He Raised Up For Them A Deliverer

The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years. But when they cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. The Spirit of the Lord came on him, so that he became Israel’s judge and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.

Judges 3:7-11

The account of Othniel is brief and straightforward. There is no drama. There is no display of prowess. What we see is what God did through Othniel.

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.

There may have been a time in our lives when we wish we could have been more talented so that we could point more people to Christ. But we later find out that we were looking for 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.

When others look at our life, it is more important that they see God – not us.

Our limited ability highlights God’s limitless power.

Our Daily Bread – February 7, 2014