Who’s That Hero?

It's Friday. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. —Matthew 5:16 Reading the book of Judges, with its battles and mighty warriors, can sometimes feel like reading about comic book superheroes. We have Deborah, Barak, Gideon, and Samson. However, in the line of judges (or deliverers), we also find Othniel. The account of his life is brief and straightforward (Judges 3:7-11). No drama. No display of prowess. But what we do see is what God did through Othniel: “The raised up a deliverer” (v.9), “the Spirit of the came upon him” (v.10), and “the delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand” (v.10). 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. When I was young, I wished I could be more talented so that I could point more people to Christ. But I was looking at 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 (Matt. 5:16). When others look at our life, it is more important that they see God—not us. —Poh Fang Chia May the Word of God dwell richly In my heart from hour to hour, So that all may see I triumph Only through His power. Wilkinson Our limited ability highlights God’s limitless power. Insight The book of Judges gives the story of the people of Israel in the Promised Land, but without their great leaders of the past—Moses and Joshua—and before the first of the kings. This lack of leadership resulted in repeated seasons of rebellion and idolatry during which God would raise up judges to defeat the Israelites’ enemies and to guide the wayward people back to Himself. The story of this era is a difficult one, summarized in the words of Judges 21:25, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”