Unlikely Heroes - Judges 3:12-31

Copyright May 6, 2018 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

It is a familiar saying, “Those who fail to learn from history, are destined to repeat it.” This is illustrated throughout the book of Judges. The people rebel against God and follow false Gods. God lets them live with the consequences of their choices by raising up a foreign power to subject them. After a period of time, the people return to the Lord and cry out for help. God then raises up a Judge who overthrows the foreign oppression. A period of peace follows but the people quickly forget the Lord and the process starts all over again.

Our challenge as we examine this cycle is to learn from the mistakes of the Israelites. In other words, we must make sure that we are following the true Lord and not false idols. Those idols may not be calves made of gold, or statues before which people bow. It could be a materialistic lifestyle, the pursuit of pleasure, or taking any good thing and turning it into the supreme thing, which takes the place that should rightfully be God’s place in our life.

As we open up the text this is what we read,

12Once again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, and the Lord gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel because of their evil. 13Eglon enlisted the Ammonites and Amalekites as allies, and then he went out and defeated Israel, taking possession of Jericho, the city of palms. 14And the Israelites served Eglon of Moab for eighteen years.

What is Wrong with This Picture?

The people of Moab were related to Israel. Their forefather was Lot, the nephew of Abraham. Israel and Moab had faced conflict before. A former king of Moab, Balak, tried to get the prophet Baalam to curse Israel, but God kept him from doing so (even to the point of having his donkey speak to him!)

Notice a few things. When Eglon, the King of Moab defeated Israel he took over the city of Jericho. This is interesting because after the Israelites destroyed the city of Jericho Joshua said,

26 Joshua invoked this curse:

“May the curse of the Lord fall on anyone

who tries to rebuild the town of Jericho.

At the cost of his firstborn son,

he will lay its foundation.

At the cost of his youngest son,

he will set up its gates.” (Joshua 6:26)

Apparently, the Israelites decided they were going to rebuild Jericho, curse or no curse!

Second, in verse 19 we read, “But when Ehud reached the stone idols near Gilgal, he turned back. He came to Eglon and said, “I have a secret message for you.” It is significant that there were idols in Gilgal (Israelite territory) and if we do a little detective work it gets even more strange.

When Israel crossed the Jordan River (on dry ground) at the beginning of the book of Joshua, Joshua had them take 12 stones from the river, and put them as a memorial at . . . you guessed it . . . Gilgal! Though the text does not say, I wonder, if these became the stone idols? Had the Israelites turned this memorial into something they worshipped?

This is not the only time that happened. In 2 Kings 18 we are told Hezekiah destroyed the bronze snake that Moses had used when the plague of snakes came to the Israelite camp. Anyone who looked at the snake was saved from the bites. It was a picture of Christ (look at John 3). Apparently, the Israelites kept the bronze snake and began to worship it and had been doing so for many years! This is the depravity of man: we take that which was created by God and call it a god! We take a blessing and turn it into a snare. It shows the rebellious nature of men.

Anything can become an idol. We pray to pictures or people who have died. We have our lucky items and fall apart if we cannot find them. We devote ourselves to a possession and sometimes we can even turn a church building into an idol. Good things become idols when they become ultimate things.

Finally, note that it took 18 years before the people cried out to the Lord. Had they forgotten Him entirely? Did they think God was impotent and unable to help them? Why would you wait so long? People who have drifted from the Lord do many strange things.

The Rescuer

When Israel finally called out to the Lord for help, God raised up another rescuer, a man by the name of Ehud. And this is one of the most colorful stories in the Bible.

We are told Ehud was a left-handed man of the tribe of Benjamin. We don’t catch this in English but Benjamin means, “Son of my right hand.” So the son of his right hand was a leftie! The Hebrew indicates that his right hand was bound. Some think he may have had an injury or deformity. But, it may also have been a decoy.

In Judges 20:16 we are told,

Among Benjamin’s elite troops, 700 were left-handed, and each of them could sling a rock and hit a target within a hairsbreadth without missing.

In 1 Chronicles 20 we are told a group from Benjamin accompanied King David and they were proficient with either hand! These men bound their right hand so they would become proficient with their left hand, effectively making them ambidextrous. If Ehud was one of these men it would make him like a Special Ops soldier (Green Berets, Navy Seals, Rangers etc).

Ehud must have been well respected because he was sent with the tribute money for Eglon. It seems no one knew of Ehud’s plot to free Israel from the rule of Moab. This means Ehud was one bold dude in taking on the palace guard by himself.

We are told Eglon was a large man. His name could mean something like “Fat Cat.” As we continue the story, we read:

16So Ehud made a double-edged dagger that was about a foot long, and he strapped it to his right thigh, keeping it hidden under his clothing. 17He brought the tribute money to Eglon, who was very fat.

18After delivering the payment, Ehud started home with those who had helped carry the tribute. 19But when Ehud reached the stone idols near Gilgal, he turned back. He came to Eglon and said, “I have a secret message for you.”

So the king commanded his servants, “Be quiet!” and he sent them all out of the room.

20Ehud walked over to Eglon, who was sitting alone in a cool upstairs room. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you!” As King Eglon rose from his seat, 21Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled out the dagger strapped to his right thigh, and plunged it into the king’s belly. 22The dagger went so deep that the handle disappeared beneath the king’s fat. So Ehud did not pull out the dagger, and the king’s bowels emptied. 23Then Ehud closed and locked the doors of the room and escaped down the latrine.

Ehud made a special dagger that was sleek and one piece. He strapped to his right thigh. It is likely that Ehud wrapped his right hand. This would give him the impression of being harmless. And allow him access to the King.

Ehud returned to talk to the King by himself. He told the King that he had a “secret message.” The King was honored and curious and sent everyone out of the room. When Eglon got up, Ehud killed him with the dagger. It went so deep the handle disappeared in the King’s fat. It pierced his bowels. It is a very graphic picture.

Ehud locked the doors from the inside and then escaped. The NLT says he escaped down the latrine. No other version says anything like this. They simply say he escaped. The story from here is meant to be funny.

24After Ehud was gone, the king’s servants returned and found the doors to the upstairs room locked. They thought he might be using the latrine in the room, 25so they waited. But when the king didn’t come out after a long delay, they became concerned and got a key. And when they opened the doors, they found their master dead on the floor.

26While the servants were waiting, Ehud escaped, passing the stone idols on his way to Seirah. 27When he arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, Ehud sounded a call to arms. Then he led a band of Israelites down from the hills.

The servants returned to care for the King, but the door was locked. Since his bowels were pierced there would have been a smell. The servants decided he must be going to the bathroom which is why the door was locked. I like the NIV translation. It says, they “waited to the point of embarrassment.” Meanwhile, Ehud escaped and mobilized the army. They attacked the Moabites and killed about 10,000 of their best soldiers.

There was peace in Israel for 80 years before the people forgot the Lord again.

Who is Shamgar?

31After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath rescued Israel. He once killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad.

Stuck at the end of the Ehud story is the mention of a man who gets little mention: Shamgar. The name Shamgar was not a Hebrew name. It was Canaanite. The name Anath is the name of the Canaanite God of sex and war. Most people doubt Shamgar was actually an Israelite. If he was, then his family had completely sold out to the Canaanite culture.

Shamgar came on the scene when the Philistines were in control. Apparently, things were pretty bad. In Judges 5:6 we learn.

“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,

and in the days of Jael,

people avoided the main roads,

and travelers stayed on winding pathways.

It wasn’t even safe to walk on the main roads. The people were terrorized. Shamgar is not called a Judge. He is called a deliverer. Therefore, this was probably a one-time incident.

It appears Shamgar was a peasant. We know this because he used an oxgoad; a long wooden stick with a metal point on one end and a metal blade on the other (for cleaning the plow). Peasant used these tools with their oxen in the fields.

Third, Shamgar was a man of great courage because he took on 600 Philistines with just the oxgoad! We would guess that Shamgar engaged the Philistines impulsively because it is unlikely he planned to take on 600 soldiers with just an oxgoad! Is it possible that Shamgar was attacked while leading some oxen on a main road and he fought back with supernatural strength? We don’t know anything more about this guy. Why is his story recorded? I don't know.

What Do We Learn from These Accounts?

First, I believe God wants us to see the foolishness of idolatry. I believe this is why the author is deliberately giving us such a colorful and humorous story with lots of Jr. High Bathroom humor! God is saying, ”You pay tribute to this guy when you could have been worshipping me?”

Several times in the book of Isaiah God ridicules idolatry with the same kind of sarcasm. He says, A guy cuts down a tree, uses half of it for firewood. The other half he carves into an idol and then he bows down and worships what he made! Before he does this, he has to make sure the idol has a good stand otherwise it will fall over! How foolish!

When we chose to put other things before the Lord, we are being just as foolish. So how do we guard against this?

Start each day reminding yourself that you are a sinful person who has been saved, not because you are good, but because God is gracious. Start the day giving thanks for God’s mercy and His grace, it will help you start the day with the right perspective. Instead of feeling entitled, you will feel blessed.

Spend time every day in the word of God. Don’t simply read the Bible, listen to it. Hebrews tells us the Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword. It has a way of showing us what we need to see about ourselves. It reminds us what is true and what is not. The Bible, tells us the truth in a world of lies.

Remain vigilant to the dangers of Idolatry. As we see from Israel, we easily can give reverence to things other than the Lord. We may be more devoted to many things more than the Lord,

A political party

A sport or sports team

A musician, a writer, or a philosophy

A vehicle or a home

A hobby or a career

The gaining of power, influence, or income

Let’s face it, some people give more attention to their lawn than they do the Lord!

Second, we learn God can accomplish His purposes even when His people don’t do what is right. Ehud does things in this story that are not right, moral, or ethical. He is deceptive, and he assassinates a King. This is cold-blooded murder. However, God takes broken vessels and can still bring about His will. The outcome was God’s will even though the means to that outcome may not have been. I don’t know how you feel, but I find that reality comforting. We must never shrug at sin! However, we are reminded God is bigger than our failures.

Third, to state it another way, God uses all kinds of people. Othniel was a strong military leader with lots of great skills. Ehud may have had some real limitations with his left-handedness (or at least he presented himself with limitations). Shamgar was a common guy who was used by God. This is important because it reminds us that the key to being used by God is not your talent, personality, or background. What is important is your availability. Are you willing for God to use you?

I don’t know what you see when you look in the mirror. I suspect most of us look into a mirror and think there is nothing we see that God can use. God however, sees what can be done through you if you would be willing to let Him use you. He probably won’t use you to lead an army into a military battle. But He may use you to change the life of a child, a friend, a relative, a patient in a Nursing Home. He may use you to write a song, a book, or to draw something that impacts the world in great ways. He might even use you to reach just one person and that person may make a huge impact.

Dwight L. Moody didn't attend school beyond the fifth grade; he couldn't spell, and his grammar was awful. Moody came to Boston as a teenager from Northfield, Massachusetts. The boy was desperate for work. An uncle took him on as a shoe salesman--on condition that he attend the local church every week. Moody had been raised in a Unitarian church which denied Jesus was God in human form. It did not talk about the human need for salvation from sin. Now Dwight heard about those things but he did nothing because he wanted to enjoy the pleasures of the world and wait to get saved until just before he died.

That changedon April 21, 1855. His Sunday School teacher, Mr. Kimball came to the shoe store to ask Dwight to commit his life to Christ. Dwight listened closely and became a Christian that day. Immediately he began sharing his faith with others, including his own family. It is estimated that over one million people confessed faith in Christ through the ministry of Dwight Moody.

The simple faithfulness of Mr. Kimball was used by God to impact millions. Through Moody Bible Institute, Moody Press, and Moody Radio, the work is still bearing fruit. What would have happened if Mr. Kimball had looked in the mirror and concluded there was nothing he could offer the Lord?

What you think is a little thing may be something much bigger than you think. If you will allow Him to use you, you will be surprised at what God does through simple and broken people, just like you and me.

The story of Ehud is strange. The story of Shamgar is easy to overlook. However, they serve as warnings, and as reminders, that God is worth serving with all we have and all we are, and we should do so, all the time.