, violence, and cruelty, and he was called "the crime-committing Chu'shan." He ruled the rich country of Mes-o-po-ta'mia, which lay between the Ti'gris and Eu-phra'tes rivers, and dominated neighboring countries for hundreds of miles around.
   Traversing a distance of four hundred miles, this cruel king invaded the land of Is'ra-el from the east, and there followed one of the most tragic stories of the weakness caused by sin. The powerful host of God's people, before whom the armies of the Am'o-rites and Am'mon-ites had melted away like snow under a burning sun, trembled in fear of the invader from the far northeast. The mighty army which had routed more than thirty kings in Ca'naan quailed in dismay, and the soldiers turnt their backs in fright at the appearance of a single chieftain and his army from far away Syr'i-a.
   For eight years the Is'ra-el-ites were forced to live under the oppression of Chu'shan. They were treated  as though they were slaves, were beaten and tortured, and forced to pay heavy tribute to their masters. it was a period of terrible sufferings, of broken hearts and bruised limbs, and of unspeakable anguish as the people bowed under the iron rule of the dark prince of the house of Ham, notorious for his "double-wickedness." For their abandonment of God's Covenant they were abandoned by God, and were left to reap the natural result of their idolatry and wickedness.
  

Story 65: Josh'u-a's Closing Years; His Farewell Messages To Is'ra-el lV

   To this challenge the people of Is'ra-el responded with pledges of absolute loyalty to God, declaring that they would never forsake Him, or serve other gods. Thinking of all the Mighty works He had performed for them, they said, "There is no god like our God." With hearts full of gratitude for all that He had done for them, the people declared that they did not belong to themselves, to do as they pleased, but that they belonged to the God who had redeemed them as His very own.
   Josh'u-a then warned them that they could not serve God and at the same time worship idols. He declared, "Our God is Holy and jealous, and will not give or divide His glory with any other. You cannot serve Him in a half hearted manner, nor can you serve Him in your own strength."
   Although these words of Josh'u-a appeared to suggest that complete loyalty to God was beyond the strength of man, the Is'ra-el-ites replied, "Yes, but we will serve the LORD." They clung to their determination to be true to God and to refrain from every vestige of idolatry even more strongly and persistently than at first.
   This declaration of faith and loyalty to Him was accepted by the LORD on condition that the Is'ra-el-ites immediately put out of their hearts every tendency to serve other gods. Josh'u-a reminded them once more that God is jealous, and will accept no divided services of any kind. Truly, God is jealous of His own Glory, of the righteousness of His children, of the Supremacy of His Kingdom in the hearts and lives of His people, and of the influences which His people have over others. This jealousy is wholly unselfish, and is all-important in the happiness and welfare of God's children.
   After receiving these solemn pledges of constant allegiance and loyalty to God, Josh'u-a made a Covenant with the people. He also erected by the side of the Tabernacle in She'chem a stone memorial to the promises which had been given him. This monument was to serve as an everlasting reminder of the pledges given to God on this memorial occasion, and as a witness against Is'ra-el if they departed from the LORD.
   The people of Is'ra-el were sent back to their tribal homes, and soon afterwards Josh'u-a died and his body was buried on the border of Tim'nath. E-le-a'zar, the High Priest, died a short time later, and one by one the elders of Is'ra-el who had been associated with Josh'u-a also passed away. But Josh'u-a, though dead, continued to speak. His unselfish and holy life became an abiding power to hold those he had faithfully served steadfast in the faith. Through the gloom and heaviness caused by his death the radiant brightness of his noble character continued to shine.

Story 65: Josh'u-a's Closing Years ; His Farewell Messages To Is'ra-el lll

   Josh'u-a began his address by reminding the Is'ra-el-ites of their humble origin. Their ancestors before the Flood had been idol-worshipers. A'bra-ham's father was an idolater, but he had been chosen of God and called out of a land of idolatry. Under the grace and protection of God he had sojourned in the land of Ca'naan, and God had promised this land as a national home for his descendants. The patriarch's I'saac and Ja'cob had dwelt in the land of Ca'naan, and with each of them God had renewed the Covenant which he had made with A'bra-ham. Josh'u-a presented these facts as the basis of an appeal for humility, gratitude, and loyalty.
   He then spoke briefly of the two hundred fifteen years in E'gypt, and of the slavery into which the Is'ra-el-ites had fallen toward the end of that period. He reminded them of the love of God in giving them Mo'ses to lead them out of bondage in E'gypt, and to impart to them the Laws of God; of God's favor in giving them Aa'ron to direct their worship; and of the miraculous way in which God had cared for them and guided them during their forty years in the wilderness. It had been through God's help that they were delivered from the armies of E'gypt, from the superior forces of the Am'a-lek-ites, from the scheming of Ba'lak and the greed of Ba'laam, and from the powerful tribes of the Am'o-rites.
   The marvelous manner in which God had enabled them to conquer the warlike nations of Ca'naan was quickly reviewed. Strong enemies which might easily have defeated them had they been left to their own strength were overthrown by the LORD. Thirty-one strong heathen nations east of the Jor'dan had been subdued, and their lands and cities given to the Is'ra-el-ites for an inheritance. Under the gracious Providence of God they were now living in houses which they had not built, gathering fruits from orchards which they had not planted, enjoying the finest of grapes from vineyards on which they had bestowed no labor, and living in security under His continued Blessings.
   With these proofs that God had chosen as His people, with the record of four hundred and fifty years of miraculous favors from God in the past, and with the blessings which they now enjoyed as the basis of His appeal, Josh'u-a urged Is'ra-el to serve God with perfect sincerity. They were called upon to avoid every form of idolatry, and to serve and worship only the True God. Declaring his own allegiance to God, Josh'u-a challenged the faith of the others in these words, "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve."
  

Story 65: Josh'u-a's Closing Years; His Farewell Messages To Is'ra-el ll

   Looking to the future of Is'ra-el, he urged these leaders to be very courageous in doing all that God had commanded them, and assured them that the same God who had enabled them to conquer so much of the land would give them strength to drive out the heathens yet remaining within their borders. He earnestly warned them against joining in the idol-worship practiced by the heathens in their midst and in the neighboring countries. Just as their victories of the past had been won by holding fast to God, so their future triumphs would depend upon their obedience to Him and to His Commandments.
   Josh'u-a spoke very plainly in his warnings against any social or domestic alliances with the heathen families not yet driven out of Ca'naan. The Is'ra-el-ites must avoid the "snares and traps" of associating with such people, for, once they were ensnared by them, "scourges" would pierce their sides, and "thorns" would pluck out their eyes.
   Setting forth the love of God for them, he warned the people that love sinned against may be turnt into fierce anger. Mercy rejected has its counterpart in cold, stern justice. Transgression of the Holy Laws of God demands righteous indignation against the transgressor. Josh'u-a solemnly warned Is'ra-el that those who disobeyed God's Law would perish quickly.
   After delivering this message to the leaders of Is'ra-el, Josh'u-a lived quietly in his home for a few months before death finally came to him. He lived long enough to deliver a second and final message to all Is'ra-el. In his first message he had spoken in a personal and private manner, but in the second he spoke under direct inspiration from God. This address was delivered before the whole house of Is'ra-el as they assembled at She'chem, which was the exact center of the Holy Land.
   It was fitting for the last assembly of Is'ra-el to hear the voice of Josh'u-a to be held at She'chem. It was here that the Covenant was first given to A'bra-ham four hundred and fifty years before. It was in this vicinity that God appeared to Ja'cob in a vision by night and renewed the Covenant, and it was under an oak tree near this city that Ja'cob cast out the strange gods from his family. Twenty-three years before this assembly Josh'u-a had gathered all Is'ra-el on this sacred spot for the renewal of the Covenant which God had made with A'bra-ham and I'saac and Ja'cob, and for the public reading of all the laws of Mo'ses. Her God had promised to this generation the inheritance of the whole land of Ca'naan, and here the people had solemnly pledged their obedience to all His laws. How fitting, for Is'ra-el to be in a place of so many Holy memories to hear Josh'u-a's farewell address!

Story 65: Josh'u-a's Closing Years; His Farewell Messages To Is'ra-el l

   After all the tribes of Is'ra-el had been allotted their territories, and the borders of each had been clearly defined, a special inheritance was given to Josh'u-a. He had been foremost in the service of his country, but was last to receive a reward. Not until he had brought the whole nation into rich possessions would he accept a home for himself. The same meek spirit which had dominated his entire service in the wars of Is'ra-el prevailed in the division of the land which had been conquered.
   He asked of the High Priest E-le-a'zar and of the people that he be given the city of Tim'nath, an obscure place in the heart of the mountains of E'phra-im. Its chief fame in history is that it was founded and built by Josh'u-a, and that his body was buried in its vicinity.
   With the smile of God upon him, with the satisfaction of having done his work well, and with the gratitude of Is'ra-el for his faithful services, Josh'u-a retired to this quiet mountain home to spend his declining years. He was then about ninety-three years old, and for forty-seven years all his energy had been devoted to the welfare of Is'ra-el. Grown old at last, and weakened by the toils and hardships of the war in Ca'naan, he was entitled to rest. He had built a nation for Is'ra-el, and now under the kindly Providences of God he was permitted to build a humble city for himself. His strength was renewed, and so much of his former vigor restored that he lived to the ripe old age of one hundred and ten.
   Then his strength began to fail so rapidly that he knew the hour of his departure was near. In these moments of physical weakness his faith in God grew stronger, and his interest in the future welfare of Is'ra-el became more intense. He sent out an invitation for the elders, the princes and judges, and the leaders of various ranks in all the tribes to come to his home for a special message. A prompt response was given to this invitation, and a group which represented all Is'ra-el gathered to hear his message. He spoke not of the perpetuation of his own honor, but only of the preservation of Is'ra-el's integrity and faithfulness to God.
   In recounting his past services for Is'ra-el he boasted of nothing which he had done, but called attention to the miraculous manner in which God had fought for Is'ra-el. Nowhere in his message was there a word of self-esteem or self-praise. He spoke of himself only as a servant of God, and gave all honor to God as the Captain of the host of Is'ra-el. Every victory he had won was credited to the guidance and power of God. He had done nothing, but God had done everything.