Judges Chapter 3 Verse 12

• God had brought deliverance through Othniel and that rest lasted for forty years which is a long time but it is not what? It’s not forever. Their victory wasn’t automatic, it had to be maintained! Just like ours. We need to regularly maintain our walks with God especially in light of two things. We are prone to drifting…and in this world…the tide is strong! Now I like to maintain my car, but there’s something else I also love to do with it…I love to upgrade it! Rims, radio, performance parts! OH YES!
• But you know what? I’m the same way with my walk. Always looking to improve, always looking for that next increase, boost, enhancement, advancement…maintenance is necessary but man there’s even more to this walk with God than worry free rest…
• And it says here, or it’s translated for us, that the Lord, “strengthened Eglon King of Moab against Israel.” This may be a bit confusing but don’t let it be. This word, “chazaq” could also be translated to repair or to press and so the thought is that of a misbehaving child. The unloving parent leaves the situation unrepaired, unpressed…but the loving parent brings discipline…And so God takes His paddle out per se and this paddle is Eglon…

Judges Chapter 3 Verses 13 – 14

• Last time the kids went into bondage they were there for eight years. Eight years! Before they cried out to the Lord! Now its worse…eighteen years…and so often the same goes for us. Better to keep our walk well maintained at the least. Best to be on the constant upgrade…lest we find the walk broken down. First for 8 years, and now for 18…

Judges Chapter 3 Verse 15

• Ehud must have been a man of intense character. I suppose as well that he was a man not too intimidated by others. Why? Because among the three small details we know about Ehud, one of is that he was a left-handed man. In the Jewish culture and even in many other ancient cultures, left handed people were often forced to become right handed. So this makes Ehud very unusual!
• Why though? Well throughout the Torah we find several places where the right hand is considered the strength. And so being left handed automatically associated that person with weakness of some sort. (Prevalent throughout ancient cultures) For example, at the end of the book of Genesis, we find that Jacob insisted on placing his right hand on the head of Ephraim while blessing him. Many rituals in Judaism are specific that the people must use their right hand. A scribe must write Torah scrolls and any other holy writings with his right hand. The Shema (right hand over eyes), the shofar (right hand holding the horn)…all to include the right hand…
• And so Ehud was most likely one who wasn’t too popular among his culture but we know his strength of will because he remained left handed. Even amongst his family he must have been entirely unusual because Benjamin literally means, “Son of the right hand,” according to Genesis 35:18.
• But notice, obviously God couldn’t care less what hand you prefer…He is concerned more with what you do with your hands. Ehud must not have been willing to listen to the culture, but he is willing and ready to listen to God! An upgrade we would all do well to install…

Judges Chapter 3 Verses 16 – 19

• This shows the foolishness of Eglon. This king had recently defeated at least two armies…and now one of his enemies wants alone time? FOOL! Ehud did have a message from God…but it wasn’t a thank you note for defeating His people…Eglon even silenced those around him before they could express maybe their concern…all marks of pride and pride is a killer…

Judges Chapter 3 Verses 20 – 30

• Eighty years! This is the mercy and kindness of God. Watch this…we read earlier in this chapter, “The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God. They served the Baals and the Aherahs…” And yet out of the 146 years that spans these first two judges of Chapter 3, only 26 were years of hardship. I find great mercy and great grace in that fact. (18% which is interesting)
• 120 years of rest. 26 years of correction. How merciful is our God! Even in the midst of severe chastisement and correction, God’s grace is obvious! And God’s provision is also obvious. One man. Ehud was one man. And look at what he was able to accomplish! Well sorta…back in verse 27…what if no one had responded to the blow of the trumpet? You see when we see God moving, when we see men and women of God moving forward in a powerful calling, what if we do nothing?
• But look what happens when we do. Moab is subdued and the people rest for an entire generation! 80 years!

Judges Chapter 3 Verse 31

• Poor Shamgar…one verse. He’s actually referred to by many as a “minor” judge…but…if he was here…killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad…yea, if he was here we wouldn’t call him “minor!” HA! Perhaps his story was so well known that little is recorded for us…at any rate, he also delivered Israel. With what? With what he had…
• Moses had a shepherd’s staff, David had a sling shot, Shamgar had an ox goad…what do you have? The answer is not nothing. Maybe the answer is, ‘nothing spectacular,’ but what’s spectacular about and ox goad or a sling shot? What you have, place it into the service of God, and see if you don’t become a deliverer…one who brings rest to the people…
• What did Jesus have? He had His blood…He went to the cross, peace for all eternity to anyone who would join Him…I pray that is us…that we have taken our sins to the cross of Jesus and left them there…and if so, then I pray we go further. Learn maintenance, learn upgrade…and that we take whatever we have, even the silliness of the ox goads of our lives, and we heed the call of God with it….