A Secret Message Made Public

Judges 2:12-30 NKJV

12 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. 13 Then he gathered to himself the people of Ammon and Amalek, went and defeated Israel, and took possession of the City of palms. 14 So the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. 15 But when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer

for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. By him the children of Israel sent tribute to Eglon king of Moab. 16 Now Ehud made himself a dagger (it was double-edged and a cubit in length) and fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh.

17 So he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.) 18 And when he had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had caried the tribute. 19 But he himself turned back from the stone images that were at

Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” He said, “Keep silence!” And all who attended him went out from him.

20 So Ehud came to him (now he was sitting upstairs in his cool private chamber). Then Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” So he arose from his seat. 21 Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into

his belly. 22 Even the handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the dagger out of his belly; and his entrails (inner parts) came out. 23 Then Ehud went out through the porch and shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them. 24 When he had gone out, Eglon’s servants came to look, and to their surprise, the doors

of the upper room were locked. So they said, “He is probably attending to his needs in the cool chamber.” 25 So they waited till they were embarassed, and still he had not opened the doors of the upper room. Therefore they took the key and opened them. And there

was their master, fallen dead on the floor. 26 But Ehud had escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the stone images and escaped to Seirah. 27 And it happened, when he arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the mountains of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mountains; and he led them. 28 Then he said to them, “Follow me, for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him, seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over. 29 And at that time they killed about ten thousand men of Moab, all stout men of valor;

not a man escaped. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.

One fascinating thing about the Bible is that it has spoken so powerfully to people in days long ago, and yet it has a clear message of God for us today. In the time in which we read of in Judges, God’s people were trying to be like the world. They got caught up in

the worship of idols. They were defeated by their enemies. They suffered years of bondage because of their sins. Whenever they repented and turned back to God, God would send them a deliverer to rescue them from their sinful situation.

Our message today is “A Secret Message Made Public”.

The message is this.........YOU CAN’T DO WRONG AND GET BY. (vv.12-14)

I believe that’s a secret message that must be made public. “YOU CAN’T DO WRONG AND GET BY”

v. 12 “And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.”

God will not necessarily step in when you sin several times. God is patient with us.

God is longsuffering. But the children of Israel did evil AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN! The lesson is plain in scriptures, God’s people can’t continue in sin and

expect nothing to happen.

Example...........Noah built an Ark...Genesis 6:5 “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” GOD STEPPED IN WITH A FLOOD.

Another Example....Lot in Sodom. The wickedness came to such an extraordiary level..