Key Text: When the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, Benjamite, a man lefthanded (Judges 3:15).
The Book of Judges will serve to illustrate the moral and political degradation which the Israelite people had brought upon themselves, because they had been unable to realize their conquest in totality. The great victories of the past under the leadership of Joshua and the elders were nullified by subsequent periods of compromise. The covenant with God, to make no league with the inhabitants of the land, was neglected, idolatry was tolerated, and intermarriage with the Canaanites became commonplace. God told Israel that He would not drive out all of their enemies since they had not kept their covenant with Him. He would allow them to remain as “thorns in your sides,” and their gods would be a snare unto them. In the early stages of the Israelite Confederation (unification of the Twelve Tribes of Israel) and after the death of Joshua, the more desirable fertile plains and cities were controlled by the Canaanites–pagan people. The syncretism through adoption of pagan cultural and religious mores punctuated a cycle of oppression and moral decline, relief, and recidivism on the part of the Israelites. Nevertheless, “the Lord raised up judges, which delivered the Israelites out of the hand of their enemies” and to accomplish His act of deliverance for Israel. Although none of the fourteen Judges succeeded in bringing the entire Israelite confederation together, their main function seemed to “prove” the cycle and mark the period of Israel.
The First Cycle: “The Spirit of the Lord” came upon Othniel, the first Israelite judge or ruler and the first to deal with the oppressor called “Chushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, who oppressed the Israelites for eight years.” The name Mesopotamia refers to the area of north-eastern Syria extending from the Orontes River to the Euphrates and covering part of modern Iraq. Even though the details of the battle are not given, after Israel’s victory, “the land had rest” for a generation, presumably because until Othniel died, they remained religiously faithful.
The Second Cycle: The second oppression was the result of an invasion led by Eglon, the king of Moab, and the Moab, Ammon, and Amalek Confederacy. After the death of Othniel, there was another time of backsliding and idolatry among the Israelites. So, God raised up another enemy nation as an instrument of judgment on His people. Repentance on the part of the Israelites brought an end to the eighteen-year oppression brought on by Eglon. “God raised up a deliverer, Ehud…a Benjamite, a man lefthanded” v 15. Benjamites apparently were known for being lefthanded and even ambidextrous. Ehud was selected to bring a present (the tribute money) demanded of Israel by the Moabite king. The gift was taken to Jericho, which was being used as a temporary headquarters with Israel by the Moabite king, rather than to Kir Hareseth, the capital of Moab. In order to carry out the assassination, Ehud made a dagger which was about twelve to fourteen inches long (a cubit length). Hiding the dagger under the robe, Ehod brought the tribute caravan to Eglon, who is described as a very fat man. After the official presentation of the tribute, Ehud dismissed the caravan and entourage, and he requested a private audience with the king himself. Perhaps Eglon thought that Ehud had come to deliver a message of nature of that which a spy would bring, or perhaps he thought Ehud was prepared to bring a special bribe to him personally in addition to the tribute. And thus, Eglon sent the others out. When they were alone, Ehud announced that he had “a message from God” and jumped out of his seat, grabbing a dagger with his left hand from his right thigh as he ran, and “thrust it into Eglon’s belly.” The thrusting in of the blade was sufficient to kill Eglon immediately, before he could warn any of his servants. Ehud escaped through the porch and he then locked the double doors of the roof-chamber and escaped undetected. By the time the servants discovered their king was dead, Ehud escaped…unto Seirath” He wasted no time in rallying the people to attack the confused Moabites who were not without a leader. He blew a trumpet in “the mountain of Ephraim,” thus rallying the people from the central mountain range of Palestine. The Israelites immediately “took the fords of Jordan,” meaning that they cut off the shallow water across the Jordan which would be used as an escape route by the fleeing Moabites. Trapping them on the west bank of Jordan, they killed “ten thousand Moabite men,” thus ending their oppression of Israel. Then the land rested for the next eighty years. AMEN!
P.S. Scripture indicates that Israel sinned and served Baal and the groves; and Ashtar deities. The Roman form of this deity was Easter whose fertility signs were a rabbit and an egg. Since “groves” were worship centers of the pagan gods, should we have concerns about using “grove” in the name of our religious institution(s)? Since the Roman form of the Ashtar deity was Easter, should our Religious Holiday contain the name “Easter?”
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