The Story of Lefty and Hefty

Introduction

Thank you’s

The book of Judges is an awesome book with a lot of action packed stories and feats of God’s strength and power. It’s also a sad book because it shows just how far Israel would constantly go from God.

I’m gonna give you a lot of background information for context sake so that you can really grasp and understand this book as a whole, but specifically this passage within the book.

The English Bible places the book of Judges in with the Historical books. The Jews, however, divide their Bibles differently. They have three main divisions, consisting of the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. Judges is in the subdivision of Former Prophets, which consist of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. It is also traditionally believed to have been written by Samuel. Modern scholars believe this book was written sometime after the coronation of Saul (1051 BC) before the conquest of Jerusalem by David (1004 BC). Thus we are pointed to the early period of the monarchy. This is supported by internal evidence in three key areas.

The motto – “In those days Israel had no king”. This indicates a looking backward from a time when Israel did have a king.

Jerusalem had not yet been captured. Judges 1:21 “And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.” It was still occasionally called Jebus until the end of the book.

Judges 19:10 “But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him tow asses saddled, his concubine also was with him.” However, David captured this city 990 B. C.

Furthermore, it is clear that the Canaanites were in the city of Gezer. Judges 1:29 “Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.” This verse indicates that the writing happened before the Egyptians gave Gezer to Solomon’s Egyptian wife as a wedding present in 970 B. C. 1 Kings 9:16 “For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomon’s wife.” Although there is not internal evidence identifying the author of Judges, the Jewish tradition ascribing authorship to Samuel seems plausible and is traditionally the conservative position. Similar in method to the writing of the Pentateuch, we can safely assume that both oral and written traditions were used as sources for the writing.

The period of the Judges began after the death of Joshua and continued until the crowning of Saul and the beginning of the monarchy (in 1051 BC). The Pentateuch, which is in many ways the foundation of the Word of God, including creation and the beginning of His revelation to mankind, was written by Moses. Jesus confirmed this with His own mouth in Luke 24:44 when He said, “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.”

After the Pentateuch we have Joshua, and In Joshua we find a validation of the promises God. The nation of Israel is unstoppable when they go forward with the anointing of God upon them. They demonstrate Moses’ claim in Deut. 28:1 (have someone read, or, And it shall come of pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: ). God desires to bless His people mightily.

After Joshua we have Judges, and In Judges the plot shifts. No longer are the children of God doing what is right in His eyes. They are attempting success, even righteousness, without God. Having forsaken, ignored, or marginalized God in their national and personal conscious, they proceed to do what is right “in their own eyes.” They validate Moses’ warning in Deut. 28:15: But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:”

Joshua records about 40 years of Israel’s history, while Judges covers a span of 265 years.

There were six periods of oppression by Israel’s enemies recorded in Judges.

 Oppression by the Mesopotamians o Eight years o Broken by Othniel (Judges 3:7-11)

 Oppression by the Moabites o 18 years o Broken by Ehud (3:12-21)

 Oppression by the Canaanites (mainly northern Israel) o 20 years o Broken by Debra and Barak

 Oppression by the Midianites o 7 years o Broken by Gideon (6:1-10; 15)

 Oppression by the Ammonites o Broken by Jephthah

 Oppression by the Philistines o Weakened by Samson o This oppression begins here and continues through II Samuel 10. It is not until David defeated the Philistines, Jebusites, and Ammonites that real unity in Israel of genuine peace from hostile neighbors was enjoyed by Israel. This was a 360 year period of suffering (1350-990 BC).

Although there were 13 different judges spoken of, only 6 are mentioned with any depth.  Ehud  Deborah  Barak  Gideon  Jephthah  Samson

And today, we are going to look at the story of Ehud.

Judges 3:12–30 KJV 1900

And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord: and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees. So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab. But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh. And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man. And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present. But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him. And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat. And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly: And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out. Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them. When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber. And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlour; therefore they took a key, and opened them: and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth. And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath. And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them. And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the Lord hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over. And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.

The title of this message is the story of Lefty and Hefty. The lefty Ehud and the hefty Eglon.

1. The Lord Strengthened the Enemy (v. 12)

As we study this passage together, something to keep in mind is the circle of repetition that Israel had fallen into during this time.

Rebellion > Retribution > Repentance > Restoration

And you can see this in the first verse we read in verse 12. It says “Israel did evil again”.

Rebellion- disobeying God

Retribution- punishment and consequences for disobeying God

Repentance- turning from sin and crying out to God for forgiveness

Restoration- God restoring them to a right relationship with Him

So why would the Lord God of Israel, strengthen their enemy? Well, the verse tells us.

Judges 3:12 KJV 1900

And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord: and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord.

The Moabites were actually descendants of Lot, they were a perverse nation.

Israel at this point in her history was in the cycle of Rebellion. They once again had strayed from the Lord and were not trusting or obeying His Word. We know that the previous Judge mentioned in this chapter had gone through something similar. Israel was dwelling among the Canaanites and disobeying the Lord. Canaan was overpowering them. The cried out to the Lord. The Lord raised up Othniel and the people were rescued and restored. They had peace for about 40 years, and then they began rebelling and living in sin again. So the Lord strengthened Eglon and the Moabites to oppress Israel.

This was the swift kick in the rear that Israel needed. This is even a New Testament principle. Hebrews tells us that the Lord chastens those who are His.

Hebrews 12:6–7 KJV 1900

For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

The Lord will even sometimes use the enemy to chastise you in order to get you to recognize your need for Him. Israel had fallen into their own pride thinking they can take care of themselves and the blessings that they have had come from their own hand, but in reality they had forgotten their God. In order for Israel to realize the seriousness of the departure from the Lord, the Lord used their enemy to oppress them and smite them.

Sometimes the Lord may do something similar with us and we think God why would you allow these terrible people to be blessed and why would you allow them to keep oppressing me? When in reality the Lord is trying to get ahold of you and trying to get your attention and He’s saying I want to bless you and keep you but you wont let me! You keep departing from me and falling into pride and sin! By the way let me remind you the people around you really aren’t the enemy. Ephesians tells us we don’t fight flesh and blood but against the spiritual.

Ephesians 6:12 KJV 1900

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

So sometimes the hardships we face in life are the chastenings of the Lord trying to get our attention. Sometimes the hardships we face in this life aren’t chastenings, but are trials, they’re tests. Remember Job, he was faithful to the Lord and the Lord allowed Satan to bring about many many trials in his life. Whether the hardships in life are chastenings or trials, our response should be the same. Be faithful. Trust and obey. Trust and obey. Remind yourself with Romans 8:28, a great verse to memorize

Romans 8:28 KJV 1900

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Remind yourself that the hardships of this life are only temporary and that there is coming a day when you’ll be done. You will have been promoted to glory to see your Savior face to face and He will say “well done”.

So the Lord strengthened the enemy, and then

2. Israel Cried Out to the Lord (v. 14-15)

Judges 3:15 KJV 1900

But when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.

Eventually we see Israel’s response of repentance. Sadly though, if you notice verse 14, it tells us a very interesting detail.

Judges 3:14 KJV 1900

So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

They had been serving Eglon and the Moabites for 18 years. It took 18 years for someone to finally be like, “man, what if just repented and asked God for help?” Man I could understand maybe a year maybe two but it took 18 years for them to repent of their sin. These people were slaves to the enemy for nearly two decades.

If you are stuck in your sin and it seems like you’ve tried every way to get out and you just can’t shake it and you’re tired of being a slave to this sin, would you cry out to God? God does not want you to wait 18 years before you repent, God does not want to keep on chastening you over and over, he wants you to submit, to give up your own will and to submit to His sovereign perfect will. Would you let go of your pride and simply cry out to your Heavenly Father?

Now that I’m a father of a 1 year 1 month and 4 day old son, this thought resonates in my heart. Gosh I love that child. I love my son with every fiber of my being. But let me tell ya, little Elliott is starting to get a little bit of an attitude, alright. He’s starting to use some unkind faces when he’s not too happy, starting to protest his unhappiness with his voice.

**Talk about how he loves strings and cords and ropes and how he tries to get charger cords, and how when I take it away, he protests. He protests very loudly. Cause I know better than he does, all he sees is a cord that he wants to play with and bite, and all I see is a baby who’s gonna electrocute himself if he chomps down on that cord.

We’re trying to get on top of that early. Trying to make him realize that he’s not in charge, the adults are in charge. Unless the grandparents are here, then he is the one who’s in charge. But imagine if it took 18 years for Elliott to stop disobeying me to stop chewing on phone charger cords. First you’d probably think man this kid is dumb every time he sees a phone charger he sticks it in his mouth.

But as a father I would grow so tired of explaining over and over to not put a phone cord in his mouth and I would grow tired of punishing him. I don’t want to punish him. I know I have to so that he will be corrected onto the right path, but after 18 years of it. I’d be tired of it.

The Lord is on His throne in Heaven, seeing his people sin and sin and sin and not repent for 18 years. He allows these Moabite people to rule over them and oppress them yet the Hebrews just won’t repent. Until finally, after 18 years they finally cry out to Him.

I am imperfect father, I’d grow tired and impatient but thankfully our heavenly father’s grace and mercy infinitely outweighs the sins that keep you in bondage. Would you please not wait. Don’t wait. I’m not talking about this year and resolutions, I’m not talking about this week, I’m not talking about tomorrow, I’m talking about right now. Would you cry out to your Heavenly Father who is patiently waiting on His child to come back to Him. Right now in this moment, in your heart would you just say God, I need help. I need to come back to you I need to repent from my sin. And we know what repentance is right it is a 180* turn. I am turning from my sin and I’m turning to the one who can give my victory over my sin. 1 John 1:9 explains sanctifying repentance beautifully it says

1 John 1:9 KJV 1900

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Confess to your Father your sins, and forsake your sins. Don’t wait. There’s no need to constantly endure the chastening of the Lord. Confess and forsake.

First we saw the Lord strengthened the enemy, second we saw Israel cried out to the Lord, and now

3. The Lord Raised Up a Deliverer (v. 15-23)

Judges 3:15–23 KJV 1900

But when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab. But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh. And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man. And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present. But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him. And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat. And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly: And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out. Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them.

I think its interesting to note that God did not raise up a deliverer until after the Jews had cried out to Him in repentance, and this is the usual pattern that we see throughout the book of the Judges. I think its a good time for us to consider our own deliverer. The fact that the sovereign God of the universe loved you so much that he was willing to step down from Heaven, to endure the sufferings of a human and then a terrible human death, all so that he could redeem you and you could belong to Him. What a wonderful deliverer we have. And this deliverer has already paid the way for you to be delivered, all you have to do is cry out to Him in faith.

What a great story man, Ehud sounds like a marvel super hero man. Occasionally, as a treat for ourselves, Abbie and I will order a pizza, we enjoy dominos. And so we’ll order online and they say it’ll be here in 30 minutes, but inevitably its always late. The delivery guy always gets lost trying to find the parsonage. We even put detailed instructions on how to get to the house but they always just drive up and down 31 or gibson rd right here. Sometimes they’ll go from house to house asking if they ordered a pizza. Usually I have to walk down to the parking lot and look for the delivery guy and point him up the hill and its just frustrating.

Thankfully, your deliverer, is never late. He is always right on time. He doesn’t make you do some of the work, no He came all the way to earth and performed every perfect work that you never could and paid the price that you couldn’t pay. And can I tell you, God raised up this deliverer as well. Your deliverer paid a price that required His sacrifice but on the third day God raised Him from the dead, conquering sin and death in the process, guaranteeing your victory.

The same God who delivered His people from Egyptians, and the mesopotamians, the moabites, the canaanites, the midianites, the ammonites, the philistines, the assyrians, the babylonians, and the Romans, is the same God who has delivered you from your sin. Its the same God. Its because he was raised from the dead.

Your deliverer has been raised. And because your deliverer has been raised, one day you too will rise. One day after this old flesh has passed and this old earth has passed and the Lord decides to rebuild this old earth you too will be rebuilt, your body will rise and those who remain will meet you in the air and what a grand reunion that will be, what a day to look forward to.

All this because the Lord raised up a Deliverer.

Number 1 the Lord strengthened the enemy, number 2 Israel cried out to the Lord, number three the Lord raised up a deliverer, and

4. Israel Followed the Deliverer (v. 26-29)

Judges 3:26–29 KJV 1900

And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath. And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them. And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the Lord hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over. And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man.

Thankfully, Israel trusted and obeyed Ehud. He said the Lord had given them the victory over Moab and they believed him. Their belief was evidenced by their action. We know they believed because they followed.

They had to trust his word. They didn’t know if he had actually killed Eglon. He didn’t bring a head back to show them proof that he had killed them or anything like that. They didn’t have any real reason to believe him when he said they could conquer the Moabites. They took him at his word. They trusted him completely. Once they trusted, they obeyed. They did exactly what he said, and they won the victory.

I wonder how well you are following your deliverer. The Israelites here were just following a normal man, their deliverer was just a judge, but your deliverer is almighty God. Do you trust God’s Word?

In youth we are currently doing a sermon series on spiritual warfare, and we break up into groups of guys and girls separately to discuss afterwards and one of the main things we talked about was trust in God’s word.

The oldest trick in the book, literally, the first trick that Satan used in the garden of Eden against Eve was to get her to doubt Gods word. Remember what he said? “Hath God said...” And that is still one of his favorite deceptions to use today. He wants us to doubt God’s word. Let me tell you what the Bible says about God’s Word.

Psalm 18:30 KJV 1900

As for God, his way is perfect: The word of the Lord is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

Hebrews 4:12 KJV 1900

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 KJV 1900

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Matthew 4:4 KJV 1900

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Do you believe God? Do you believe what He says? You can determine if you trust God by seeing if you obey Him and follow Him.

John 14:15 KJV 1900

If ye love me, keep my commandments.

1 John 2:5–6 KJV 1900

But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

If you are struggling to follow God, to obey Him and keep Christ’s commandments, this isn’t the time to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and try harder to be a better person. No, it is time to go back to the Word of God, and increase your faith in Him, to better your trust in Him. And it starts with His Word.

Romans 10:17 KJV 1900

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

**ILLUSTRATION - One night at a Dwight L. Moody evangelistic meeting in Brockton, Massachusetts, a young man stood up to testify about his confidence of salvation.  He said, “I am not quite sure,” meaning that he wasn’t really certain that God would save him from his sins—and then he continued, “But I’m going to trust, and I’m going to obey”—meaning that he planned to trust God for his salvation and to do what he could to obey God’s will.

“I’m going to trust, and I’m going to obey.”  Daniel Towner was the song leader for that meeting.  He was so impressed by the young man’s testimony that he wrote down those words and stuck them in his pocket.  Later, he wrote a friend, John Sammis.  In his letter, he told about the young man’s testimony and included the young man’s words:  “I am not quite sure, but I’m going to trust, and I’m going to obey.”

Sammis quickly transformed those words into a hymn chorus:  “Trust and obey, For there’s no other way To be happy in Jesus, But to trust and obey.” Soon he had five stanzas to go with the chorus, and he sent them to Towner, who composed the tune:

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word What a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still And with all who will trust and obey

Trust and obey, for there's no other way To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey

It begins with trust. You must learn to trust God and His Word. Then obey. Trust and obey your Deliverer

So the Lord strengthened the enemy, Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer, Israel followed the deliverer, and finally

5. Israel had Peace (v. 29-30)

Judges 3:29–30 KJV 1900

And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.

Finally, Israel had rest. They had peace. 18 years they had been struggling against the Moabites, and now after one battle of slaying 10,000 men, they had peace. They could have had peace so much sooner if they just cried out to the Lord, but they didn’t, so they struggled for 18 years without peace.

I wonder how long its been since you’ve had peace. I wonder how long you’ve been struggling with something whether its a certain sin, or bitterness against someone, or having an unthankful complaining spirit. Do you have peace?

Brother Andrew always makes the distinction between the peace of God and peace with God.

Peace WITH God

Peace with God is an objective peace. It doesn’t come from within ourselves. It’s not something we can obtain. It is something we are freely given.  It is a gift from God — a gift given by Jesus when He saves a repentant sinner.

We know that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins on the cross,  and when we repent and trust in Him, He is faithful to forgive our sins and save us.  Jesus absorbed the wrath of God that should have been ours. He made peace WITH God for us and He gives us that peace in our salvation. This peace is a fact, not a feeling.  It is free and it is forever and can never be destroyed or even diminished.  It is a secure peace with the Almighty God of all creation because of Jesus’ finished work.

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

Peace OF God

The peace of God is a subjective peace. We have it when we experience the peace that comes through trusting Jesus. This peace is also a gift from God.  It is given to us by God, freely and generously.  It produces in us a feeling of wellness, but it is something that we must actively pursue.

In our salvation, God gave us the Holy Spirit who is also called the Comforter.  One of His many jobs is to impart the peace of God to us.  We are also promised from God’s Word that Jesus’ grace is sufficient in all things (2 Cor 12:9-10). This is a blessing and a comfort, and it is something we must remember every minute of every day.

When we keep our eyes on Jesus and rightly remember Who He is, what He has done for us, and who we are in Him, we experience the calm, and peace, of resting in Him.  That is how we receive the peace OF God. It is a choice to keep our eyes on Jesus, our hearts devoted to Him, and our minds continually being renewed in His Word.  Sadly, when we allow anxiety and fear to set in, we lose focus, we become disheartened, and confusion abounds.  Then the flow of God’s peace to us is blocked and our joy is diminished.

Paul warns against such worry that creates anxiety and he tells us that we are to come to God “with thanksgiving” in prayer to receive His peace.

Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

When we remember all that God has given us and give Him thanks, the peace of God is received and we find rest in Jesus.

Are you saved? Do you have the peace with God?

Are you following Him? Do you have the peace of God?

Conclusion and Application

The Lord Strengthened the Enemy in verse 12

How do you react to the chastening and trials of God?

2. Israel cried out to the Lord in verses 14-15

Have you cried out in repentance to the Lord?

3. The Lord raised up a Deliverer in verses 15-23

The Lord has raised up the perfect Deliverer for you and me

4. Israel followed the Deliverer in verses 26-29

Are you trusting and obeying your Deliverer?

5. Israel had peace in verses 29-30

Do you have peace with God? Do you have the peace of God?

I hope you’ll consider these principles from Scripture this week, that you’ll be encouraged and challenged.