Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer - Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. (Judges 3:15)
Ehud's story is simultaneously grotesque and compelling. I love the fact that it is in our Bible. You couldn't dream this stuff up. It has it all; a (literally) larger than life villain, suspense, an unexpected twist and even some toilet humor thrown in for good measure. Behind the vivid narrative is a fundamental spiritual truth - God has a habit of using the (seemingly) weak things and people of this world to fulfil his purposes.
Ehud is left-handed. This was seen as a disability, not a preference. For whatever unknown reason, Ehud could not use his right hand. It may have been paralysis, a birth defect or injury. The left hand was thought to be inferior to the right. It was with the right hand that God rules and reigns. It was with the right hand that warriors wielded their weapons in battle. Without the use of his right hand, Ehud had lost his ability to fight. He was literally dis-armed. Or so it seemed.
It was Ehud's obvious disability that allowed him one on one access to the obese Eglon. What threat could such a man be? Complacency was Eglon's fatal mistake. Evil always thinks it has the last word. It never does. With courage, ingenuity, steely resolve and careful planning - Ehud became Israel's unlikely deliverer - sent, empowered and sustained by God, Israel's ultimate Deliverer.
God is in the habit of sending deliverance in left-handed, unlikely ways. The cross of Christ is the most spectacular. The cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18) With the cross, God disarmed all evil principalities and powers, crushing them under his feet. A symbol of shame is the ultimate sign of victory. This is the left-handed triumph of the cross. God chose the foolish things of this world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of this world to shame the strong. (1 Corinthians 1:27)
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