God uses unlikely deliverers and unexpected methods to rescue Israel from their rebellion. The stories of Othniel and Ehud illustrate this repeated cycle in the Book of Judges. But ultimately, Jesus is the unexpected hero who rescues through his death on the cross, God’s ultimate act of foolishness and weakness to bring about victory.
The Book of Judges follows a repeated cycle of Israel rebelling against God, God punishing them, raising up a deliverer to rescue them, a time of rest, and then Israel rebelling again.
Key Points
- Othniel, the first judge, is delivered by the Spirit of God but still fails. Only Jesus, the true spirit-anointed deliverer, can rescue permanently.
- Ehud, a left-handed man with a disability, is an unlikely hero chosen by God to assassinate King Eglon through deception.
- Jesus is the ultimate unexpected hero who rescues through his seemingly foolish death on the cross, which appears as weakness but is actually God’s power and wisdom at work.
The cross is the means of our salvation from our own rebellion. Through trusting in Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can be rescued and boast only in him, not ourselves.