Ehud - the Left-Handed Deliverer

 

Then the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, and the LORD raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab. And Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his clothes. (Judges 3:15–16 ESV).

 

Today may be one of those passages that you have rarely, if ever, read. It describes the deliverance of God through Ehud, who is one of the Judges called by God for the task of redeeming Israel after they have fallen into the hands of their oppressors. The story takes place 18 years after the cruel oppression under King Eglon of Moab. It is a story that is often repeated in the history of Israel. They turn away from God, begin to worship other pagan gods, fall into the hands of their enemies, and finally repent and cry out to God for deliverance. Despite Israel's recurring cycle of sin and rebellion, God answers with mercy by providing a rescuer, a Judge.

 

In this case God chooses Ehud, a man from the tribe of Benjamin—ironically meaning "son of the right hand", though he is described as left-handed (literally restricted or bound in his right hand). We should understand the tactical advantage of what appeared to be a weakness of Ehud. In the ancient world, being left-handed or having a handicapped right hand was often viewed as a physical defect or social disadvantage. However, Ehud turns this trait into a strategic weapon. The guards would have inspected the left side of visitors for hidden daggers, allowing Ehud to conceal a double-edged blade on his right thigh undetected.

 

Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his cloak. This unlikely left-hander was used by God to kill Eglon, the king of Moab, who was "a very fat man." Moab was subdued that day, as God continually redeemed His people from the hand of their enemies. The verse highlights that God does not rely on conventional expectations or societal standards of strength to accomplish His purposes, choosing a seemingly flawed or unusual candidate to overthrow tyranny.

 

Do you see the picture of Jesus, our ultimate and final deliverer in this story? Jesus is the Son of God, the King of Israel, and yet He is born in a stable, attended only by His mother and His earthly father, surrounded by the common animals of the land. Only the lowly shepherds nearby were told of His birth. It was a particularly inauspicious birth for a king! This theme was consistent throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry. While He was the Creator of all, He served all; while He could command all the angels of heaven, He commanded no army on earth; while He was eternal and immortal, He died in the cruelest of means. In fact, all of His disciples were shaken to their core when He died, thinking all was lost.

 

God doesn’t always follow the conventional wisdom of men. He writes wisdom and carries out His perfect plan according to His will and purpose. Even when your circumstances would scream your defeat, trust in the Lord! He has already delivered us by the work and grace of His Son, Jesus!