Othniel and the Beauty of Boring Faithfulness

You probably never learned about Othniel in Sunday school. You learned about Samson. He fought the Philistines with a donkey's jawbone, carried city gates on his shoulders, and brought down a temple full of God's enemies. Great stories. Terrible person. We'll get to him. You learned about Deborah and Gideon too. But Othniel?

Othniel was a younger brother. Any younger siblings here? You know what it's like to be called by your older sibling's name. The Bible introduces him as Caleb's younger brother. Remember the Sunday school song about twelve men who went to spy, ten bad and two good? The two good ones were Joshua and Caleb. Othniel's brother was a superhero. Othniel lived in the shadow.

Simple obscurity, simple obedience

But Othniel was faithful, and God tapped him on the shoulder.

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. So the land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died. (Judges 3:10–11)

The end. Nobody knocked down the walls of Jericho. Nobody parted the Red Sea. He got up, went to work, went home, and later died. Period. No exclamation point.

Here's the problem for our generation: we want drama. We want David and Goliath, not David sitting in the field playing his harp and slinging rocks. That's boring. You know why you never heard about Othniel? Because he's boring.

You know what? Our world needs some boring.

I am so tired of superstar pastors who are amazing and then crash and burn like a meteorite. You hear two stories: their rise and their fall. What you don't hear about are churches that are just steady and faithful, because it's obscure. It's not exciting. We need more Othniels up in here.

It was never about Othniel

Notice who the subject is in every line. The LORD raised up a deliverer. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him. The LORD delivered the king into his hand. This is a story about how God delivered Israel. Othniel was just somebody willing and obedient that God used.

If you begin to think the Christian life is about you, God becomes your mascot, your pom-pom-waving cheerleader. But the story isn't about you. You're a part in His story. To God be the glory forever and ever.

Even the fact that Othniel died tells us something. Even a good judge is temporary. He was one link in the chain of what God was doing, and then God would tap somebody else on the shoulder.

Ordinary miracles are still miracles

It wasn't enough for Joshua's generation just to tell the stories. We have to show and tell. We have to let God work in our generation. It may not be spectacular. God may not save you from a fiery furnace. God may just save your marriage. Is that not miraculous enough? God might not deliver you from demon possession, but He might deliver you from an addiction.

Nobody cares what God did for Jonah. They care about you. Tell them your story of what God did in your heart.