Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The description is very graphic. He plunges this 18-inch dagger, including the handle, and his hand goes right into his belly. Well, why does the Bible tell us this awful story?
Why does the Bible tell us this awful and graphic story? Keep listening to find out. I'm Nathan W. Bingham and it's good to have you with us for this Tuesday edition of Renewing Your Mind as we continue our time in Derek Thomas' brand new series, Who Are They? Lesser Known Characters of the Bible.
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Chapter 2: Why does the Bible include gruesome stories like Ehud's assassination of Eglon?
Here's Dr. Thomas.
Today, we want to go to Judges chapter 3 and to the second judge, and that's Ehud. I'm going to read from verses 18 through 22 of Judges chapter 3. 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. 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." Well, that's a very, very graphic story. Now, it's set in a period when, verse 12 of chapter 3, the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. That's a recurring theme in Judges. It occurs many, many times.
It's telling you that the setting, the context here is one of apostasy. God's people, God's covenant people, the children of Abraham, have rebelled. They've turned against the Lord. They're walking not in light but in darkness. And God raises up these judges. And we are introduced here to a king, king of Moab. There's some kind of alliance with Moab and Israel. And the king's name is Eglon.
And Eglon has conquered part of the territory of Israel and has taken the city of Palms. That's a euphemism for Jericho. You'll remember, of course, the destruction of Jericho and Joshua and how they circled the city seven times and so on, and the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. Well, all that was gained by Joshua has now been lost to this king of Moab, Eglon.
And 18 years have passed, and they cry to God for a deliverer and enter Ehud. Ehud is described in this passage as being left-handed. There's probably more to it than just the fact that he's left-handed. The fact that Scripture draws attention to it, he wouldn't have been the only left-handed person. Commentators suggest that probably his right hand was…
unusable, there was some kind of deformity, and therefore the choice of Ehud may seem to be a little strange. This is a period of time when such things were not treated perhaps with the respect that you would expect today. He's the son of Benjamin. He's from the tribe of Benjamin, and Ben is the Hebrew word for son, and Jamin is the Hebrew word for right. He's the son of my right hand, Benjamin.
That's what Benjamin means, but he's left-handed. Now, in verse 15, the people of Israel are crying out for a deliverer. They're sending tribute to Eglon, the king of Moab. This is a tax that... Eglon, the king of Moab, is demanding of Israel, and they're sending all kinds of silver and gold and metal and anything of value. And Ehud brings metal of his own, and he brings a dagger.
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Chapter 3: Who is Ehud and what role does he play in the history of Israel?
And the dung came out. Well, why does the Bible tell us this awful story? Because it's the story that Ehud told. He's alone. There are no witnesses, but he would have told this story. And it's important because of what happens next. Eglon is lying on the floor. There's dung. And it smells. And Ehud locks the door and manages to escape.
And when the servants come, well, they can smell it from the other side of the door. And they think he's on the privy, and he's having a really bad time of it. And so they wait. Maybe they wait for 10 minutes, 15, 20 minutes. But eventually, they knock the door down. And they discover their king dead on the floor. And Ehud has time to escape. And he blows a trumpet and calls on the men of Israel.
It's a premeditated plan. And 10,000 Moabites escape. died and the city of Palms is once more in their hands. Jericho is once more in their hands. That's the story. So what do you make of it? Why is it in the Bible? Well, it's in the Bible because it's part of the history of Israel. You might be offended by it. You might think this is sordid.
What sort of story is this as part of the history of Israel? And you notice that when Ehud does the deed, he says in verse 20, I have a message from God for you. That's pretty bold, isn't it? He was doing God's business. He was a warrior. The first thing that we need to think about here is that this is war. God's people are trying to inherit the land that God had promised to them.
And so far, that's not going well, as you can expect. And it was always going to be. How would God's people ever conquer the land of Canaan without opposition, without war, without bloodshed? And there's 80 years of peace that follows in the wake of this event. And God uses, well, he uses messy business to bring about peace. That's often the case, isn't it? Ehud is more than a judge.
He's God's man for this period of history. He's a judge, he's a ruler, but he's also, well, he's also a military chief. Some commentators try to allegorize the passage, and they talk about the sword of the spirit plunging into the belly of the wicked and so on. And others try to moralize it. Don't be like Ehud. Well, I think that misses the point.
In verse 15, we read that the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up for them a Deliverer. Ehud is a Deliverer. Let's use a different word. He's their Savior. He saves them from their enemies. gives them the promise of God, a part of the promised land. What does a Savior wear in 1300 BC? What does a Savior in 1300 BC actually look like?
Well, the answer is, he looks like Ehud. He looks like this judge. A man who takes on the enemy of God's people, who's taxing them to the point of pain and hurt. And he restores Israel. He defeats the enemy and restores Israel. Well, what is the gospel story? It's about God sending a deliverer to conquer the enemy.
The reason the Son of Man appeared, John says, is to destroy the works of the devil, to conquer all the wickedness of the devil. Well, he's not Jesus, but he's God's instrument. He's God's deliverer. In this case, with a sword in his hand. It's the unfolding narrative of salvation. The judges ruled from 1400 BC to 1300 BC, roughly.
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Chapter 4: What was the context of Israel's oppression under King Eglon?
There's messy characters in our study, but this is definitely one of the messiest in the history of Israel.
That was Derek Thomas from his new series, Who Are They? Lesser Known Characters of the Bible. And I appreciated Dr. Thomas' comments today that most of our Christian lives have messy aspects to it. How a story like that of Ehud helps us honestly assess how the Lord works through and uses fallen, sinful, and complicated people.
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