The
second oppression the Israelites suffered came from Moab. The intervention of
Othniel lasted 40 years and now a new generation arose. As usual in the
comfort, they again became errant and lived contrary to the will of God. They
failed to learn from the suffering of their fathers. This time the Lord used
Eglon of Moab as His instrument to deal with them. This king, in alliance with
the Amorites and Amalekites, captured the city of the palm. From there he
oppressed the Israelites for as long as 18 years.
The
gracious Lord came to their rescue. He didn’t ignore their cry even though He
was angry with them. He heard the agonizing plead of His people who cried out
to Him. In response to their cries, He raised Ehud the son of Gera from the
tribe of Benjamin to deliver them. Ehud was a left-hander and was
considered a stigma. Interestingly, in Judges 20:16 we are told that among the
Benjamites there were 600 warriors who were left-handers. Ehud was a
leader of a group of Israelites sending tribute to Eglon. His task allowed him
the opportunity to study the surroundings of Eglon and how he would operate.
That enabled him to come up with a plan to assassinate and eliminate the
oppression brought about by this king of Moab. Ehud quietly designed a plan to
assassinate Eglon. He made a sharp two-edged sword and had it strapped to his
right leg. His must have observed that each time he brought the tributes to
Eglon, the guard would only check his left side. Hence, he was able to smuggle
in his weapon concealed by his long flowing robe.
Verses
17-22 describe how he executed his plan. He first presented the tribute to the
fat king. Then he and his other messengers went as far as Gilgal and were
safely away from the Moabites. He alone returned to Eglon purporting to have a
message from God for him. Being a pagan and accustomed to many gods, the
king had no problem receiving a message from God. Ehud must have sufficiently
gained the confidence of the king. So, unsuspectingly, Eglon dismissed his
bodyguards and had the door shut after them. Before the king could raise an
alarm or shout for help, Ehud reached out for the sword, hidden and strapped to
his right thigh. He then quickly plunged the sword into the belly of the king.
He thrust the sword into the belly of the king so hard that even the handle of
the sword was totally embedded causing the king’s guts to spill out. It must
have been messy.
Ehud
then quietly left the palace locking the inner chamber of the king. When the
guards came they thought that the king was doing his business and did not do a
thing. But a duration had elapsed and when they suspected something was wrong,
they found the king dead and the assailant long gone. In verses 27-29,
when Ehud reached Seirah, he blew the trumpet throughout the hill country of
Ephraim. He was able to rally the people and led them to exterminate the
Moabites. They were able to kill 10,000 robust, valiant and fighting men of
Moab and secured rest for the people. We are told in verse 30, that from this
conquest, Israel was not disturbed for 80 years.
Like
Ehud, we must learn to adapt. Though he was a left-hander, he took advantage of
his makeup and designed a plan to deliver his people. In the same way, we must
also use whatever makeup we have to advance God’s kingdom. We must not feel
intimidated by our limitation. We can think out of the box and come up with a
plan that will put God’s purpose first, regardless of our makeups, talents and
giftings. We have a creative God who can give us creative ideas!
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