The Spirit-led Avenger and The Southpaw Assassin - January 18 2026

The book of Judges confronts us with a sobering cycle that repeats itself throughout Israel’s early history in the land. God’s people forget the Lord, turn to sin, and find themselves oppressed by enemies they cannot overcome on their own. Yet again and again, the Lord responds not with abandonment, but with faithfulness. Judges chapter 3 introduces us to two unlikely deliverers, Othniel and Ehud, through whom God rescues His suffering people.Othniel appears as a capable and faithful leader, empowered by the Spirit of the Lord to bring rest to the land. Ehud, by contrast, is unexpected and unconventional, a left-handed man whom God uses in a surprising way to defeat a powerful oppressor. Together, their stories remind us that deliverance does not depend on human strength, status, or strategy, but on the saving power of God who keeps His covenant promises.Yet even these deliverances are temporary. Israel’s peace is short lived, and the cycle of sin soon begins again. Judges 3 points us beyond Othniel and Ehud to our deeper need for a greater deliverer. We need a Saviour who does not merely rescue for a season, but who saves fully and forever. In Jesus Christ, God’s faithfulness reaches its fullest expression, providing the ultimate deliverance from sin, death, and judgement for all who trust in Him.Series: Judges - The Flawed and the FaithfulScripture: Judges 3:7-30Speaker: Pastor David Hallett