Judges 3 - Aod and Eglon

Judges doesn't waste much time to get going.  In Chapter 3 we begin seeing the line of Judges, with specific mention of the first three: Othoniel, Aod (or Ehud), and Samgar.  The cycle is predictable.  The people fall into sin and are subsequently taken over by a local heathen ruler, God in His Mercy, sends them a savior in the form of a wise and courageous judge, who delivers the people from their oppressor.  But when this judge dies (after a period of peace), the people fall back into their old ways, and a new judge is sent.  It's interesting to read about these events with a historian's perspective.  The Israelites seem to keep getting taken over and oppressed by different rulers from different peoples.  It might at times be the Philistines on the west and south, or the Persians, or Syrians, or Mesopotamians on the east.  It paints a picture of the Israelites truly in a precarious position.  They are surrounded by hostile peoples always ready to attack and subjugate them.  My commentary mentions that it is possible that different Judges are sent to different Hebrew tribes, and thus each judge's account in the Bible represents a different conflict, and some of these conflicts could have been going on simultaneously.  It's also interesting to note that the nation of Israel today is still in this precarious position, surrounded as they are by Islamic nations who are hostile towards them.  It can't be an easy position to be in, but it's as old and customary to them as the hills.  For each of us it's a lesson that while we are walking this earth, the enemy in the form of Satan and sin, is always around us.  We have to always be on our guard and realize we could be infiltrated by the enemy at any moment.

Back to Judges 3, though.  There isn't much said about the judges in this chapter, especially Othoniel and Samgar.  Aod at least gets an interesting story, that I'm sure anyone who's read the Bible will always remember.  Aod is sent to deliver the people from the Moabites, who have taken over what I believe to be the south and eastern portions of Israelite territory.  The Moabite king is Eglon, who gets a vivid description as someone who was "exceeding fat" (Judges 3:17).  The account is suspenseful and reads like any thrilling novel.  Aod sees the king, gets to be alone with him, and drives his sword through Eglon so far that it gets completely lost and covered up in his fat!  He leaves and the guards wait a long time before they finally realize something's wrong.  When they go in, they see their king dead.  Aod subsequently leads the Israelites in battle against the Moabites who get annihilated and pushed out of the Israelites' land.  It's quite a story to read!  It shows the special power God bestowed on his Judges to save His chosen people.