Last week, in The Time Before the Kings, Part 2, we saw that a key to success in the Lord’s work is that “He” does the calling, the equipping and the anointing.
Today’s lesson is recorded in God’s Word in Judges 3:12-30. After the death of Othniel, Israel once again fell into idolatry, and this time, “… the Lord gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel because of their evil.” (Vs. 12b NLT). Together with his chosen accomplices, the Ammonites and the Amalekites (See vs. 13), Eglon began wreaking havoc in Israel: “and then he went out and defeated Israel, taking possession of Jericho, the city of palms.” (Vs. 13b NLT).
This tyrannical oppression went on for 18 years, with Israel paying a hefty tribute each year to King Eglon. But “…when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord again raised up a rescuer to save them.” (Vs. 15 NLT). This “rescuer”, who would later go on to lead Israel as its second named judge, was Ehud.
Ehud was from the tribe of Benjamin, and he was left-handed (See Vs. 15). As left-handed warriors were unusual in that day, Ehud had an advantabe… “So 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.” (Vs. 16 NLT). This location of the dagger wouldn’t have been expected, and as a result, when Ehud came to present Israel’s tribute to King Eglon, his dagger went undetected.
Under the auspice of “secrecy”, Ehud was able to gain King Eglon’s ear, and the king sent everyone out of the room. Eagerly awaiting his message, Eglon rose from his seat. We don’t know much about Eglon, but the Bible makes mention of one particular characteristic in two separate places (See vs. 17, 22): Eglon was very … fat!
So envision this: A huge man pushes himself heavily to his feet and leans eagerly forward to get his message … Due to his size, he takes an extra few seconds to get his balance, and in those few seconds, Ehud reaches his left hand to grab the dagger. It is more than likely all over before Eglon even realizes he’s in danger: “Ehud …plunged it into the king’s belly.” (vs. 21 NLT). What perhaps even Ehud didn’t anticipate was that the fatty tissue around Eglon’s waistline was so dense that it actually acted like a suction cup. In a matter of seconds, the dagger, “…went so deep that the handle disappeared beneath the king’s fat.” (vs. 22 NLT)!
Ehud then leads a band of Israelites who conquered Moab that day (See Judges 3:27-30).
So what can we learn from this rather … graphic … story of Israel’s deliverance?
That’s what I was asking God that morning. I was praying for God’s deliverance and healing for my husband’s dementia, and as I contemplated how Ehud’s dagger was sucked into Eglon’s body, and from there it administered the fatal, internal blow, I heard God tell me to use my sword in the same way. “Where do I stick it, Lord?” I asked, eagerly expecting that I was to plunge my “sword” of the Spirit deep into the cognitive decline.
God’s answer took me by surprised: “Jab it into your doubt!”
I will admit that the entire dementia journey was a roller coaster ride. One day my faith soared, and the next day there would be none to be seen. At that particular point in time, however, I was on a spiritual high. “My doubt? Thanks to You, that’s currently under control!”
But the impression couldn’t be denied, and I jabbed that spiritual sword into the stronghold of my doubt. From the surface, my mind envisioned doubt as pretty small. Image my surprise when my mind’s eye “saw” the spiritual sword … being sucked all the way in to the point that it disappeared!
Later that day, someone began speaking negative words about God’s healing power over dementia. She only meant to help, but everything she said went against what God had helped me come to believe, and I stood firm.
Until later that evening, however, when her words washed back over me like a flood. Normally I would have fallen into the trap; but not that day. God placed Bible texts in my mind that countered each and every seed of doubt.
It was the next day when I remembered how God had told me to plunge my “sword” into my doubt where it could administer its fatal blow from the inside… God had me do this preventatively. He knew what was coming, and He wanted me to be ready to fight off the lies of the enemy with the Truth of His Word.
For the battle between good and evil, we have been given a “sword”, the Word of God, containing everything that we need to fight the lies of the enemy. Our job is to use it! And that is the lesson we can learn from Ehud today. Our sword enables us to, “…resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” (Ephesians 6:13 NLT). Our job is to “strap” it to our bodies by being familiar with Scripture and memorizing key passages. Then, when the time is right, when the enemy is trying to overcome us, we need to use that sword! We need to “plunge it” by speaking forth the truth of God’s Word in the face of the enemy’s lies! For we can be sure that Truth with conquer over evil: “Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.“(Romans 12:21 NLT)
As next week is Easter weekend, we will take a break from this series to spend some time celebrating our Lord and Saviour in the greatest act of love in all of history. Please join us in two weeks for Part 4 of “The Time Before the Kings”!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
(To access the entire “The Time Before the Kings” mini-series, please click here.)
