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..
God had to do something about it.
Example........Nineveh became such a wicked city, that if they had not repented,God would have had to destroy it.
Example.....In History, God has allowed great empires to be destroyed because of their wickedness. Hitler’s Germany is an example. Soviet Union is another example of an evil empire.
GOD WILL USE WICKED KINGS, EVIL EMPIRES TO DISCIPLINE HIS CHILDREN. “The LORD strengthened Eglon...”
Eglon, the king of Moab united with other pagan countries to go against Israel. Moab was the descendants of an incestuous affair between Lot and his daughter-in-law. Amalek is the descendants of Esau. Esau, despised his birthright, chose the way of
the world. They have been thorns in the sides of Israel down through history. Ammon is
the descendants of Lot. All of these pagan nations were the results of compromise in the lives of God’s people. Every false religion, every pagan tribe in our world is the results of somewhere in history God’s people compromised with the world.
v.13 They defeated Israel...took possession of the City of Palms (Jericho)
v. 14 The children of Israel served Eglon, king of Moab, for 18 years.
One minute is too long to be in bondage to some ungodly king. They served Eglon for 18
yrs. Sin leads to BONDAGE!!! The Message: YOU CAN’T DO WRONG AND GET BY..........continuing to do wrong leads to an evil lifestyle, which leads to bondage
and death.
“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, and keep you longer than you want to stay,
and cost you more than you want to pay.”
The children of Israel did not remain in bondage for 1 or 2 years, it was 18 years. And they were required to pay a large sum of money each year to king Eglon. The children of Israel selected a man by the name of Ehud (a left-handed guy) to take this tribute money
to king Eglon each year. This is like the saying goes...........
“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and
cost you more than you want to pay.” Someone might say, “this is the year 2001, things
have changed, it is not like it use to be, you can do certain things...it is expected of you
to go much farther than your parents and explore the unknown and get familiar with that which has been off limits.”
Bondage is real! People today are in bondage to drugs, alcohol, immoral lifestyles.
People are in real bondage, and they can’t in their own power walk away from it. They need deliverance!
WHAT IS THIS SECRET MESSAGE THAT MUST BE MADE PUBLIC?
1. YOU CAN’T DO WRONG AND EXPECT TO GET BY.
2. THERE IS DELIVERANCE FOR FOLKS WHO TURN TO GOD.
v. 15 “But when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a
deliverer for them: Ehud........”
The children of Israel could not rid themselves of this fat bull of Moab. King Eglon grew fat on the labors of Israel. He was not going away quietly. He had no plans to leave. The children of Israel served him....and they began to wake up to the fact, that serving Eglon was not fun anymore. They could not in their own power be rid of Eglon. They needed
divine assistance. They prayed, They cried out to the LORD. God raised up a deliverer.
Here we see the importance of prayer. Here we see the importance of repentance.
The secret message that must be made public all across our country is that deliverance can come if God’s people will humble themselves and pray and repent and turn their hearts back to God.
3. GOD WILL SUPPLY THE MEANS FOR OUR DELIVERANCE.
(A) Deliverance is connected to worship and praise!
Ehud’s name means “one who praises God”
Ehud was a worshipper of God. Our deliverance begins at the moment we begin to worship and praise God. We notice that king Eglon took possession of the City of Palms, or Jericho. Do you remember how God delivered Jericho into the hands of the children of Israel? They marched around the city and shouted, blew trumpets, and praised God. Ehud’s very name means “one who praises God”. There is power in
praise! To experience deliverance from bondage to profanity, we must give our lips to the praises of Jesus! To experience deliverance from bondage to pornography, we must give our eyes to the praise of Jesus. People speak today of all kinds of addictions. So and So is addicted to this, and so and so is addicted to that. BECOME ADDICTED TO
PRAISE, and those unclean thoughts, and unclean habits will just have to go. Fill your
mind with only that which is of praise and glory to God, and your bondage to wickedness
will have to go.
Philippians 4: 8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy meditate on these things.”
GOD WILL SUPPLY THE MEANS OF OUR DELIVERANCE....
PRAISE...WORSHIP...GIVE HIM HONOR AND GLORY...
(B) Deliverance is connected with a life of dependence upon God.
v. 15 “a left-handed man”
There is another fact about Ehud “one who praises God” He was left-handed. The
Hebrew text according to some scholars believe that the text suggest he was left-handed only by necessity. That is, he was crippled in the right hand, and had to depend upon his left hand. Thus, he is left-handed. It may be that Ehud was selected by the children of Israel to take the tribute (money) each year to king Eglon for this reason. His condition
did not pose a threat to king Eglon. A strong warrior probably would not make it back from king Eglon. Ehud had to put faith in God to make such a trip to king Eglon each year. Ehud, because
of his crippled condition, had to depend upon the strength of the Lord. The Bible says,
“God raised up Ehud for such a time to be the deliverer.” God uses people who will depend upon God.
David was not even called from the fields when the prophet Samuel was there to anoint him as king of Israel. David’s father, Jessie, did not see kingly material in his son, David. God told the prophet Samuel, “Man looks on the outward appearance, God
looks on the heart.”
If we are to know deliverance from bondage from whatever it may be, we must learn to
trust the Lord. As long as we are trying to turn over a new leaf, reforming ourselves, and
trying to improve ourselves, we will continue in defeat and bondage to our crippling
addiction. WE NEED DELIVERANCE FROM GOD, and we must depend upon God for His deliverance.
SO, DELIVERANCE IS CONNECTED TO PRAISE/WORSHIP.....DEPENDENCE.
(C) Deliverance is connected with the WORD OF GOD.
v. 16 “made himself a dagger” It was double-edged, and a cubit (18 inches)
Most people were not making daggers, they were making themselves comfortable with a
life of bondage. Deliverance from bondage will require a violent take-over. Many
people are not ready for such messy things as that. Ehud was working on a something to
turn the tables. A secret weapon was being crafted by Ehud.
Ehud had been working on this secret weapon for some time. I can imagine us getting
close to where Ehud lived and we could here in the darkness...somewhere there’s metal
upon a grinding stone. Ehud preparing a dagger. I can also imagine the thoughts that went through Ehud’s mind as each year he brought the tribute, he was thinking of how could he do this? How could Eglon be destroyed? Can’t you see Ehud behind his house
practicing? Look at him reaching with his left hand down to grasp the dagger from his right thigh and thrusting it forward. Again he practices. He practices again and again
and again until every move is perfected. Ehud no doubt had a target in his backyard, and
every time he passed this target he thought of king Eglon. You can see him pulling the
dagger ever so quickly. Ehud, the fastest dagger in the Middle East. Then the day comes.
He has practiced every move, and now comes the actual moment. All that he has
learned, he will now execute. The application of his skills and talents with his dagger will
now be used for God’s honor and glory.
So now the day had come. Ehud had the job of taking the tribute to Eglon’s palace. Ehud
along with some other men did this each year, so it was nothing new. After delivering
the tribute, Ehud and his men returned toward home. Just a little ways from the city,
Ehud bids his friends farewell and returns back to the king’s palace. Ehud let’s the kings’
servants know that he had a secret message for the king. Inside Ehud says “I have a
secret message for you, king Eglon.” King Eglon sends everyone out of the room. Only
Ehud and the king are left in the summer parlor. The king was sitting privately in his
cool chamber. I have looked at several texts and it appears that the king was sitting on
the pot. Ehud knew this would be a good time...the king was vulnerable. Ehud says,
“king I have a secret message for you.” King Eglon leans over to receive the message
into his ear, but failed to see the flashing of metal and with one mighty blow...he was
history! A premeditated blow! A planned assassination! The fatal blow was so quick
and powerful that the dagger went completely to the other side of his body. The handle
was also enclosed by the body fat. From the wound gushed forth his intestines and its
contents. A horrible sight! The stench filled the room!
Ehud leaves the king’s chambers. He locks the door which is made to appear that the
king had it locked. Eglon’s servants sees Ehud leaving and returns and finds the door
locked. They thought, well he is still relieving himself. You don’t just bang on the
bathroom door of the king. They waited and waited and waited. They were so
embarassed that they took a key to unlock the door. They found their master on the
floor...dead!
Meanwhile, Ehud had escaped beyond the stone images and into the mountains of
Ephraim. He blew a trumpet and rallied all Israel to fight against the Moabites. That day
they killed 10,000 Moabites, all stout men of valor; not a man escaped. For 80 years the
land had rest.
Bondage to king Eglon had ended. Deliverance had come. Ehud was faithful in using
his secret weapon, his dagger. He had a secret message for the king. That secret
message was the sword. There is no sword like the sword of the Lord. Later in the
book of Judges, the story of Gideon is about the sword of the Lord. That dagger (or
sword) of Ehud represents to us the sword of the Lord, which is the WORD OF GOD!
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Ephesians 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is
the Word of God.”
There needs to be more Ehud’s. More deliverers are needed in our day. What that lost
person needs is deliverance from Satan. Satan is that fat bull of Moab. He won’t let lost
people get saved without a fight. Many Christians have played with the world and have
allowed themselves to become addicted to evil habits. Addiction is not only a problem
with the unbelievers. There are Christians bound to some kind of addiction. There are
folks addicted to pornography. Some are addicted to gambling. Some are addicted to
some pleasures that keep them away from church. Some folks are addicted to TV. I
heard of a person who had to quickly leave a funeral of their relative because of a certain
show that was coming on. Some folks are addicted to violent behavior, or abusive
behaviour. Then of course there are the drugs and alcohol addiction. And don’t forget
folks who are addicted to their work.
How we need some Ehud’s who will allow the Word of God to become a sharp weapon
that they will be ready to use. I know we described a violent act, a messy act, something
very gruesome and very unpleasant to think about. The Word of God does a violent
thing to the flesh. It cuts, it divides, It does great damage to the flesh. There will never
be peace to the unbelieving world. And if you walk with the Lord Jesus, and walk in His
Word you will never know peace in the world until Jesus comes. You can have peace in
your heart, but the world will not allow you to know peace.
Jesus said in Matthew 10:34-36 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did
not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law agaist her mother-in-law;” 36 and a
man’s enemies will be those of his own household.”
There are many who are kicked out of the family for becoming a Christian. Persecution, hardships, torture and death are still going on in the world against Believers. This world will not take to the WORD OF GOD. The flesh (old nature) unsaved person will not
enjoy it.
The Secret Message that must be made public....there is deliverance in the Lord God.
v. 28 “follow me for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your
hand”
There is deliverance in Jesus!
May the Lord help us to blow the trumpet. Make public this great news...there is
deliverance in Jesus! Like Ehud, may God help us to swiftly share God’s Word from our
hearts to a desperate world. May God help us to quickly display it and make application
of the sword of the Spirit in every situation. The Word of God will work at the cradle of
the newborn. The Word of God will work in the life of that young child. It will work in
the teenage years. It will work in the young adult years. It will work in the newlywed
years. It will work in the family life. It will work in the business life. It will work in the
workplace...the schoolhouse....the courthouse..and in the White House.
So many need to be set free. Jesus said in John 8:31,32 “you shall know the truth, and
the truth shall set you free.”
So many who are in bondage. The message is powerful! It has been a secret for too long in the lives of many folks, and maybe you are here today and you have allowed God’s Word to be a secret in your life. It needs to be made public. You need to face
that Eglon in your life. You need to be bold like Ehud and bring a deathly blow to that
Eglon that keeps you in bondage. You need to make application of what you already
know to be true. Lost person, unsaved, outside of the saving grace of God....you need to
apply what you already know to be true. Jesus took those deathly blows upon the cross.
He took your sins so that you might know real freedom.
You don’t have to carry those sins anymore. You don’t have to carry that guilt any
longer! The children of Israel went for 18 years.... You don’t have to be in bondage to
Satan any longer..Jesus came to set you free!
