Please read Judges 3:12-30 in your Bible. I want to express my appreciation to Alan Carr for his online message (see below) that supplied my outline and the excellent title.
Image by James Best, (C) 2020,
https://www.behance.net/gallery/90621713/Sermon-Illustrations-2020
We need a Deliverer and we need to deliver ourselves from slavery to sin.
In 2006, a Methodist church in the city of Dudley, England, was charged a fee to put a cross on their new building. The law required a fee for all outside advertisements. It was decided that the cross was not merely decorative, but that it was an advertisement for Christianity.
When you think about it, the fee was appropriate. The cross has a distinctive message; we need to be delivered. That is why Jesus gave Himself on the cross to be our Passover Lamb.
During the 400 years covered in the book of Judges, the nation of Israel followed a predictable pattern. They would serve God faithfully while they followed the strong leadership of a judge. When the judge died, they turned to the worship of pagan gods. The Lord sent His judgment upon them by allowing Israel to be oppressed by their enemies. After a time of suffering, Israel would repent and God would raise up a deliverer to set them free.
We see this pattern of disobedience, discipline, and deliverance in the account before us and in our own lives. Our problem is not enemy nations, but our own nature, aka, “the flesh.” We are our own worst enemy.
1. ISRAEL’S DISTRESS (v. 12-14)
Their foes (vs. 12-13) were the Moabites, Ammonites & Amalekites. These peoples were “cousins” of a sort, peoples descended from relatives of the Patriarchs. They were the previous occupants of the land God promised to Israel. They were supposed to have been driven from the land, but Israel did not finish the job.
Their Fights (v. 13) = These nations worshiped false gods and were constantly attacking, hindering and seeking to enslave the Israelites.
Their Failures (v. 13) = King Eglon established his headquarters in Jericho, the first city conquered by Israel when they entered the Promised Land, Joshua 6. To see their oppressors set up shop in a place where they once had enjoyed great military and spiritual victory must’ve been hard.
Their Foolishness (v. 14) = Because Israel failed to honor the will of God, they became the servants of Eglon. This condition lasted 18 years!
2. ISRAEL’S DELIVERER (v. 15-26).
Ehud’s Problem (v. 15) = Ehud was from the tribe of Benjamin, whose land included the area around Jericho. They would’ve suffered the most under Eglon’s reign. Eglon was “a left-handed man.” This may simply mean that he favored his left hand (40% of people do). But Hebrew word literally means that he was “bound in the right hand,” which may imply Ehud’s right hand/arm was crippled. Now you know who “Lefty” is! This would seem like a disqualification for a would-be deliverer, but God used it as an asset.
Ehud’s Plan is laid out in verses fifteen through nineteen. The people of Israel had to pay tribute to Eglon. On this day, they sent their tribute with Ehud.
Ehud made for himself a double-edged dagger some 14 inches long. He strapped this dagger to his right thigh, under his cloak, and went to take the tribute money to the king. If his right hand was obviously crippled (as it is depicted in our illustration), the guards wouldn't have expected trouble and didn’t search him
In v. 17, Eglon is described as A VERY FAT MAN, which may symbolize his material prosperity, achieved by exacting tribute from the nearby tribes. Now you know who “Hefty” is!
Ehud’s performance or his execution of the plan is described in v. 20-26. After delivering the money, the delegation departed, but Ehud came back and told Eglon that he had a secret message for him. The king was eager to hear some great secret, dismissed his servants.
Ehud told the king that he had a message from God. Ehud drew his dagger and thrust it into Eglon’s body. The blade sunk so deep into that the fat closed around the handle and Ehud could not retrieve it. You could say King Eglon “got the point” of the message God empowered Ehud to deliver.
Ehud locked the doors to the rooftop room and made his escape. By the time Eglon’s servants overcame their embarrassment and found a key, the king was dead and Ehud was long gone.
Some of you read this story and think, “TMI!” (Really - I left out the bathroom part!) The gory details illustrate the nature of our battle against sin: we are going to have to deal it a death blow to enjoy victory.
III. ISRAEL’S DELIVRANCE (v. 27-30).
Israel’s deliverance required follow-through (v. 27-28). Ehud knew that just killing the king would not be enough to free his people. However, it would create disorder and an opportunity to strike.
Ehud had taken the first step toward victory. The second step was for the people to follow Ehud’s leadership. When Ehud returned, he sounded a ram’s horn. Trumpets were sounded for several reasons in Israel, but in this case it was to call the people to war. They did follow Ehud and they achieved a great victory.
Israel’s deliverance involved fighting (v. 28b-29). First, they utilized good military strategy. In blockading the crossing of the Jordan, Israel cut off the avenues of escape and reinforcement. They killed about 10,000 men. These were VIGOROUS AND STRONG MEN - real soldiers. God gave them victory!
Second, they did the whole job - no half-measures. NOT A MAN ESCAPED = Israel did not back off until they had dealt with all the enemy soldiers in their country.
Israel’s deliverance resulted in peace (v. 30). Unlike other judges, this text does not tell us the Spirit came upon Ehud or that he became a judge over Israel. This may imply Ehud acted on his own and God used his initiative. On the other hand (the left one?) Ehud's actions resulted in the longest period of peace in the book of Judges (80 years).
We need a Deliverer and we need to deliver ourselves from slavery to sin.
By way of illustration, Israel’s victory teaches us about our own battles with sin and the flesh. God has given us everything we need to walk in victory. He has given us His Word, His Spirit, prayer and His presence in our lives.
We are lot like Ehud. We are all unlikely conquerors. Also like Ehud, we can have victory. We need a deliverer, but we also need to act ruthlessly to kill the sin in us.
SOURCES:
the Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Madvig.
https://www.sermonnotebook.org/judges/Judges%2002%20-%20Judges%203_12-30.htm
Message #1450