Othoniel Returns

**Judges 3: 7 - 11**

Othoniel!
You may remember Othoniel from a few posts back. (sometimes spelt Othniel in different translations). He was the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother (most likely the Caleb who was the non-doubter, a man full of faith, when the people first came to Canaan and got all worried about the giants there).
Well Othoniel becomes the very first God ordained judge of Israel! The "Lion of God" as his name means, the Jesus type the first wise judge in the promised land. How fitting."The Spirit of the Lord came upon him" and he delivers Israel out of the hands of Aram king.
The land then has peace for 40 years until Othoniel dies.

I like to point out that Othoniel had the Spirit of the Lord upon him. The very first of many. He is no ordinary judge. People could follow or not follow a judge, it was not coerced, but when someone has the Spirit of the Lord on them there is something that draws you to that person. Jesus as the first of a new kind of person, his Spirit draws us to him. He brings peace.
Othoniel however as the real person could not live forever, peace only reigned for 40 years. But Jesus, He lives forever! As long as I live under His wing I experience peace and constant perfect-present deliverance.

Whenever we read old testament i think its important to note that Jesus said the lowest in the kingdom of God is greater than all these past people (up to John the Baptist being the greatest, Matthew 11:11) (it would seem pointing at those under the old covenant). What we see in the OT is a shadow of what we have in Christ! Why why why would we go back to EVEN WORSE covenants of kings, tyrants, governmental democratic majority subjugation, the OT displays a shadow of what could be, now as Children of God ALL filled with and free access to the Holy Spirit! How can we endorse to going back to living under such a regime.
Level 1 (the worst):     State rule
Level 2 (the shadow):  Judge system, theocracy
Level 3 (the best):       Spirit ruled, individual access to and complete trust in, God not state.