Unlikely Saviors

Scripture Introduction

As we dive deeper into Judges 3 we see three individuals that God raised up as Judges to deliver the Children of Israel during this time: Othniel, Edud & Shamgar. Let’s begin with a brief look at Othniel

Judges 3:7–11 NKJV

So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs. Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years. When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim. So the land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

As a result of their rebellion and spiritual adultery God allows them to be enslaved by the Mesopotamians for eight years. After eight years the people of Israel cried out to the Lord (not in repentance, but a cry of AGONY or DESPERATION) and God raises up a deliverer by the name of Othniel (Caleb’s younger brother).

God’s Spirit came upon Him and he was able to be victorious over the King of Mesopotamia and lead them into REST for 40 years!

Notice what happens next in Judges 3:12-14

Judges 3:12–14 NKJV

And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. Then he gathered to himself the people of Ammon and Amalek, went and defeated Israel, and took possession of the City of Palms. So the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.

It’s interesting that the name of Moab’s king is “EGLON.” The name Eglon means “little calf” or “calflike one.” Some believe his name referenced his size, because he was a BIG man. Some think his name reference cows, because of the “gods” they worshipped was often connected to cows…or I suppose it could have been a combination of both...

So now the Children of Israel, after enjoying 40 years of God’s blessings and 40 years of peace, decide to once again REBEL against God and once again find themselves ENSLAVED…this time for 18 years!

What happens next is one of the most GRUESOME stories in Judges. It’s the kind of story that Junior age and Middle school boys would love, but the kind of story most of us would think is PRETTY GROSS.

Notice Judges 3:15-23

Judges 3:15–23 NKJV

But when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. By him the children of Israel sent tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Ehud made himself a dagger (it was double-edged and a cubit in length) and fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh. So he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.) And when he had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried the tribute. But he himself turned back from the stone images that were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” He said, “Keep silence!” And all who attended him went out from him. So Ehud came to him (now he was sitting upstairs in his cool private chamber). Then Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” So he arose from his seat. Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. Even the hilt went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the dagger out of his belly; and his entrails came out. Then Ehud went out through the porch and shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

I thought about entitling this section “When Lefty Stabbed Hefty” but I decided against it...

God is Willing to Use the Unlikely to Accomplish His Purposes

How many “LEFTY’s” do we have in the room today?

I’ve heard people say that “Left-handed people are living in a Right-handed world.” Is that true?

The side of your hand is always dirty

Difficulty using scissors

Studies show that left-handers “SCARE” more easily and get “ANGRY” faster

Studies also show that left-handers typically do not SLEEP as well

Ehud was left-handed. There is some debate as to why he was left-handed. Most left-handers are left handed naturally. They are just born with that trait. However, the way the Hebrew language is worded it seems that Ehud may have had some handicap or impediment in his right hand.

Another explanation is that left-handed swordsman had a great advantage over right-handers in battle. There were actually some warriors, who were consider elite, because they had been trained to use their left hands in battle, by having their right hands tied behind their back!

Another thing we know about Ehud is that he made a “DAGGER.” This dagger would have been a “double-edged combat sword” between 12-18 inches long. One commentator noted...

The sword would be long enough that its thrust would strike deeply and damage enough tissue to cause instantaneous, or at least very rapid, death.

This sword was strapped to Ehud’s RIGHT THIGH.

This was very unlikely for TWO reasons. Again most people use their right hand, so if a sword was strapped anywhere it would be on the left hand side, but also in that day and time soldiers typically wore swords across their backs, their chests, or their waist opposite their fighting hand…CROSS DRAW.

Again I quote:

Ehud’s left-handedness shifted his sword to an atypical position on the right thigh, increasing the likelihood that his weapon would go unnoticed

Ehud says that he has a message from God for King Eglon so the king dismisses everyone and Ehud strikes. The Hebrew language that used to describe this attack makes it clear that it was a violent thrust that caused almost immediate incapacitation. He “RAN HIM THROUGH.”

Here’s a medical doctors take on the scenario...

Joshua, Judges & Ruth (Notes)

There are two possible causes for immediate (or almost immediate) loss of consciousness with a belly wound. The first would result in a very rapid death. The aorta is large in the upper abdomen. If it were transected at a level above the navel, a human’s entire blood volume would/could be spilled in less than 45 seconds. No blood flow to the brain and a person loses consciousness in about 5 seconds. This injury could produce almost immediate incapacitation. It would probably require a sword being thrust completely through the abdomen and exiting to the left of the spine, as the aorta is somewhat protected by the boney spine at that level. The second phenomenon would produce an immediate loss of consciousness, but would not necessarily be followed by death. The tenth cranial nerve controls both heart rate and bowel motility. When this nerve is stimulated in the abdomen, a decrease in heart rate rapidly ensues. A decrease in heart rate translates as a decrease in cardiac output which translates as decreased blood flow to the brain. This again results in a loss of consciousness within 5 seconds. I strongly suspect that this poor king experienced both of these phenomena. Vagal stimulation producing a rapid loss of consciousness from which he never awakened as his blood volume was probably either spilled on the floor or lost within his abdominal cavity. I wish I could say that I’ve never seen this scenario, but I have. A few years ago a local businessman committed suicide by the Japanese traditional hara-kiri. In this ritual, a sword is thrust through the abdomen just left of the naval and pulled upwards with a violent thrust/pull. Again, a rapid loss of consciousness with rapidly following death. (Richardson 2008

Because Eglon was so large his fat enclosed over the blade and either Ehud had difficulty removing the sword or left it there as a calling card. Either way, the evil king was dead, and God delivered the Israelites once again, using a left-handed warrior to lead the way!

Now go down to Judges 3:31 and notice another unlikely hero, a farmer by the name of Shamgar...

Judges 3:31 NKJV

After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad; and he also delivered Israel.

An ox goad, was not a typical weapon used in war and hand to hand combat, but once again we find God using the UNLIKELY to accomplish His purposes of deliverance!

The fact is God still uses UNEXPECTED things and UNLIKELY people to accomplish His purposes. As a result,

We are to Trust in God and His Divine Plan

Do not UNDERESTIMATE GOD!

It doesn’t matter how WEAK you think you may be, how UNPREPARED you feel like you are, how much of an UNDERDOG you appear to be…WALKING IN SURRENDER TO GOD, HIS WORD, AND HIS WILL, WILL ENABLE YOU TO ACCOMPLISH HIS PURPOSES AND SEE HIM DO THROUGH YOU FAR MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER ASK OR THINK!

God doesn't always choose the strongest or most qualified individuals to carry out His plans. Instead, He looks for those who are willing to be used by Him and have faith in His power.

God can use unlikely and seemingly weak individuals to accomplish His purposes, and we should trust in His power to work through us despite our weaknesses.

Remember what Christ revealed to the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

2 Corinthians 12:9–10 NKJV

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

God's power is made perfect in weakness!

When we feel weak or inadequate, we can trust in God's strength and providence to deliver us from our struggles. Through His power, He can use our perceived weaknesses as opportunities to display His glory and fulfill His purposes.

What’s your weakness? SURRENDER it to God!

What’s your struggle? SURRENDER it to God!

A teenage boy, David, surrendered himself, a sling and a stone to God and he defeated Goliath!

An unnamed little boy, surrendered His lunch to God, and it was used to feed a multitude!

A widow woman, surrendered 2 coins that were almost worthless to men to God, and we are still talking about her 2,000 years later.

CT Studd said...

Only one life will soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last

SURRENDER IT TO GOD!

Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar were unlikely saviors, but their salvation was only temporary.

They were unable to deliver Israel from themselves. They were unable to change their heart. They were unable to change their destiny.

But their is one more UNLIKELY SAVIOR I want to tell you about this morning!

Meet Your Unlikely Savior

He had an UNLIKELY LINEAGE that included:

Rahab, a former Canaanite prostitute who helped the Israelite spies in Jericho and was later integrated into Israel, becoming an ancestor of Jesus (Matthew 1:5)

Ruth, a Moabite women, who despite being a foreigner, eventually became the great-grandmother of King David (Matthew 1:5-6)

Tamar, who disguised herself as a prostitute to ensure her place in Judah’s family line

He had an UNLIKELY MOTHER:

She was a virgin, unprecedented and seemingly impossible

She was from Nazareth

She was ordinary, from a humble background

She was unmarried at the time of the announcement

He had an UNLIKELY BIRTH:

He was born in a tiny, what seemed to be insignificant city: Bethlehem

He was not born in a palace, but place for animals and laid in a feeding trough

He had unlikely visitors that night: SHEPHERDS…who were considered lowly and unclean by society

He had an UNLIKELY MINISTRY

His followers were a ragtag group of men…fishermen, tax collectors, not typical candidates for leadership of the day.

He also focused on REACHING the unlikely…the lepers, the demon possessed, and known sinners.

And today, the UNLIKELY SAVIOR of the world, has a desire to RESCUE the UNLIKELY like ME and the UNLIKELY like you...

Those of us, JUST LIKE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WHO HAVE SINNED, WHO HAVE PUT OTHER PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS BEFORE HIM, WHO HAVE BEEN GUILTY OF SPIRITUAL ADULTERY AND IDOLATRY...

WHAT MAY SEEM UNLIKELY IS LIKELY, AND NOT ONLY LIKELY BUT CERTAIN...

HE OFFERS FORGIVENESS THAT IS CERTAIN

HE OFFERS RESTORATION THAT IS CERTAIN

HE OFFERS CLEANSING THAT IS CERTAIN

HE OFFERS FREEDOM THAT IS CERTAIN

HE OFFERS A HOME IN HEAVEN THAT IS CERTAIN!

SALVATION

REDEDICATION

BAPTISM

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP