Othniel – the Lion of God (Judges 1:13-16; 3:13)

Some Bible characters, such as Abraham and David, are given a lot of space as far as accounts of their activities are concerned. Othniel was not like them as far as such information is concerned, although he did lead God’s people for the same period of time as David did – forty years.

Othniel is only mentioned in three brief passages, one in the Book of Joshua and the other two in the Book of Judges. There is something unusual about the three references and that is that the incident recorded in Joshua is retold in Judges. Of course, we only need to be told about someone once in the Bible in order to pay attention to him, but we should sit up and take notice when the Holy Spirit tells us twice about an incident.

Othniel has the position of being the first of the judges that God raised up to lead Israel. We are not told that he was the choice of the people, and that they gathered together to give him this position. Instead God provided him as a leader for his people and gave him to them. Moreover we can also safely conclude that God was preparing him for leadership long before he came to be the first of the judges. So we can think today as we look at Othniel of the man God prepared to be a leader and the man God provided as a leader. What can we learn about him?

The name he was given

First, his parents gave him a name to live up to. His father was Kenaz, the younger brother of Caleb, and when Kenaz became a father he gave his son a name that means ‘lion of God’. Why did Kenaz do that? Here are a couple of suggestions.

On one occasion, Kenaz observed or heard about Israelites behaving like wimps. The wimps were the ten spies who agreed that the Promised Land was wonderful but who also agreed that the Israelites were far too weak to capture it from the powerful inhabitants. We know that Caleb and Joshua were of a different mind and insisted that they could conquer the land. Perhaps Kenaz responded to the cowards and decided to bring up a son who would be bold and brave for God. So he called him ‘Lion of God’.

Another possible reason is connected to the blessing that Jacob had given to the tribe of Judah in Genesis 49:9 when he likened the future dominance of that tribe to lions conquering their prey. It seems to be logical for a member of the tribe of Judah, such as Kenaz, to listen to what God had said would mark that tribe, and since one of the promised features was behaving like lions it would not be surprising for a devout member of the tribe to focus on what God had said. Othniel is an appropriate name for a member of the tribe of Judah because it does remind us of what God had promised.

Of course, the reasons for giving such a name may have been different from those two possibilities. Yet I would say that the choice of name is striking and indicates a father marked by faith and who wanted his son to be a warrior for God. And we can also say that Kenaz would not want his son to side with the wimps, nor would he want his son to be ignorant about what God had said about his tribe. We can see a connection between those two outlooks – confidence comes from believing the promises of God. So those of us who have been given a new name by God should live according to it.

The man who loved his family’s name

We can include several details under this section. First, Othniel had a hero whom he wanted to imitate, and that hero was his uncle, Caleb. Caleb had believed that the Israelites could conquer Canaan and that the giants there could be removed by God’s power. He still believed that was the case forty years later because when the Israelites did enter Canaan he claimed his inheritance at Hebron and proceeded to drive out the various peoples that were living there. It is good to have heroes close at home. No doubt Othniel had a very high regard for Joshua, his character and his achievements. Yet he also had a hero on his doorstep, with whose life he was very familiar. Do we regard with proper honour those who did heroic deeds on our behalf? Perhaps we had parents who prayed for hours over us. I read recently of Hudson Taylor and of how his younger sister determined to pray for him at a set time each day until he was converted. He was converted a few weeks later. I assume that she was one of Hudson’s heroes.

Second, Othniel was determined to continue the family commitment to God. Othniel realised that he had received something from Kenaz and he also realised that it was his responsibility to pass that information on to the next generation. That commitment can be seen in his wish to marry his cousin Achsah. As far as we are concerned, is this not the challenge of baptism? I have heard all kinds of discussions about various aspects of baptism, but I think the most important aspect of it is how a person uses his tongue. He tells his children about God and he tells God about his children. And how could the people know he would be a committed leader for the nation unless he revealed it in his commitment to his family? After all, that is how churches will know who should be regarded as leaders.

Third, Othniel was willing to be tested to the highest limit. One day, Caleb pointed out that Kiriath-Sepher (Debir) had not been taken. The fact that it not been taken suggests that the city had resisted capture. This meant that Othniel would have to try where others may have failed. The temptation in such a situation is not to try, an attitude that can be covered up with various excuses. One could be that we are not ready. But how does a person know if he is ready if he does not try? The problem would be that if someone did not try and take the city it would mean that the enemy had a stronghold in the territory that was given to Judah by God. It could be said that it was the only one in enemy hands, but that would be one too many. Othniel realized that he would have to deal with the situation, even if it contained the possibility of failing.

I suppose the challenge that comes to us is if we are Christians is, are we willing to let the enemy have one stronghold in our life? The stronghold could be anything that means disobedience to God’s clear commandments. We can make all kinds of excuses about why we want it to remain, yet we will remain defeated as long as we allow there to be an issue in our lives that is wrong. If we love the family name, we will not want to disobey the commandments that God has given.

Similarly, if we are not Christians, the reason for not being so may only be one. For example, we may refuse to become a Christian because we know some people will deride us for making such a choice. Or the reason may be that we intend to become a Christian later in life after we get married or after we find a career. Sometimes we think that people have many reasons for not being Christians, yet often the real reason can be reduced to one. If such want to be in the family of God they will need to repent of such sins of rebellion and commit themselves to the Lord.

Othniel, the wise believer

There are another three details about Othniel that we can think about because they illustrate more wise features and outlooks in his life. First, Othniel used the incentives that he was given. In his case, the incentive was offered by his Uncle Caleb when he offered his daughter Achsah to be the wife of the person who would capture the city. As far as Othniel was concerned, the reward offered made the struggle worthwhile, and the prospect ahead turned taking the city into an activity of love.

God gives us incentives too in the Christian life. We can take the example of prayer and the fact that God has promised to hear our prayers and answer them far above what we can ask or think. That is an incentive to pray, especially when we realise that it includes fellowship with the God who will answer the prayers. Or we can take the prospect of hearing Jesus say ‘Well done’ to us for a life of faithful obedience. Why should we not watch that dubious television programme? Because we want to hear Jesus say ‘Well done’ to us. Why remain faithful in little things? Because we want to hear Jesus say ‘Well done’ to us.

God also provides incentives for those who are not yet converted. The obvious one is when he offers to forgive all their sins provided they believe in Jesus. No matter their number or their heinousness, they can all be washed away by the blood of Christ.

Then Othniel revealed he was wise when he wanted to marry a woman with vision, who wanted to enlarge her share of the territory and also to ensure that her ground had sufficient water (1:13-15). It was obvious that Achsah would not be a hindrance in helping Othniel to serve God. I don’t think Othniel would want a partner who would have hindered his service for God. And choosing a partner in life must involve this aspect of considering whether or not he or she will help us serve God. A crucial question to ask is whether or not the other person has a desire to serve God as best as he or she can.    

The third detail about Othniel’s wisdom is that he was ready to serve God when called to serve in a more prominent manner. Judges 3:7-11 tells us that Othniel became God’s answer to the prayers of his defeated people. The people were punished with a term of captivity by God because of their disobedience. Up until then, Othniel may have assumed that nothing public would come his way. But that is not the point. Instead the point is that he was ready when the Lord wanted to use him.

Moreover, Othniel was not only ready when the moment came, but he remained reliable throughout the four decades when he ruled Israel. We can say that because he was consistently reliable the people of God that he led had rest. They had rest as long as he was reliable in his service of God. In this, Othniel is a challenge to those whom God has called to lead his people. At one time in the past they were ready for the call to serve him. The question is, are they now reliable as leaders of his people? The test will be that they enjoy peace.

Othniel, a picture of Jesus

We noticed in a previous study that Jesus told his disciples that the Old Testament spoke about him. One way in which it does is through its characters. Sometimes it does so by contrasting them with him, at other times it does so by having them show good features that were perfect in him. There are at least four features in Othniel that depict Jesus and I would mention them briefly.

First, Othniel lived up to his name that means ‘lion of God’ and Jesus lived up to his name that means ‘The Lord is the Saviour’.

Second, Othniel was willing to use incentives and Jesus was willing to use incentives; for example, the author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus endured the cross because of the joy that was set before him (Heb. 12:2).

Third, Othniel waited until the moment came for God to use him publicly, and Jesus waited until he was thirty (Luke 3) before entering his public ministry; in a far higher sense that what was true of Othniel, Jesus was ready when the moment came.

Fourth, we are told about Othniel that he served God in the power of the Spirit for the period of forty years; Jesus served God in the power of the Spirit for the three years of his public ministry and he now rules in and through his people by the power of the Spirit.

Unlike Othniel, the story of Jesus does not end when he died, and because it did not end we can also say that Othniel’s story did not end either. Because of the future work of Jesus, Othniel when he died was called to higher service.