Daily Reading: Judges 3–5
Click here to listen to Alexander Scourby reading the King James Bible
Text: Judges 3:10 – “And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushan–rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan–rishathaim.”
In Judges 3, Israel sins, God sells them, they squeal, and God sends them a Spirit‑filled deliverer named Othniel. The entire book runs that cycle: sin, servitude, supplication, salvation – and that salvation comes when “the Spirit of the LORD” comes on some nobody God picks up out of the tribe.
Notice what the Spirit did in the days of the judges.
- He came upon men for a task. “The Spirit of the LORD came upon him” – Othniel here, Gideon later, Jephthah, Samson, same language. God puts His power on a man like a coat when there’s a battle to fight or a burden to bear.
- He enabled them to deliver others. When the Spirit comes on Othniel, “the LORD delivered” the king into his hand; the Spirit shows up, and the enemy goes down. God proves it’s not the man; it’s the Master’s Spirit on the man.
- He often worked temporarily and intermittently. The Spirit would come on them, they’d win, the land would have rest, then that judge died and the people went right back to the hog pen. Power shows up, job gets done, then the whole crowd drifts again.
Now fast‑forward to us. You and I are not living in the time when the Spirit just drops in for a battle and then heads back to heaven until the next crisis. The Lord Jesus promised a “another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever,” and said of the Spirit, “for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” In the Old Testament, the Spirit comes upon select men; in this church age, He indwells every believer the moment they trust Christ.
Think about the difference. Othniel had the Spirit come upon him so he could go to war and deliver Israel one time. You have the Spirit living inside you every day so you can fight the flesh, the world, and the devil from the inside out – not for forty years of rest in the land, but with eternal life and sealed “unto the day of redemption.” The judges got visitations; you got occupation.
So here’s the devotional punch:
- Quit acting like a defeated Israelite waiting around for some super‑saint judge to show up with a cape and fix your mess. The same Holy Ghost who came on Othniel to whip a king is living in your body if you’re saved.
- Yield to the indwelling Spirit the way those judges yielded to the coming‑upon Spirit. Let Him call the shots, lead the charge, and get the glory for every victory over sin, fear, bitterness, and laziness.
- Remember: in Judges they had big outward enemies and occasional big outward deliverances; in this age God moved inside and gives daily grace to live clean, witness, pray, and stand, whether anybody writes your name in a history book or not.
Continue reading because tomorrow’s reading from JUDGES 6–8 we’ll see that same Spirit of the LORD come upon a scared farmer named Gideon and turn him into a mighty man of valour, then watch how God can do more with three hundred Spirit‑led nobodies than the world can do with thousands.
Tomorrow’s Reading: Judges 6-8
Until tomorrow, Stay in the Book. 📖
Brother Tony