Family Fellowship a Church For Family

HEROES: 3
Heroes: Part Three
Pick Me! Pick Me!
February 11, 2007
Pastor Paul W Newell

Oh!...Oh...Choose me! Choose me!

Remember those days when we were little? The teacher would ask if someone wanted to do something and just about every hand in the place shot up. “Pick me...choose me...” Our arms almost stretched out of their sockets we wanted to be picked so badly. As kids we loved to volunteer.

So what happened along the way? At some point most of us stopped volunteering. Somewhere along the way we learned that volunteering might not be such a good thing. We failed a few times. We embarrassed ourselves. We were humiliated because what we jumped up to do wasn’t something we were that proficient at doing. Maybe we just got tired of doing all the work. Whatever the case, we stopped volunteering.
We became hesitant in much of our life. We stopped taking risks.

As we head into the Book of Heroes, I mean the Book of Judges; we’re going to be taking some close-up looks at who God chooses.

Judges is all about who God chooses and how God uses. He chooses and uses ordinary people in extra-ordinary ways.

Read with me from Judges chapter three:

“The Israelites did evil in the LORD’s sight. They forgot about the LORD their God, and they worshipped the images of Baal and the Asherah poles. Then the LORD burned with anger against Israel, and he handed them over to King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim. And the Israelites were subject to Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. But when Israel cried out to the LORD for help, the LORD raised up a man to rescue them. His name was Othniel, the son of Caleb’s younger brother, Kenaz. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge. He went to war against King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram, and the LORD gave Othniel victory over him. 11So there was peace in the land for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.” Judges 3:7 - 11 (NLT)

I’m not quite sure if that was a biography or an obituary, short and to the point. In those few verses we have the entire history of the first judge of Israel.

So what’s a “judge”? Some of us are old enough to remember Flip Wilson’s comic line, “Here comes the judge...here comes the judge...”. Well, when these judges of Israel showed up, no one was joking. These guys (and gal) were...were...well, let’s let the Bible speak for itself”

“...another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the LORD or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did what was evil in the LORD’s site and worshiped the images of Baal...they abandoned the LORD to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth...so he [God] handed them over to marauders who stole their possessions. He sold them to their enemies all around...And the people were very distressed. Then the LORD raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their enemies. Yet Israel did not listen to the judges...” Judges 2:10-16

These judges had clout. They carried the authority of God behind them. They were military leaders, civil judges, and at times prophets speaking directly for God. They were not to be taken lightly.

The long and short of it is this: The Israelites had short memories. They quickly forgot God and what God had done or wanted them to do. They continually fell into the “sin cycle”.

Sin cycle: Neglecting God leads to sinful lifestyles. Sinful lifestyles lead to slavery to the sin and it’s painful consequences. Pain leads us to cry out to God for deliverance from the pain. God provides a way out – deliverance. But once we are free from the consequences we often start neglecting God again which leads to...(you get the picture).

The Israelites became pros at the sin cycle and God in His grace kept sending judges to deliver them.

That’s what we read about in chapter three where we are introduced to Othniel, the first judge.

“But when Israel cried out to the LORD for help, the LORD raised up a man to rescue them. His name was Othniel...”

Othniel is the first example of a hero that we read about in Judges. An ordinary guy who does something incredibly extraordinary.

We’re only told a few things here about Othniel:

His uncle was famous (Caleb was one of only two men who were still alive from the time that they left Egypt).
God did something unique in his life (the Spirit of the Lord came upon him)
He lead a small army against king Cushan – and God gave him victory.
He continued to act as a judge and leader of Israel for forty years.
He died.

Just an ordinary guy who did something extraordinary; but why Othniel? Why did God choose Othniel? Why not someone else?

It’s in the answer to that question that we find THE FIRST KEY TO HEROES.

God is looking for Othniels. God is looking for men and women like Othniel who will be heroes for Him.

So what is God looking for? We don’t get a whole lot of information from this short eulogy, but thankfully we have one other glimpse into Othniel’s life – it’s found back in chapter one of Judges. Look at verse thirteen of chapter one:

Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the one who attacks and captures Kiriath-sepher.” Othniel, the son of Caleb’s younger brother, Kenaz, was the one who conquered it, so Acsah became Othniel’s wife. Judges 1:12 - 15

Doesn’t seem like much more information than we already had, does it? Yet, this incident is so important that God made sure it was written down in two different places in the Bible. (This same event is listed in Joshua chapter 15.)

Caleb was a general in the Israeli army. He was clearing out his part of the Promised Land, driving out the inhabitants that God wanted out of the land. He was having a particularly tough time taking out a town called Dabir, so he set up a challenge. “Whoever takes out Dabir can marry my daughter, Acsah.” Apparently there was not a long line of volunteers, but one man steps up to the plate: Othniel.

The passage tells us that Othniel volunteered and conquered Dabir. It all happens in one sentence, but let me assure you that it was a lot tougher than one sentence. Othniel courageously stretches his arm as high as he can raise it and says, “Pick me...pick me...”.

Here it is: GOD IS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS.

God is looking for men and women like Othniel to volunteer for the battles that bring victory. God is looking for volunteers.

Now, we have no real idea what Othniel’s initial motivation was. We just don’t know. We just know that he heard the challenge and went for it.

I assume that Acsah had something to do with it. She was a babe. Her name meant adorned, “bursting the veil”. She was so hot! She was so beautiful that even a veil could not hide her beauty. The literal translation of her name is “ankle bracelet”. I think that is ancient talk for what we would call “arm jewelry” – she would have looked good on your arm guys!

Well, see, Othniel was just after what he wanted. He never would have attempted to conquer the city if it had not been for the reward.

So...?

Here’s a good point: God loves to reward volunteers! You step up to the plate for God and He promises to bless you! You let God do His work through you and He will bless you. That’s a huge principle in the Bible: God’s blessings flow through volunteers, through people who allow, volunteer, to let God work in and through them.

We pray for God’s best in our lives, but are reluctant to step up when He calls us to His best.

We want the prize, but we don’t want the fight.

We’re too quick to give up and wait for someone else to volunteer when God desires for us to stretch out our arms and say “Pick me...pick me...”
Othniel didn’t hesitate – He took the challenge and enjoyed the rewards that come with the victory.

He expected Caleb to bless him because Caleb had promised he would. If you read on you find that once the battle is over and the wedding is past – Caleb and his bride ask for an even bigger prize.

When Acsah married Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. As she got down off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What’s the matter?” She said, “Let me have another gift. You have already given me land in the Negev; now please give me springs of water, too.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs. Judges 1:12 - 15

Without going on forever, just note this: they could have ridden off into the west and enjoyed just what they had, but they wanted more. It wasn’t an issue of greediness; it was an issue of blessing. They wanted a greater blessing so that they could do more. They needed the springs and they weren’t afraid to ask for them.

They were volunteering for a greater work.

The springs meant their land would be more valuable, but it also meant a lot more work for them. With blessing comes responsibility.
We want to volunteer for the blessings, but we don’t want the responsibility that comes with the blessing.

God is looking for volunteers.

Now, fast forward...probably forty years or so. However long it was between the battle of Debir and chapter three – it was long enough for Joshua and Caleb to both die; not only them, but all of those who had seen God work as they crossed into the Promise Land. The next generation forgot about God and was suffering the consequences: the cycle of sin. They cry out to God and God chooses a hero to rescue His people.

He chooses Othniel, the guy who four decades earlier had volunteered. By now Othniel is probably a retired country gentleman. He’s developed his land, raised his family and enjoying the sweet life. Sure the people around him are suffering – it’s their own faults! What’s that God to do with Othniel?

On top of that, Othniel is OLD by now. He’s easily past the seventy mark, he’s got to be! Surely Othniel can opt out of this one and let the younger guys handle it.

It’s been a long time since those Debir days. But once again, Othniel steps up to the plate and volunteers.

“But when Israel cried out to the LORD for help, the LORD raised up a man to rescue them. His name was Othniel...”

I like the way one really old commentator tells it, “The decays of age were no hindrance to Othniel’s usefulness when God had work for Him to do.”

As I was preparing this portion of today’s talk I had just spent a day with Rudy, an eighty-two year old man who attends FamilyFellowship. You don’t see him often because he’s only here when he can get a ride and he feels strong enough to attend. But Rudy is a tough old guy. He recently was in an accident where he suffered third degree burns on his legs which is what brought me to spend the day with him – he needed someone to help him at the doctor’s office.

What amazed me about Rudy was that even with his burned legs (something that would have easily put most of us over the edge) all Rudy could talk about was build us a church! He wanted to get well, live close to FamilyFellowship and help build us a church!

Rudy has an Othniel spirit: old and willing. Wanting to serve in the only way he knows how – until he’s dead.

Most of us simply crumble at the first sign of difficulty – sometimes at the first thought of difficulty. Or we tell ourselves that we’ve done our part already, let someone else do it now. We’re past that age. We’re too old.

God is looking for heroes: men and women who volunteer and (listen now) never stop.

There it is: Othniel never stopped. Maybe forty years had passed and Othniel is still stepping up and volunteering.
And...because of his volunteer spirit and refusing to stop: God’s Spirit worked through Him.

“The Spirit of the LORD came upon him,”

That’s what happens when we volunteer. God’s Spirit begins to really work in and through us.

We become heroes.

You volunteer to let God’s Spirit lose in your life and He will turn your ordinary into extraordinary.

Your ordinary conversations will turn into powerful encounters where God touches others through you.

Your ordinary work will turn into Kingdom advancing moments where others are lead to Jesus.

Your ordinary days will turn into moment by moment God events.

You volunteer to let God’s Spirit lose in your life and your ordinary marriage will become extraordinary and your family, neighbors and relatives will see God’s love like never before!

You volunteer to let God’s Spirit lose in your life and your ordinary school will become an extraordinary place where your friends will meet God and be changed forever.

So how do we become heroes? How do we volunteer? How do we become “Othniel’s” for God?

First, volunteer. Get your hand up in the air. Start asking God to pick you. Don’t wait for God to speak – He already has! Volunteer. You’ve got a good idea of what needs to be done around you – just volunteer.

Second, ask for God’s blessings. Don’t be afraid to ask God for more! It’s not greedy or selfish to ask God to bless you and your family. Start using what you have for God and then ask Him for more that you can use for Him.

Do you have a house...use it for God. Host a growth group or invite a family over and get to know them. Just share God’s love with people in your home.

Do you have a car...use it for God. Fill it with people and bring them to church.

Do you have a bank account...use it for God. God tends to give to those who use what He gives them for His purposes.

You get the picture...use it for God.

Ask God to bless you and use those blessings for God.

Third, don’t stop.

Some one you have already stepped up to the plate. We’ve got a bunch of Othniel men and women sitting here this morning. We’ve got a great bunch of heroes right here.

Heroes don’t quit. Don’t quite. Don’t stop. Keep that arm limber and be ready to stretch it out when God calls.

Much better to be a hero than to need a hero. I want to be a hero. I want to see God take my ordinary and use it in extraordinary ways.

Othniel was just an ordinary guy who raised his hand and said, “Pick me...pick me...” and he never stopped staying, “Pick me...pick me...”