"Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel." (Judges 3:12) The first time they fell into idolatry they were made the subjects of Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Aram Naharaim, for eight years. During the days Othniel was judge, they were not subject to anyone. But they've fallen into the bondage of sin again and as a form of correction the Lord allows them to become subject to another king.
The Moabites were related to the Israelites, for Moab was one of the sons of Abraham's nephew Lot, but the Moabites had an intense hatred for the Israelites. They are not powerful enough, however, on their own to subdue the Israelites. Moab's king calls upon two of his allies to help him.
"Getting the Ammonites and the Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms." (Judges 3:13) The Ammonites were descended from Lot's other son, Ammon. This is not the only time in the Bible that we'll find the Ammonites allying themselves with enemies of Israel. The Amalekites are thought to be descended from the family line of Esau, Jacob's brother. Esau had a son named Eliphaz who fathered a son named Amalek. This means the Amalekites, along with the Moabites and Ammonites, were related to the Israelites. Yet the Amalekites attacked the Israelites after they came out of Egypt in Exodus 17 and will continue attacking them at every opportunity. The Moabites, Ammonites, and Amalekites join forces here in Chapter 3 to fight against someone they consider their common enemy: Israel.
The City of Palms is believed to be a reference to Jericho or to the region around Jericho. We know Jericho was the first city conquered by the Israelites after they crossed the Jordan River into the promised land. Eglon manages to take control of that area out of Israelite hands and at the same time he makes Israel his subject for a longer period of time than Israel was made subject to the king of Aram. "The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years." (Judges 3:14) Were their idolatrous sins even more shocking this time than last time, causing the Lord to have to apply a longer period of discipline? Or were they more stubborn about renouncing their false gods this time, so that it took eighteen years instead of eight years for them to repent and turn back to the Lord? The Bible doesn't provide us with those details but as we said yesterday, the Lord doesn't apply discipline for a longer time than is needed. He knows exactly what type of correction we need and how long to administer it. He doesn't do anything out of spite; He doesn't pile on more discipline than necessary and He doesn't drag it out longer than necessary.
The discipline has the desired effect in time: it leads to repentance. "Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and He gave them a deliverer---Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite." (Judges 3:15a) The Lord hears their cry for help and places a calling on the life of a man who will deliver them from their oppressor.
As we continue our passage tomorrow, we'll find out why Ehud's left-handedness is important to this story. But for now we'll close by thinking about how giving themselves to the bondage of sin caused the ancient Israelites to fall into bondage to other nations. Having to pay tribute to a foreign king was just the outward proof of what was going on in their hearts: they had given in to sin and had become enslaved by it.
Sin never sets us free! We may have the attitude that we'll do what we want when we want. We may stubbornly insist that we have the right to live our lives however we choose. But the truth is, sin always enslaves us. We are never less free than when we are living in rebellion to God. As the Lord Jesus phrased it, "Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." (John 8:34)
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