“Left-Handed” — Ehud

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Welcome: Good morning. I want to welcome everyone, especially those here for the first time, whether in person or online.  Thank you for choosing to worship Jesus at Liberty this morning. 

Introduction: As we continue in the book of Judges, I want to thank Kevin for preaching so well last week. Our planning trip was very productive, and I can’t wait to share some of what’s coming over the next two months. Thank you for praying for us and for all your input. 

Today we come to the second judge in the book, Ehud, the left-handed judge. Remember, Israel was God’s chosen people, set apart from every other nation. But they kept falling into a cycle. 

[Display PIC: Judges-cycle-slide.png] 

Israel serves the Lord, falls into sin, is enslaved, cries out, God raises a judge, and Israel is delivered. Then it starts all over again. Today we’ll watch that cycle turn a second time.

Illustration: Have you ever disliked something about the way God made you? I think we all have. For me, it was my hair. As a kid, I had blond, wiry hair. I literally had a blond afro. Nobody else had hair like mine. I couldn’t comb it; I had to use a pick. I wore a hat every chance I got to hide it. Instead of thanking God for making me unique, I complained about it. 

The man God chose to deliver Israel also had something that set him apart from every other man in Israel. He was left-handed, or possibly impaired in his right hand. Either way, he wasn’t the obvious choice for a hero. But before we meet him, we need to understand why Israel needed a deliverer at all. 

Here is where we are headed today.

Main Idea: The enemy targets the family, but God raises unlikely leaders who fight with His Word. 

Passage: Look with me at Judges 3:11-12

Judges 3:11–12 ESV

So the land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died. 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.

“Rest” means no war and no threat of war: forty years of peace in the Promised Land under Othniel. But notice the word “again.” As soon as Othniel died, Israel stopped serving, loving, and worshiping God and turned to false gods. Those Canaanite gods were still in the land because Israel never removed them as God commanded. 

Then the text says, 

“the LORD strengthened Eglon.” 

The Hebrew word is ḥāzaq, which means to strengthen, harden, or make strong. It’s the same word used in Exodus when Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. God is sovereign over the nations, even wicked ones. Eglon had his own ambitions. You can almost hear him: “I think I’ll go conquer me some more land. The city of palms looks great this time of year.” But God used Eglon’s ambition as the rod of discipline for His wayward people. 

Let’s keep reading. Judges 3:13-14

Judges 3:13–14 ESV

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.

The city of palms is Jericho, the first city God gave Israel in the Promised Land. It was where God’s power alone brought down the walls. Now the enemy was sitting on Israel’s greatest testimony of God’s power, and Israel served him for eighteen years. Listen, one of God’s greatest testimonies in the world today is the devoted family in Jesus. The enemy desires to destroy it. 

And here’s something many people miss: these enemies were family. Moab and Ammon came from Lot. After Lot escaped Sodom, his two daughters got him drunk and conceived children by him. Their sons were Moab and Ben-ammi, the father of the Ammonites. Amalek came from Esau, Jacob’s brother, who despised his birthright. Amalek was the very first nation to attack Israel after they came out of Egypt. The enemies that overtook Israel grew out of old family compromises and unresolved hurts. 

Transition: This brings us to our first point. 

Point #1 — The enemy targets the family.  

Explanation: Scripture tells us we face three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil (Eph 2:1–3). Behind the scheme to turn Israel away from worshiping the one true God stood the devil himself. He knew what was at stake if God’s people remained faithful, and he knew exactly which temptations would draw them away. Jesus calls him “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31), yet he rules on a leash. God remains sovereign. Paul teaches in Ephesians 6:12 that we wrestle 

Ephesians 6:12 ESV

against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

The enemy doesn’t just target individuals. He attacks the family because it is the foundation of a godly society. He used Lot’s compromise and Esau’s bitterness to produce enemies who troubled Israel for generations. 

Yet even then, the LORD used that enemy to turn His people back to Himself. 

Illustration: Think of King David. He stayed home when he should have gone out to battle. It began with a look at Bathsheba, then adultery, then murder. The devil didn’t force David’s hand; David’s choices opened the door. But look at what followed. God told David, 

“the sword shall never depart from your house” (2 Sam 12:10). 

His son Amnon assaulted his sister Tamar. His son Absalom murdered Amnon and later rebelled against his own father. One man’s private compromise became his family’s public devastation.  

David’s choices opened the door. This reminds us that we can't blame the enemy for our choices; we must guard our hearts to resist temptation.

Argument: Imagine leaving your front door unlocked every night and letting thieves come in to take whatever they want. That’s what small compromises can do. Gossip, hidden sin, lingering looks at what’s forbidden, screens that disciple our kids more than we do, and a spiritual leader who is physically present but spiritually absent—each leaves a door unlocked. The devil isn’t merely waiting for us to slip; he’s actively looking for a way into our homes to steal our joy, our peace, and our children. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

We lock those doors with God’s truth and spiritual watchfulness.  

Application: What compromise are you allowing to take root in your heart today? And what door have you left unlocked in your home? The enemy is targeting your family. The question is whether anyone is standing guard. We have to LOCK the door. 

Transition: Israel had no one standing guard. For eighteen years they served Eglon. But then something changed.

Passage: Look at Judges 3:15-18

Judges 3:15–18 ESV

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. And 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.

Look at our second point: 

Point #2 — God raises up unlikely leaders.    

Explanation: Ehud was not the obvious choice for a hero. The text points out one thing about him: he was left-handed. Literally, he was “bound” or “restricted in his right hand.” And here’s the irony: he came from the tribe of Benjamin, a name that means “son of my right hand.” God’s deliverer came from the tribe of the right hand, and his right hand didn’t work like everyone else’s.  

Most soldiers carried their sword on the left thigh so they could draw it with the right hand. So when Ehud came before the king, the guards would check the left side. Ehud’s sword was strapped to his right thigh, and no one noticed. The very thing that made him different is what God used.  

That’s how God works. Remember my blond afro? I spent years hiding what made me different. Ehud didn’t hide his. He offered it to God.  

But this story has a sobering detail, too. Look ahead to verse 19: Ehud 

“turned back at the idols near Gilgal.”  

And in verse 26, he escapes and 

“passed beyond the idols.” 

Ehud passes those idols twice. God doesn’t waste words.  

Gilgal was where Israel first camped in the Promised Land. They set up twelve memorial stones there to remember what God had done (Josh 4:19–24). 

Now idols stood there. 

Idolatry had crept into the very place meant to remind Israel of God’s faithfulness. And the text never tells us that Ehud tore them down. He risked his life to bring down an evil king, but he walked past the idols. Chapter 4 begins: 

“And the people of Israel again did what was evil. in the sight of the Lord.” 

The idols left standing troubled the next generation. God uses unlikely and imperfect leaders. But the idols we walk past, our children will one day bow to.

Illustration: Think about the most unlikely leaders in the Bible.

Moses was reluctant and “slow of speech.” 

Rahab was a Canaanite prostitute.

Gideon hid in fear when God called him a “mighty man of valor.” 

Jephthah was the rejected son of a prostitute who led a band of outcasts. 

David, the youngest, was not even considered a likely king by his father. 

Peter was an impulsive, hotheaded fisherman. 

Matthew was a tax collector, seen as a traitor. 

Paul violently persecuted Christians. 

Mary was a poor teenage girl. 

A few of these are judges we’ll meet in this series. Not one of them was the obvious choice.  1 Corinthians 1:27 says, 

1 Corinthians 1:27 ESV

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;

Argument: You may feel like you’re the last person God would use. This list says otherwise. God isn’t looking for impressive people. He’s looking for available people. A ministry has a hole where you’re not serving yet.  

But being available isn’t enough. We also have to confront our idols. Parents, grandparents, older siblings, kids’ teachers, small group leaders, ministry leaders, pastors: our first priority is to abide in Jesus so He can reveal the idols we’ve learned to walk past. Jesus said, 

“Abide in me… for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5). 

And John ends his letter with a simple command: 

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). 

We can’t wholeheartedly worship Jesus while we’re still bowing to idols. 

Application: What makes you feel unlikely or overlooked? Will you OFFER that to God? Are you abiding in Jesus, allowing Him to speak into your life? Are you devoted to Jesus by listening to His word? 

Transition: Ehud was unlikely, but he wasn’t unprepared. He made a two-edged sword and brought it into the enemy’s house. Watch what he says when he gets there.

Passage: Look with me at Judges 3:19-23

Judges 3:19–23 ESV

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. 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. Then Ehud went out into the porch and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them.

What may not seem apparent on the surface becomes clear in the irony and symbolism. 

Point #3 — Godly leaders fight with the Word and bring rest for generations.    

Explanation: This passage is full of irony. We must be careful not to read too much symbolism into every detail, because that can lead us astray. But some of the irony here is clearly intentional. 

Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And the message was a two-edged sword. Hebrews 4:12 says, 

Hebrews 4:12 ESV

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Israel’s oppressor didn’t fall to an army. The man of God carried a word from God and brought down the enemy of God. That is rich!  

There’s more irony. The Hebrew word translated “tribute” is also the word for an “offering.” And Eglon’s name sounds like the Hebrew word for “calf.” The text makes it clear to us that he was very fat. So Ehud came to present an offering, and the offering turned out to be a fattened calf. Eglon grew fat on Israel’s oppression, and in the end, his sin cost him everything. As someone once said, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”   

And the story gets almost comical. In verses 24–25, Eglon’s servants find the doors locked and assume he’s using the bathroom. Remember verse 22: “the dung came out.” So they wait... and wait... “until they were embarrassed.” The enemy who looked so powerful for eighteen years ends his life in humiliation.

But the story doesn’t end in that locked room. One man’s victory had to become the whole nation’s victory. 

Look at our text again. Ehud escapes. He sounds the trumpet. verse 28. 

First, Ehud went first: “Follow after me.” He didn’t send the people; he led them. 

Second, he gave God the credit: 

“for the LORD has given your enemies into your hand.” 

And the result? Eighty years of rest. That’s about two generations, and it’s the longest rest in the whole book. 

One prepared leader, carrying a word from God and going first, changed the lives of his children and grandchildren.  

Illustration: We see the same pattern in Jesus. Matthew and Luke both record that after His baptism, Jesus was led into the wilderness for forty days, where the devil tempted Him. In Luke’s account, the devil tempted Him:  

to satisfy a craving: turn stones into bread

to grab what wasn’t His to take: the kingdoms of the world

and to seize glory apart from the Father: throw Himself from the temple 

Those three temptations mirror the ones we face today. First John 2:16 says,

1 John 2:16 ESV

For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.

The Desires of the flesh tempt us to over-feel.

The Desires of the eyes tempt us to over-possess.

The Pride of life tempts us to over-become.

None of those desires is automatically sinful. But when they become ultimate, they pull us away from God, and they pull our families with them.  

So how did Jesus fight? Every time, He answered with the Word: “It is written.” 

Argument: God’s strategy hasn’t changed, and neither has the enemy’s: the devil still targets the family. God’s answer remains a leader who carries the Word and leads the way. When a leader brings the Word into the home and says, “Follow me,” the whole household moves forward—and so do the church and the mission. 

Application: Carry the sword: 

Is God’s Word open in your home? Choose a time this week to read Scripture and pray with your family, or with one person you’re investing in. 

Go first: Who is following you? Can you say, “Follow me as I follow Christ”? 

Think generationally: What will your grandchildren inherit spiritually: rest or another round of the cycle?

Transition: Ehud gave Israel 80 years of rest. Jesus gives rest that lasts forever. So how do we live this out this week?

Next Steps: What is your next step of faith?  We all have one step of faith to take today. 

Salvation: 

Baptism:

Membership: 

Live It Out: [Display PIC: Ehud live it out carry.png]

Lock the door. Name one compromise you’ve let into your home, and shut it down this week.  

Offer what makes you unlikely. Tell God, “Use me as I am,” and tear down the idol you’ve been walking past.  

Carry the sword and go first. Open God’s Word with your family, or with one person, this week. 

Close: When godly leaders fight for their families with the Word, God brings rest for generations.