Once again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. So He gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORDThis phrase sets the stage for the recurring cycle of sin, oppression, repentance, and deliverance that characterizes the Book of Judges. The Hebrew word for "again" (יָסַף, yasaph) implies a repeated action, indicating that the Israelites have fallen back into their sinful ways despite previous deliverances. This highlights the persistent nature of human sinfulness and the need for divine intervention. The phrase "did evil" (עָשָׂה הָרַע, asah hara) suggests not just individual acts of sin but a collective turning away from God's commandments. The "sight of the LORD" (בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה, b'enei Yahweh) emphasizes that their actions are judged by God's standards, not human ones, reminding us that God sees and evaluates the moral state of His people. so the LORD strengthened Eglon king of Moab
The phrase "the LORD strengthened" (וַיְחַזֵּק יְהוָה, vayechazek Yahweh) indicates that God is sovereign over all nations and uses even foreign rulers to accomplish His purposes. The strengthening of Eglon, the king of Moab, serves as a form of divine discipline for Israel's disobedience. This reflects the biblical principle that God can use any means, even those that seem contrary to His people's interests, to bring about repentance and restoration. The historical context of Moab, a nation often in conflict with Israel, underscores the seriousness of Israel's sin and the extent to which God will go to correct His people. against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD
The repetition of "against Israel" (עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, al Yisrael) and "done evil in the sight of the LORD" reinforces the cause-and-effect relationship between Israel's sin and their subsequent oppression. It serves as a sobering reminder that disobedience to God leads to consequences, not out of spite, but as a means to draw His people back to Himself. The historical pattern of Israel's behavior in the Promised Land, as recorded in the Scriptures, illustrates the need for continual faithfulness and the dangers of complacency in one's spiritual life. This verse calls believers to examine their own lives, to recognize areas of disobedience, and to seek God's forgiveness and guidance. Persons / Places / Events 1. The IsraelitesThe chosen people of God who repeatedly fall into cycles of sin, oppression, repentance, and deliverance throughout the Book of Judges. 2. The LORDThe covenant God of Israel, who is just and righteous, allowing consequences for sin but also providing deliverance. 3. Eglon, King of MoabThe ruler whom God strengthens to oppress Israel as a consequence of their disobedience. 4. MoabA neighboring nation to Israel, often in conflict with them, representing a source of temptation and oppression. 5. The Cycle of Sin and DeliveranceA recurring theme in Judges where Israel falls into sin, faces oppression, cries out to God, and is delivered by a judge. Teaching Points The Consequences of DisobedienceGod’s justice requires that sin be addressed. The Israelites' repeated disobedience led to their oppression by foreign powers. God’s Sovereignty in DisciplineGod uses even the enemies of His people to bring about His purposes. Eglon’s rise to power was not outside of God’s control but part of His plan to bring Israel back to Him. The Importance of RepentanceThe cycle of sin in Judges highlights the need for genuine repentance. True repentance leads to deliverance and restoration. The Danger of ComplacencyIsrael’s repeated fall into sin serves as a warning against spiritual complacency. Constant vigilance and faithfulness are required to maintain a right relationship with God. Hope in God’s DeliveranceDespite Israel’s failures, God remains faithful. He raises up deliverers, pointing to the ultimate deliverance through Christ. Bible Study Questions 1. What patterns of behavior do you see in your own life that mirror the cycle of sin and deliverance in Judges 3:12, and how can you break them? 2. How does understanding God’s sovereignty in using Eglon to discipline Israel affect your view of difficult circumstances in your life? 3. In what ways can the consequences of disobedience, as seen in Judges 3:12, serve as a warning for us today? 4. How can we cultivate a heart of genuine repentance, and what steps can we take to avoid spiritual complacency? 5. How does the account of Israel’s deliverance in Judges point us to the ultimate deliverance found in Jesus Christ, and how can this truth impact your daily walk with God? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 28This chapter outlines the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, providing a backdrop for understanding why God allowed Eglon to oppress Israel. Judges 2:11-19This passage describes the cycle of sin and deliverance in Israel, setting the stage for the events in Judges 3:12. Romans 1:18-32This New Testament passage discusses the consequences of turning away from God, similar to the Israelites' experience in Judges. | Continued and Repeated Offence Entails More Signal Punishment | A.F. Muir | Judges 3:12-14 | | A Distinct Message | Spurgeon, Charles Haddon | Judges 3:12-30 | | A Message from God | W. Rudder, D. D. | Judges 3:12-30 | | A Message from God | J. Cumming, D. D. | Judges 3:12-30 | | A Message from God | J. B. C. Murphy, B. A. | Judges 3:12-30 | | A Sermon Upon Keys | John Mitchell. | Judges 3:12-30 | | Application of the Truth | | Judges 3:12-30 | | Effective Preachers Compared to Ehud | John McNeill. | Judges 3:12-30 | | Ehud: Left-Handedness | J. Parker, D. D. | Judges 3:12-30 | | God's Messages | J. P. Millar. | Judges 3:12-30 | | I have a Message from God unto Thee | T. Raffles, D. D. | Judges 3:12-30 | | Lessons from the Death of Eglon | T. De Witt Talmage. | Judges 3:12-30 | | Sin -- Suffering; Penitence and Deliverance Repeated | J. P. Millar. | Judges 3:12-30 | | The Christian Minister Bearing a Message from God to Man | H. S. Plumptre, M. A. | Judges 3:12-30 | | The Gospel Message | D. Johnston, D. D. | Judges 3:12-30 | | The Gospel Message | E. Cooper, M. A. | Judges 3:12-30 | | The Summer Parlour | W.F. Bishop. | Judges 3:12-30 | | Unexpected Perils | S. Baring-Gould, M. A. | Judges 3:12-30 |
People Amalek, Amalekites, Ammonites, Amorites, Anath, Aram, Canaanites, Chushanrishathaim, Chushan-rishathaim, Eglon, Ehud, Gera, Hittites, Hivite, Hivites, Israelites, Jebusites, Kenaz, Moabites, Othniel, Perizzites, Shamgar, Sidonians, ZidoniansPlaces Canaan, Gilgal, Jordan River, Lebanon, Lebo-hamath, Mesopotamia, Moab, Mount Baal-hermon, SeirahTopics Add, Eglon, Evil, Lord's, Moab, Power, Sight, Sons, Strengthened, Strengtheneth, StrongDictionary of Bible Themes Judges 3:12 5457 power, human
6659 freedom, acts in OT Judges 3:12-13 8728 enemies, of Israel and Judah Judges 3:12-14 5290 defeat
5607 warfare, examples Library Use what You Have
Few people really are and do their best. Nature has blessed a few with great talents and abilities. These persons often become proud, self-centered, and feel themselves to be superior, and for that reason many times they fail to make the proper use of their abilities. How often are they used in a bad or foolish way, so that what might be a blessing to the world fails to be such! There are many others who realize they do not possess these natural gifts. They look upon those who have them, and envy …
Charles Wesley Naylor—Heart TalksGifts and Talents.
"And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him."--Judges iii. 10. We now consider the Holy Spirit's work in bestowing gifts, talents, and abilities upon artisans and professional men. Scripture declares that the special animation and qualification of persons for work assigned to them by God proceed from the Holy Spirit. The construction of the tabernacle required capable workmen, skilful carpenters, goldsmiths, and silversmiths, and masters in the arts of weaving and embroidering. Who will furnish Moses …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit Whether Baptism Should Take Away the Penalties of Sin that Belong to this Life?
Objection 1: It seems that Baptism should take away the penalties of sin that belong to this life. For as the Apostle says (Rom. 5:15), the gift of Christ is farther-reaching than the sin of Adam. But through Adam's sin, as the Apostle says (Rom. 5:12), "death entered into this world," and, consequently, all the other penalties of the present life. Much more, therefore, should man be freed from the penalties of the present life, by the gift of Christ which is received in Baptism. Objection 2: Further, …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica "This Then is the Message which we have Heard of Him, and Declare unto You, that God is Light,"
1 John i. 5.--"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light," &c. The great design of the gospel is to make up the breach of man's joy, and open up the way to the fulness of it, and therefore it is the good news and glad tidings of great joy, the only best message that ever came to the world. Now it shows unto us the channel that this river of gladness and joy runs into, it discovers what is the way of the conveyance of it to the soul, and what are …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Whether the Old Law Enjoined Fitting Precepts Concerning Rulers?
Objection 1: It would seem that the Old Law made unfitting precepts concerning rulers. Because, as the Philosopher says (Polit. iii, 4), "the ordering of the people depends mostly on the chief ruler." But the Law contains no precept relating to the institution of the chief ruler; and yet we find therein prescriptions concerning the inferior rulers: firstly (Ex. 18:21): "Provide out of all the people wise [Vulg.: 'able'] men," etc.; again (Num. 11:16): "Gather unto Me seventy men of the ancients of …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica The Country of Jericho, and the Situation of the City.
Here we will borrow Josephus' pencil, "Jericho is seated in a plain, yet a certain barren mountain hangs over it, narrow, indeed, but long; for it runs out northward to the country of Scythopolis,--and southward, to the country of Sodom, and the utmost coast of the Asphaltites." Of this mountain mention is made, Joshua 2:22, where the two spies, sent by Joshua, and received by Rahab, are said to "conceal themselves." "Opposite against this, lies a mountain on the other side Jordan, beginning from …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica The Prophecy of Obadiah.
We need not enter into details regarding the question as to the time when the prophet wrote. By a thorough argumentation, Caspari has proved, that he occupies his right position in the Canon, and hence belongs to the earliest age of written prophecy, i.e., to the time of Jeroboam II. and Uzziah. As bearing conclusively against those who would assign to him a far later date, viz., the time of the exile, there is not only the indirect testimony borne by the place which this prophecy occupies in …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament The Doctrine of Angels.
I. THEIR EXISTENCE. 1. THE TEACHING OF JESUS. 2. THE TEACHING OF THE APOSTLES. II. THEIR NATURE. 1. CREATED BEINGS. 2. SPIRITUAL BEINGS. 3. GREAT POWER AND MIGHT. 4. VARIOUS GRADES. 5. THE NUMBER OF ANGELS. III. THE FALL OF ANGELS. 1. TIME AND CAUSE. 2. THE WORK OF FALLEN ANGELS. 3. THE JUDGMENT OF FALLEN ANGELS. IV. THE WORK OF ANGELS. 1. THEIR HEAVENLY MINISTRY. 2. THEIR EARTHLY MINISTRY. a) In Relation to the Believer. b) In Relation to Christ's Second Coming. THE DOCTRINE OF ANGELS. We are not …
Rev. William Evans—The Great Doctrines of the Bible Judges
For the understanding of the early history and religion of Israel, the book of Judges, which covers the period from the death of Joshua to the beginning of the struggle with the Philistines, is of inestimable importance; and it is very fortunate that the elements contributed by the later editors are so easily separated from the ancient stories whose moral they seek to point. That moral is most elaborately stated in ii. 6-iii. 6, which is a sort of programme or preface to iii. 7-xvi. 31, which constitutes …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Judges 3:12 NIVJudges 3:12 NLTJudges 3:12 ESVJudges 3:12 NASBJudges 3:12 KJV
Judges 3:12 Commentaries
Bible Hub |
