Judges 2:18 (NKJV): And when the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge...
The word 'judge' here in Hebrew is 'shaphat', which means 'to govern, to rule, to sentence (for or against) like a judge'. See the word 'sentence' here? In the context of our bible-study today, 'to judge' here is 'to pronounce a sentence (or verdict) over your current situation and circumstance by your words'.
Indeed, in Christ, you too are the 'shaphat' of today! Proverbs 18:21 says, 'Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit'. In other words, if you love to speak 'life' (into your current situation and circumstance), you will have the 'fruit' of life! But the opposite is also true! If you love to speak 'death' (into your current situation and circumstance), you will have the 'fruit' of death!
By the way, the word 'life' here is 'khah-ee' in Hebrew, from the root word 'khaw-yaw' which can mean 'to live, to revive, to make alive, to restore to life, to spring up, to recover, to become strong, to become fresh, to become whole'. Wow! That's what your words can bring forth when you speak life into whatever you may be facing at the moment!
Let's go back to the book of Judges now. Here, you can see how the Lord raised up judges to pronounce a sentence (or verdict) over every situation and circumstance the children of Israel were facing those days. We shall look at the first two in the list.
Othniel:
Judges
3:7-10 (NKJV) says, 'So the children of Israel did evil in the
sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs. Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He
sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim king
of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years. When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord,
the Lord raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. The
Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged
Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim'.
This name 'Othniel' is 'Othniy El' in Hebrew, meaning 'the
force of God, or the power of God'. The 'Old Testament' is the 'shadow', and the 'New Testament' is the 'substance'. So, let's now go to the New Testament for our cross-reference. Here, the apostle Paul wrote, 'For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation...' (Romans 1:16). See the expression 'the power of God' here? And the word 'salvation' here is 'soteria' in Greek, which can also mean 'deliverance, or rescue'.
So, what is this 'force' or 'power' that brings 'deliverance'? The gospel (or good news) of Christ, which is the Word of God!
Interestingly, the name 'Cushan-Rishathaim' means 'the curse of double-wickedness', from two words, namely 'Cush', a descendant of Ham who was cursed (see Genesis 9:22-25, Genesis 10:6), and 'Rishathaim', meaning 'double wickedness', which speaks of the enemy's direct reaction to
the double portion that God has meant for you this year!
Ehud:
Judges
3:12-23 (NKJV) says, 'And the children of Israel again did evil
in the sight of the Lord… So the children of Israel served Eglon king
of Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer
for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. By him the children of Israel sent tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Ehud made himself a dagger (it
was double-edged and
a cubit in length) and fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh. So he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.) And when he had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried the tribute. But he himself turned back... So Ehud came to him (Eglon) and said, "I have a message from
God for you". So he (Eglon) arose from his seat. Then Ehud reached with his left, took the dagger from his right
thigh, and thrust it into his belly'.
This name 'Ehud' (Echuwd) is from the word 'achad' in Hebrew,
meaning 'to collect (one’s thought) together, to
go one way'. Now, that was exactly what Ehud did against Eglon! With a dagger only the length of a cubit (Note: A cubit is a linear unit of measure from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger), he 'collected (his thought) together and went one way' with his double-edged dagger, and right into the 'thick, heavy' belly of Eglon! The 'Old Testament' is the 'shadow', and the 'New Testament' is the substance. So, let's go again to the New Testament for our cross-reference. The key word here is 'double-edged', and the writer of the book of Hebrews wrote, 'For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword...' (Hebrews 4:12).
Again, it's the Word of God that brings deliverance! And it's the Word of God that judges the work of the enemy!
By the way, the name 'Eglon' in Hebrew means 'a
heavy, big, round bull', which speaks of 'the
heaviness
of the problem you may be facing currently'. So, even if you have been surrounded by a seemingly 'heavy, big, round bull' kind of problem, fear not, because the Lord has already given you a 'weapon' in the form of the Word of God! 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, 'For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (of the flesh) but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds'. Amen!
People of God, this is a high time to speak and declare the Word of God over every situation and circumstance in your life (and even in your nation)! Never underestimate how important you and your words can be!
I heard these words from the Lord recently:
“Many of My people shall break new ground! Many of My people shall walk in a fresh new anointing! This is a season for new things! This is a time to declare it open! This is a time to speak the language of the Word, not the language of the world!”
Note: ‘Language’ is defined in Oxford Dictionary as 'system of sounds, words, patterns, etc used by humans to communicate thoughts and feelings, or manner of expressing oneself'.
And how do you 'declare it open'? You use your mouth! Use your mouth therefore to speak what God speaks, not what the world speaks! The Word works! And mind you, the Word of God is BIG! Really BIG! Bigger than many in this world may have thought! Because by it, the heavens and the earth were created! (see Genesis 1:1, John 1:1-3) And even when 'heaven and earth will pass away', the Word of God will still remain, and will by no means pass away! (Luke 21:33) That's how BIG the Word of God is!
So, speak and declare the Word of God into the spiritual realm around you! Speak and declare the Word of God over your current situation and circumstance, no matter how bad or 'heavy' it may look like at the moment! And that's exactly how you are going to pronounce a sentence (verdict) over those current situation and circumstance of yours - by the words that you speak! And that's how new ground (even new grounds) shall be opened for you (and your nation) as well! In Jesus' name. Amen!
