Judges 3:12-30
12 Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord.
13 And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and defeated Israel, and they took possession of the city of the palm trees.
14 And the sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab for eighteen years.
15 But when the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.
16 Now Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length, and he strapped it on his right thigh under his cloak.
17 Then he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.
18 And it came about, when he had finished presenting the tribute, that Ehud sent away the people who had carried the tribute.
19 But he himself turned back from the idols which were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And the king said, “Silence!” And all who were attending him left him.
20 Then Ehud came to him while he was sitting in his cool roof chamber alone. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he got up from his seat.
21 Then Ehud reached out with his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.
22 The hilt of the sword also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade because he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the refuse came out.
23 Then Ehud went out into the vestibule, and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them.
24 When he had left, the king’s servants came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; and they said, “Undoubtedly he is relieving himself in the cool room.”
25 So they waited until it would have been shameful to wait longer; but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. So they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the floor dead.
26 Now Ehud escaped while they were hesitating, and he passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.
27 And when he arrived, he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was leading them.
28 Then he said to them, “Pursue them, for the Lord has handed your enemies the Moabites over to you.” So they went down after him and took control of the crossing places of the Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross.
29 They struck and killed about ten thousand Moabites at that time, all robust and valiant men; and no one escaped.
30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was at rest for eighty years.
Ehud
Ehud the second judge
The pattern of the Book of Judges is also evident in the story of Ehud. (1) The faithlessness of the Israelites. (2) The judgment of the Lord. This time, the king of Moab, Eglon, was used as an instrument of judgment. The Ammonites and Amalekites collaborated with Eglon. Eglon occupied the city of “Palm Trees” (Jericho) and oppressed the Israelites for 18 years. (3) The cry of the Israelites. They cried out to the Lord for help. (4) The Lord raised up Ehud as a judge and delivered the Israelites.
Ehud’s strategy
(1) Ehud brought tribute to Eglon the king of Moab. (2) He was a Benjaminite, the son of Gera, and he was left-handed. It is interesting because Benjamin means “son of the right hand,” so his left-handedness is noteworthy. (3) Ehud carried a dagger about 40 cm (18 inches) long, which he had concealed on his right thigh under his clothing. He positioned it on the right side to hide the weapon from enemy’s eyes. (4) After presenting the tribute, Ehud left but then turned back from Gilgal and created a situation where he could be alone with Eglon. Ehud’s plot was executed successfully. (5) With his left hand, Ehud thrust the dagger into Eglon’s belly. Since the dagger did not have a handguard, both the handle and the blade went deep into the king’s belly. The wound was sealed by the fat, as described. (6) Afterward, Ehud escaped and blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, rallying the Israelites and challenging the Moabites to battle. The result was a great victory for the Israelites. (7) From that point on, the Israelites enjoyed 80 years of peace, which was the longest period of peace recorded in the Book of Judges. Ehud became a deliverer for Israel, but the method he employed was far from aligned with God’s will. Those who believe in a God of love and truth should not harbor any wrongdoing in the means by which they achieve their goals, not just focusing on the end results. Flaws that were absent in Othniel can be observed in the second judge, Ehud. Should any and all means be justified as long as the purpose is right? Let us learn from Ehud as a bad example and draw lessons from it.
Today's prayer
O God of Israel, please help me reach the right goals in the right way. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.