Idolatry Leads To Servitude Series

Judges 3 (NASB)

7 The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. 8 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, so that He sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.

12 Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. 13 And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and defeated Israel, and they possessed the city of the palm trees. 14 The sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

15 But when the sons of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab. 16 Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his cloak. 17 He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18 It came about when he had finished presenting the tribute, that he sent away the people who had carried the tribute. 19 But he himself turned back from the idols which were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he said, “Keep silence.” And all who attended him left him. 20 Ehud came to him while 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. 21 Ehud stretched out his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly. 22 The handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the refuse came out. 23 Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them.

24 When he had gone out, his servants came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; and they said, “He is only relieving himself in the cool room.” 25 They waited until they became anxious; but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. Therefore they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the floor dead.

Murder They Wrote - Ehud

Idolatry Leads to Servitude

In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.

Judges 17:6 NASB

Joshua led the nation of Israel defeating 31 kings, but Israel suffered a great failure. The people did not continue to serve God beyond the generation that had conquered the promised land. But the positive side was that God raised up judges, men and women of faith, unknown and unlikely heroes, who led Israel out of bondage.

THE CYCLE OF SIN:

APOSTASY: is the first stage: the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot God and turned away from Him to other fleshly and sinful pursuits. They replace their worship of God with worship of false idols and other false gods.

SERVITUDE: God sold the Israelites into the hands of Eglon, king of Moab. In this stage of the cycle of sin Israel was under God’s judgement for their apostasy. Moab was Lot's son by an incestuous relationship with his eldest daughter. (The Moabites lived across the Jordan to the south of Israel.) Israel served Eglon for 18 years.

OPPRESSION: Once the Israelites were subdued they were then raided, robbed and reduced to poverty.

SUPPLICATION: The Israelites cried out to the Lord for deliverance

SALVATION: God would raise a deliverer. These deliverers called all of Israel to return to the Lord and to reclaim their inheritance and freedom.

Observations about Ehud that can be applied to our lives.

1. Ehud wasn’t afraid to confront the enemy.

2. People are content to stay enslaved.

3. The result of turning away from our idols.

Sometimes it takes only one person to motivate many to righteousness.

ILLUS: WORLD's GREATEST PLAYER

A little boy was heard talking to himself as he walked across the backyard, baseball cap in place, ball and bat in his hands. "I am the greatest hitter in the world," he said. He threw the ball up, swung and missed. "Strike one," he said. But again, he told himself, "I am the greatest hitter ever." He threw the ball up again, swung and missed. He looked at the ball, and at the bat, and said, "I’m the greatest hitter that ever lived." He threw the ball up again and swung and missed a third time. This time he said, "Wow! Strike three! What a pitcher! I’m the greatest pitcher in the world!”