Ehud: The Left-Handed Deliverer

Again. “And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord” (3:12). After Othniel died, Israel went right back to the same sin. God is in charge. “So the Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel” (3:12). Even enemy kings are under God's control. Old enemies. Eglon “gathered to himself the people of Ammon and Amalek” (3:13). Moab, Ammon and Amalek had all been enemies of Israel before. The City of Palms. Eglon “took possession of the City of Palms” (3:13). That was Jericho, the first city God had given Israel in the Promised Land. Eighteen years. “So the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years” (3:14). Sin had brought them into a longer, harder time of serving an enemy. God still listened. God had not stopped loving Israel. He was ready to help the moment they turned to Him. What this means for you. Going back to an old sin is never a small thing. If you keep falling into the same wrong, tell God the truth and ask Him for help. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9).

Again (3:12). The Hebrew yasaf (say: yah-SAHF) means to add or to do again. Israel added evil to evil. Judges 2:19 had said that when a judge died the people “reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers.” Strengthened (3:12). Chazaq (say: khah-ZAHK) means to make strong. The Lord strengthened Eglon. God rules over the rise and fall of nations, even nations that do not know Him, and He used Moab to discipline His people. An alliance (3:13). Moab and Ammon came from Lot's family (Genesis 19:36-38). “Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim” (Exodus 17:8) long before. Israel's old enemies joined together against it. The City of Palms (3:13). Moses had looked down from Mount Nebo on “the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees” (Deuteronomy 34:3). Then God told Joshua, “See! I have given Jericho into your hand” (Joshua 6:2). Now the city where Israel's conquest began was in enemy hands. That shows how far Israel had fallen. Eighteen years (3:14). Cushan ruled for eight years; Eglon ruled for eighteen. Sin does not stay small. It grows, and it holds on. For you. Sin promises freedom and delivers slavery: “Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). Repeated sin is not a reason to give up on God. It is a reason to run to Him, because “if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Othniel had died, and Israel did wrong again. They went back to the same sins. So the Lord let Eglon king of Moab grow strong. Eglon took Jericho, the city of palm trees. Jericho was the first city God had given Israel. Now an enemy king ruled there. This time Israel served the enemy for 18 years. That was longer than the first time. Sin always takes us farther than we want to go. It keeps us longer than we want to stay. But God never stopped caring about His people. He was waiting for them to call to Him. He is waiting for us to call to Him too.

God's people did wrong again. A king named Eglon ruled them. Sin always hurts us. But God still loved His people.

Another cry. “But when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them” (3:15). God answered again, just as He had for Othniel. Ehud the Benjamite. He was “Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man” (3:15). Benjamin was one of the smallest tribes of Israel. Left-handed. Most soldiers wore a sword on the left side and drew it with the right hand. A left-handed man carried his on the right, where guards would not expect it. God used the very thing that made Ehud different. Ready and brave. Ehud “made himself a dagger” and fastened it “under his clothes on his right thigh” (3:16). He was about to walk alone into an enemy palace. The tribute. Tribute was a heavy payment that a ruling king demanded. “So he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab” (3:17). Ehud looked like just another man carrying money. God sees differently. “For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). What this means for you. You do not have to be the biggest, the oldest or the most popular for God to use you. He uses people who trust Him and step out when He calls.

A deliverer again (3:15). The same word as for Othniel, moshia (say: moh-SHEE-ah), a savior. The Lord raised up Ehud just as He had raised up Othniel. God's mercy did not run out after the first rescue. Left-handed (3:15). The Hebrew itter yad-yemino (say: ee-TAIR yahd-yeh-mee-NOH) means restricted in his right hand. He may have trained to fight left-handed. Later, the tribe of Benjamin had seven hundred chosen left-handed men who could sling a stone at a hair and not miss (Judges 20:16). Son of the right hand. Jacob had named his youngest son Benjamin, which means son of the right hand (Genesis 35:18). God's deliverer came from the tribe of the right hand, and he was left-handed. The dagger (3:16). It was double-edged and “a cubit in length,” about eighteen inches. Worn on the right thigh, it was where a search would not look. Tribute (3:15, 17). The Hebrew minchah (say: meen-KHAH) is the same word used for a gift offering to God. Israel was bringing gifts to a foreign king instead of to the Lord. God sent the rescuer inside that very payment. God's choice. “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:27). For you. God does not wait for you to become impressive. He calls you as you are, then gives you what you need for the work.

After 18 years, Israel cried to the Lord. Again God heard them. He sent a man named Ehud to save them. Ehud came from the family of Benjamin. He was left-handed. Ehud was not a king or a famous soldier. Israel sent him to carry the payment to Eglon. But God had chosen Ehud to rescue His people. Ehud bravely walked into the enemy king's palace. God often uses people that others might pass over. He does not need the biggest or the strongest. He uses people who trust Him. God can use you too.

God sent Ehud to help. Ehud was left-handed. God can use anyone who trusts Him. He can use you too!

A secret message. Ehud said, “I have a secret message for you, O king” (3:19). The king sent everyone out of the room. A message from God. “I have a message from God for you” (3:20). God's message to Eglon was judgment. Then Ehud killed the king with his dagger (3:21). God's justice. For eighteen years Eglon had ruled God's people by force. God is patient, but He does not let cruelty go on forever. A safe escape. Ehud locked the doors and left (3:23). The servants waited “till they were embarrassed” (3:25), and “Ehud had escaped while they delayed” (3:26). God protected His servant. Is this how we should act? No. This was a war that God's chosen deliverer fought to free a whole nation from an invading king. Jesus teaches, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you” (Matthew 5:44). Paul says, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves” (Romans 12:19). What this means for you. When someone is unfair to you, you do not have to get even. Tell a grown-up you trust, pray for that person, and trust God to make things right.

A secret word (3:19). Devar seter (say: deh-VAR SAY-ter) means a hidden word or message. Ehud turned back “from the stone images that were at Gilgal.” Pesilim (say: peh-see-LEEM) usually means carved idols, standing near the place where Israel had camped after crossing the Jordan. A word from God (3:20). Devar Elohim (say: deh-VAR el-oh-HEEM), a word from God. Eglon “arose from his seat.” The word God sent that day was His judgment on an invading king, and Ehud carried it out (3:21). Judgment, not revenge. Ehud acted as the deliverer the Lord raised up (3:15), in a war against a foreign ruler who had invaded and taken God's land. The New Testament gives the sword of justice to rightful rulers (Romans 13:4) and forbids personal revenge: “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath” (Romans 12:19). The escape (3:23-26). Ehud locked the doors of the upper room. The servants assumed their king wanted privacy and waited “till they were embarrassed.” Their delay gave Ehud time to reach Seirah. God's protection worked through ordinary details. What about us? Jesus said, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you” (Matthew 5:44). “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). For you. On the cross Jesus prayed for the people who crucified Him: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). He took God's judgment on Himself so that His enemies could be forgiven. That includes us.

Ehud went back to the king alone. He said he had a message from God. Then Ehud killed the enemy king with his sword. This was God's judgment on a king who had hurt His people. Ehud locked the doors and escaped. God kept him safe. Does this mean we may hurt people who are mean to us? No, it does not. This was a war to set a whole nation free. Jesus tells us to love our enemies. He tells us to pray for them too. God is the one who judges. We can trust Him to make things right.

Ehud had a message from God. Then Ehud killed the enemy king. God kept Ehud safe. God takes care of His people.

The trumpet. “He blew the trumpet in the mountains of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mountains” (3:27). The trumpet called God's people together. Follow me. “Follow me, for the Lord has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand” (3:28). This is the memory verse. Already won. Ehud spoke as if the victory had already happened, because God had promised it. Faith trusts what God says before we see it. The fords. They “seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab” (3:28). Fords are shallow places where people can walk across a river. No enemy could get through. The victory. “So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel” (3:30). Subdued means brought under control. Rest. “And the land had rest for eighty years” (3:30). God gave His people a long time of peace. A better Leader. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). He has already won the victory over sin and death. What this means for you. Following Jesus means listening to Him and going where He leads, trusting that He has already won.

The shofar (3:27). Ehud blew the shofar (say: shoh-FAR), a ram's horn trumpet, in the hill country of Ephraim. The sound called scattered people to gather and move as one. Follow me (3:28). Ehud's words in Hebrew, ridfu acharai (say: reed-FOO ah-khah-RAI), mean pursue after me. He did not send the people ahead; he led from the front. Has delivered (3:28). Ehud spoke of the victory as already finished: “the Lord has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” God's promise was so certain that it could be spoken of as done. The fords (3:28). By holding the shallow crossings of the Jordan, Israel cut Moab's army off from home. “They killed about ten thousand men of Moab” and “not a man escaped” (3:29). Subdued (3:30). Kana (say: kah-NAH) means to be humbled or brought low. The kingdom that had humbled Israel for eighteen years was humbled in one day. Eighty years (3:30). The longest rest in Judges so far. God's goodness outlasted Israel's suffering many times over. Following Jesus. Jesus calls in the same direction: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). His victory is already won: “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Ehud ran to the mountains of Ephraim. He blew a trumpet to call God's people. Ehud said, “Follow me!” He told them the Lord had already given them the win. The people believed him, and they followed. They guarded the places to cross the Jordan River. Israel won the battle that day. Then the land had peace for 80 years. That was a very long time! Jesus calls us to follow Him too. He has already won the biggest battle of all. Following Jesus is the best way to live.

Ehud blew a trumpet. He said, “Follow me!” God's people followed him. Jesus wants us to follow Him too.