Southpaw Savior

It was 1350 B.C., a young Jewish woman in labor, her first child, the midwife patiently assisting the young mother. Then the child was born, a son. But the midwife's face fell as she examined the newborn boy. In the dim light of the Benjamite home, she watched as the infant's left hand grasped reflexively at the air, while his right hand remained curled and weak against his chest. She had seen this before – a child bound in his right hand, destined to use his left. Her heart heavy, she wrapped the boy carefully before approaching his exhausted mother.

 "Your son is strong," the midwife began carefully, "but..." The young mother knew before the words came. She had seen how the midwife's eyes lingered on her son's hands, had recognized the subtle shift in her expression. In their tribe of Benjamin – "Son of the Right Hand" – to bear a left-handed child was a peculiar irony. The tears came, not from the pain of childbirth, but from knowing the life of limitation her son would face.

 "Perhaps..." the midwife offered, “perhaps with binding and training..." But they both knew the reality.

 In the ancient Near East, left-handedness was considered a defect, even a curse. The right hand was used for eating, greeting, and religious ceremonies. The left hand was associated with uncleanliness.

The priests would look at him sideways when he brought offerings. The merchants would hesitate to apprentice him. The military trainers would shake their heads at a warrior who couldn't properly hold a shield. Even his name – Ehud – meaning "majesty" or "glory," now seemed like a cruel joke. What glory could there be for a boy marked by what many would see as a curse?

 In the days that followed, the young mother would cradle her son close, praying desperately to YHWH. "Lord," she would whisper in the quiet hours before dawn, "You formed him in my womb. You knit together his hands, both right and left. Surely... surely You have a purpose."

God's ways are not our ways. The unexpected and unconventional are the tools in His hands. One again Israel turns its back on God and forgets his commands and his promises.

 Slide And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms. And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.Judges 3:11-14

Eighteen years. For eighteen years, the Benjamite farmers had watched Moabite tax collectors stride through their fields, marking the best portions for King Eglon's tribute. The Ammonite raiders would follow, their curved swords gleaming in the sun, ensuring compliance with sneers and threats. Behind them all came the Amalekites – desert warriors who seemed to materialize from the wilderness itself, ready to punish any village that dared resist.

In the evenings, the elders would gather and whisper of better days. They spoke of the time when the armies of Israel had made the nations tremble, when the Lord had fought for them. But those days seemed as distant as the peaks of Moab across the Jordan. The younger ones, those born under Eglon's heavy hand, barely remembered or could even dream of what it meant to be free.

The City of Palms better known as Jericho –– had become a symbol of their shame. A city that still bore the scars from generations past, when Israel had been the conquerors, not the conquered. Where Joshua's trumpets had once brought down mighty walls, now stood Eglon's summer palace, a testament to Moabite power.

In the distant is but another tribute caravan making its way down from the hill country of Ephraim, laden with the precious oils and grains that should have been sustaining the people. Instead, it would all grace King Eglon's tables in Jericho.

 History repeats itself …  Cycle slide on screen

…. rebellion, God’s anger, enemy oppression, repentance, salvation, peace and we start all over again … sin, suffering, supplication, salvation …. The sin of forgetting God during times of prosperity and peace, compromising beliefs and convictions in the name of expediency and convenience, giving in to the temptation to merely blend in and do what keeps you safe even if it means disobeying Yahweh … it all leads to God’s anger against his people and an enemy being strengthened to bring oppression, 18 years of humiliation and suffering, but enough is enough … “we can’t take it anymore, when we will stop blaming God and start crying out to Him” …

 Slide 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.   Judges 3:15

 Ah, Ehud, we meet again. God raised up the most unlikely deliverer, the left-handed Ehud from the tribe of the right hand. The Hebrew word used for “raised up” is the same word used for God raising up prophets and kings. This wasn't a backup plan; it was God's intended strategy. From the tribe named for the right hand comes a left-handed deliverer.

 It's as if God is saying, what he said to Isaiah, the prophet, "I will show you that my ways are not your ways, and my thoughts are not your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8).

 But to a people suffering and crying out for help, even the left handed, deformed right handed Ehud was worth a try.

Slide 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 3:11-14

That was something a right-handed person would do. Not a guy with a shriveled up right hand. Every guard knew to check the right thigh for hidden weapons, but a left-handed physically challenged guy … who knew that perceived weakness would become the very key to liberation.

The king himself was as imposing as his fortress – a man whose massive frame matched his appetites. Each tribute season, he would sit in state, his bulk settled on his throne like a mountain, picture Jabba the Hut from star wars. He sat there watching with satisfaction as Israel's wealth flowed into his coffers.

 The cultural humiliation cut deeper than the economic burden. To approach Eglon, one had to observe Moabite customs – bow in their manner, speak their language, honor their gods. The right hand must be empty, extended palm-up in submission.

But watch how God works! This very "limitation" becomes the key to victory. In a palace where every guard knew to check the right thigh for weapons, where every protocol was designed for right-handed interaction, Ehud's left-handedness became a strategic advantage.

SlideAnd he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. And when Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. But he himself turned back at the idols near Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he commanded, “Silence.” And all his attendants went out from his presence. And Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he arose from his seat.   Judges 3:17-20

 Eglon’s ego on full display. Looking down on Ehud’s unassuming frame he dismisses everyone and leaves himself alone to meet with Ehud to hear this secret message.

Slide And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the dung came out.   Judges 3:21-22

In that moment, the left-handed limitation, seen as a liability by the world became an instrument of liberation for the people of Israel.

SlideThen Ehud went out into the porch and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them. When he had gone, the servants came, and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber.”      Judges 3:23-24

A humorous moment. Don’t bother him, he’s doing his business. They probably snickered a little and the long it took the more humorous the moment … until it wasn’t.

Slide And they waited till they were embarrassed. But when he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them, and there lay their lord dead on the floor.    Judges 3:25

 By now Ehud had a head start …

Slide Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah (se-ee-ra). When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader.             Judges 3:26-27

No one underestimated Ehud now. No one would question his courage, his anointing by God, his cleverness nor his commitment to God and his people.  He was their leader!

SlideAnd he said to them, “Follow after me, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and did not allow anyone to pass over. And they killed at that time about 10,000 of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.      Judges 3:28-30

Slide God took what others saw as a limitation and turned it into a liberation.

 But here's the beautiful thing – You see, this story isn't really about left-handedness or even about Ehud.

It's about a God who delights in using the unexpected to accomplish His purposes. The same God who used a shepherd boy to slay a giant, who used a stuttering man to lead His people out of Egypt, or even a murdering Pharisee to take the gospel to the Gentiles … that God, chose to use a man with a shriveled up right hand who could only use his left hand in a right-handed world.

Every limitation becomes a theatre for God's glory. God's sovereignty extends beyond merely working around our limitations - He actually works through them. Our weaknesses become the stage upon which His strength performs its greatest acts.

For Ehud, his supposed limitation became the very place where God's power would be demonstrated. As the apostle Paul writes to the church at Corinth …

Slide But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.    1 Corinthians 1:27–29

That is our God, He is not looking for our perfection; He's looking for our faith in Him to use our perfect imperfections. And sometimes, just sometimes, what you think is holding you back, might be exactly what God wants to use to move you forward.

 What's holding you back? What's that thing you think God can't use? Everyone of us has a limitation, a liability, a left hand, if you will.

 Slide What's your “left hand"?

What's that thing about yourself that you think disqualifies you from being used by God? That thing that is a disgrace until it is used by God’s grace.

 Maybe it's a past you're ashamed of or a weakness you can't seem to overcome or difference that makes you feel like an outsider.  Maybe it's a physical condition or perhaps it's your background or education. It could be past failures or current struggles. But consider this:

What if those very things you see as limitations are actually God's strategic positioning for unique ministry?

Joni Eareckson Tada, paralyzed from the neck down as a teenager, has reached millions through her ministry. She often says,

Slide God permits what He hates to accomplish what He loves.    Joni Eareckson Tada

Like Ehud, how can we liberate our limitations for God’s purposes if we do three things …

Slide Reframe Your Limitations

When we look at Ehud's story, we see God taking what society labeled as a defect and turning it into a divine strategy. This invites us to reexamine our own perceived limitations:

Take a Personal Inventory: What are my Physical limitations or health challenges, what are my learning differences or educational backgrounds, past traumas or failures, family history or circumstances, personality traits others have criticized

Nick Vujicic (view-gi-sick), who was born without arms or legs, once said, "If you can't get a miracle, become one." Today, his ministry reaches millions.

Slide Your limitation might be your most powerful platform for witness.

Often, the person who's overcome an addiction becomes the most effective counselor. The one who's escaped debt becomes the wisest financial mentor. So ask God to show you those limitations that he wants you to surrender to Him.

 Second …

Slide Embrace Your Weaknesses

Paul learned to boast in his weaknesses. This requires a radical shift in perspective. Paul had a limitation, a thorn in the flesh. We don’t know what it was but he prayed to no avail. But he did hear God say to him …

Slide But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.                       2 Corinthians 12:9–10

So move from …"I can't serve because..." “If only I were more..." “Once I overcome this, then …"

To: “How might God use this?" “What unique perspective does this give me?" “Who might relate to my story?"

 Which brings me to the last thing you and I can do …

 Slide Steward Your Story

It’s your story. For Ehud … well, his mother knew the world he was being born into and yet, the one who formed him in his mother’s womb knew he would have his moment, just as Mordecai told Hadasa who was Esther, maybe God has brought you to his place for such a time as this.

The God of the universe, the one who created you, who loves you, wants to redeem everything about you. To work in and through those places, circumstances, trials and tribulations. So, look at your life and that is a part of your story and ask yourself …

 "How might God use this?"

Pray, ask God, share your inquiring with a trusted believer, maybe someone you know with a similar story or challenge. Look around and ask God to open your eyes and heart to the community around.

Pretty soon, your journey with limitations becomes a testimony of liberation in Christ.

 Charles Spurgeon said,  

Slide God will never waste your pain. Charles Spurgeon

What feels like a limitation today might be God's preparation for serving him tomorrow.

Can you imagine the beauty of brokenness when it is being redeemed, restored and used by God through his grace and mercy to be a blessing to those in the world around us. What if we all could see our lives, our limitations, our liabilities through the eyes of God’s loving plan and purpose for our lives … what an amazing picture of the church, a left-handed people of limitations, bringing a message of limitless love, forgiveness, mercy and joy.

  Let’s pray,

The Prayer team will be alongside the walls. If you need someone to pray for you, to see help you reframe your limitations, or to help you embrace your weaknesses or even steward your story. Maybe you need to be set free, liberated from the limitations of your life and receive life in Jesus Christ, I invite you to come. No matter where you have been, what you have done, where you think you are headed … our God is a way maker and he has made a way for you.

 Stand and sing … Way Maker