In Exodus 15:3, Moses describes the LORD as “a man of war”. All through the Old Testament, we see God warring against both seen and unseen forces on behalf of Israel, His covenant people. In this month’s edition of the magazine, we present one of the generals in God’s army, Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb. For those of us that are not familiar with the Bible, his uncle Caleb was one of the two spies sent by Moses to Canaan along with ten others, in preparation for dislodging nations that were under God’s judgment. Caleb and Joshua who later succeeded Moses were the only ones in their generation that eventually entered the Promised Land. Others perished in the wilderness because of their unbelief.
Shepherd Heart: We are glad to have you here with us Sir.
Othniel: The pleasure is mine.
Shepherd Heart: Our readers would love to know more about you. As we say on this side of heaven, ‘the story is always sweeter when it comes from the horses’ mouth’.
Othniel: (Laughs) You can say that again! No one knows Othniel more than Othniel. Except God of course! I am from the tribe of Judah and as you have already mentioned, Caleb’s nephew. When Joshua allotted him Kiriath Arba (Hebron), he (Caleb) succeeded in dislodging the original inhabitants in the region except those in Kiriath Sepher (later renamed Debir). Then he pledged to give his daughter Aksah in marriage to any of the young men in the tribe of Judah that would capture the settlement. I did and became his son-in-law as well. When the children of Israel embraced strange gods after the death of Joshua, God made me a judge to deliver them from the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia who had terrorised them for eight years. The LORD used me to provide the required security for His people for forty years.
Shepherd Heart: Most of us in this generation wonder how a people whom God cherished, as manifested by the many miracles right from Egypt could embrace the demonic Baal and Asherah. As someone who witnessed the mighty acts of God right from the beginning of the exodus, what contributed to the godlessness among your people?
Othniel: The answer to that question is in Psalm chapter 103 verse 7: “He (God) made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel.” That was not His intention though. He spelled out his original plan when He addressed the people at Mount Sinai as recorded in Exodus chapter 19 verses 5 to 7. He said, “Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations – for the whole earth is Mine. And unto Me you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” God expected the people to be excited but instead they told Moses to be the mediator between them and God. They said to him in effect, “you relate with him for us. We are satisfied with seeing His miracles.” That was the beginning of the fall of Israel.
Shepherd Heart: Was there no way Moses could have persuaded them to have a rethink?
Othniel: I am sure that you are familiar with the phrase that you can drag a horse to the stream but cannot force it to drink water. Moses knew that it would be futile to coerce or persuade them to know God for themselves. That is the same situation your generation is facing right now. Billions identify themselves as followers of Yeshua but only few are willing to pay the price to know Him for themselves. That is why the religious bazaar is very dynamic. People move from one umbrella to the other seeking miracles. They are not concerned about God and His ways.
Shepherd Heart: You hit the nail on the head right there. What we call “Christianity” is nothing but a religious jamboree. We have imbibed the same spirits that caused the children of Israel to reject the fountain of living waters, and hew out for themselves, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. In the forty years you presided over their affairs, did you try to make them see the errors of their ways?
Othniel: Of course I did. That contributed immensely to the stability of the nation during those years. That did not in any way change their general perception about faith in God and knowing His way. It helps when the leader of a nation can live by example. That is certainly not the cure for apostasy. The ideal situation is when the people seek God for themselves. When people are intoxicated with God, they would not succumb to the manipulation of an evil or ungodly leader. If you read the accounts of the Judges and Kings of Israel, you would notice a trend: when the leaders followed God, they took the people along. When they departed from Him, the people went along with them.
Shepherd Heart: I agree that leadership is key to motivating and leading the people. That also applies to the modern society; including the church. In your opinion, what would cause the people to seek God for themselves?
Othniel: Persecution and tribulation. These are the antidotes to godlessness. Scripture confirms this. Isaiah 26:9 asserts, “For when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” If you go through the trajectory of the children of Israel under the judges, you would notice one theme: God appointed each of the judges in response to their cry for help. In my own case, it was to save them from the hands of the king of Mesopotamia. God used Ehud who succeeded me, to destroy King Eglon of Moab; Shamgar fought against the Philistines; Deborah presided over Israel when King Jabin of Canaan terrorised its people, while Gideon defeated the Midianites. Tola, Jair, Jephthah and Samson played similar roles against the Amorites and Philistines in their days.
Shepherd Heart: If the solution to apostasy is tribulation and persecution, how do we in our generation prepare the people for them?
Othniel: That is a very tough question. If the children of Israel could not learn this lesson despite the horrors they experienced in the attacks on them by neighbouring nations, I am afraid that it might be a Herculean task for you to convince the people in your generation to change their ways to avert God’s wrath. Your situation is made worse by the fact that scientific discoveries becloud the minds and visions of many and make them believe that religion is a myth or that God is a fairy tale pushed by gullible folks. I am afraid that nothing can stop the world from facing God’s judgment. Many people in Israel take consolation in God’s promise to enact a New Covenant with the nation as recorded in Jeremiah 31:33, “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law within them and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Who is God talking about here? Certainly not all of Israel. He said in Hosea chapter 5 verse 15, “I will go and return to My place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek My face: in their affliction they will seek Me early.” This is also highlighted in Zechariah 13:9, “And I will bring the third part through the fire; and will refine them as silver is refined, and I will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is My people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.”
Shepherd Heart: Wow! I had no idea that Jeremiah 31:33 referred to the remnant that Isaiah mentioned in chapter 1 verse 9 of his book. He said, “Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.” This aligns with one of my favourite Messianic prophecies in Isaiah 49 verse 6, “He says, It is a light thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make you a light to the nations so that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” If the case of Israel is already settled in Scripture, what is the fate of Gentiles?
Othniel: Well, God is not a respecter of persons. He has given both Jews and Gentiles the same opportunity for redemption through the Messiah. Anyone who rejects God’s mercy in Yeshua will face the same judgement. This is clearly stated in John chapter 3 verses 17 and 18, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned. But he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
Shepherd Heart: This interview has turned out more than we expected. You have thrown much light on Scripture that deals with the judgment of God on Israel in particular. We are immensely grateful for the insights.
Othniel: I have enjoyed talking with you. I hope that my contribution will impact positively on your readers to the glory of God.