Ehud & Eglon

Sort of excited about this one! I started the book of Judges yesterday and I read an account today I have NEVER heard of or read before. So, that's exciting. I guess for whatever reason this judge that God rose up by the name of Ehud never seems to make it into sermons. Well, at least not in any I have ever heard in the past 15 years. And well, I myself never read the whole book of Judges before so I was quite surprised to find it.
But as I am in a season of trial I find it exciting!!!
So, if you don't know (like I didn't)

Judges 3:12-14,17
 Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and because they did this evil the LORD gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years... Now Eglon was a very fat man.

So here we have the people of Israel, because they did evil in the Lord's sight, given over to the enemy. Interesting to note that the Moabites were descendants of Lot. If you recall Lot's daughter got him drunk and laid with him and became pregnant after the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah. (Genesis 19:30-38)
Moab was physically related to God’s people, yet had no connection spiritually, and was in fact an enemy of God’s people. So it is that people can attend church and outwardly look ‘Christian’, yet never come to know Jesus as their own Lord and Saviour.
You see, even as a true Christian it is easy to simply ‘go through the motions’ so we all have to be on our guard. It speaks to us of those times when, having departed from our first love, we carry on through the motion of being a ‘good Christian’, yet we have no relationship with the Lord. Eglon, the king of Moab is a warning for all of us to guard against this. In this regard it is also interesting to note that Eglon’s name is derived from the root word meaning ‘circle’, and in the meaning of his name we are given this same thought once again of someone going round and round, through the motions, without ever getting anywhere! There is however deliverance from this enemy and here comes our hero now!

Enter Ehud the Left-Handed Benjamite!

Judges 3:15
Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite.

(Okay...start playng the Rocky theme!)
 Our hero, Ehud, means ‘I will give praise’, or ‘I will give thanks’. Now, we are going to have a quick look at the power of praise because it is taught consistently throughout the word of God,
But there is a power in praise and gratitude, and its importance in our lives is taught consistently throughout the Bible.  All of us will be tested on this! There will always be times when trials and darkness surround you and praise is slow in coming. It is then, at that very moment, that you need to make a conscious decision to lift up your shield of faith and praise God despite how your circumstances seem.

Judges 3:16-21
Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man… Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his summer palace and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly.

Well, the king died. Ehud escaped and led the Israelites out of bondage from Mohab. Woo Hoo!

There is a type here of the warfare that New Testament believers encounter and engage in. Our double-edged sword is not man-made but has been given to us from above.

Heb 4:12 ‘For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit.’.

Eph 6:17 ‘Take the… sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’

And finally, we see from this passage in Judges that the enemy is defeated as the double-edged sword is thrust into the enemy’s side. For us, (and especially when trials arise) this means using the word of God as Jesus did to defeat the enemy when He was being tried in the desert. It means declaring the truth of the word, declaring the promises of God. It means using the truth of God’s word as your basis of praise and thankfulness to Him. It means renewing your mind with its truth when the arrows of doubt from the enemy flood in.

Submit yourself to God, resist the enemy (with the use of your sword!) and he will flee from you!

In this manner the cycle of sin is defeated and the enemy of empty profession is destroyed. 


 How cool is that? I like Ehud and this victory over Mohab. It shows me that the Word of God truly is sharper then any two-edge sword and I can defeat the enemy with praise, thanksgiving, and the Word (my sword!)

haha...wow, I LOVE the Word of God!