Jo’s Place

Shamgar & Deborah Become Israel’s Judges After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath judged Israel. He once killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad.  But after Ehud’s death, the Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight.  So the Lord turned them over to King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite king.  The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-haggoyim.  Sisera, who had 900 iron chariots, ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.  Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help.  Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet, who was judging Israel, at that time.  She would sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel, in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would go to her, for judgment.  One day, she sent for Barak, son of Abinoam, who lived in Kedesh, in the land of Naphtali.  She said to him,  “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you:  Call out 10,000 warriors, from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun, at Mount Tabor.  A

Othniel & Ehud Become Israel’s Judges The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight.  They forgot about the Lord, their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles.  Then, the Lord burned with anger against Israel, and He turned them over to King Cushan-rishathaim, of Aram-naharaim.  And the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim, for eight years.  But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord raised up a rescuer to save them.  His name was Othniel, the son of Caleb’s younger brother, Kenaz.  The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge.  He went to war against King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram, and the Lord gave Othniel victory over him.  So, there was peace in the land for forty years.  Then, Othniel son of Kenaz died.  Once again, the Israelites did evil, in the Lord’s sight, and the Lord gave King Eglon, of Moab, control over Israel, because of their evil.  Eglon enlisted the Ammonites and Amalekites, as allies, and then