NEED HELP, CRY OUT TO GOD
Judges 3:15-31
THE CONSEQUENCES OF DISOBEDIENCE
Israel entered into the promised land under the leadership of Joshua. They
came with the command from God to drive out the inhabitants leaving
none of them alive (Number 33:51-56, Deut 7:1-5). God made a covenant with
Israel that if they obeyed His commands, no nation would stand against them.
After Joshua died, Israel failed to drive out the inhabitants of the promised
land. Eventually, they began to marry and intermarry with the Canaanites, which
led to the worship of their god Baal. As a punishment, God gave the
inhabitants of the promised land power over Israel and made them subject
to harsh treatment.
How often do we fail to consider the victories God has given us and follow
after the temptations of the world? We lose the blessings God has for us by
being disobedient involving ourselves in idolatry and immorality.
Who was the blame for Israel’s troubles? Where did it start? Let me suggest
that it all started with the priest and the parents. It was the job of the
priest to teach the law which they had in print. It was the job of the parents
to lead their children in the righteousness of God. When the parents reject God,
a new generation is born with no fear of God.
As a result a new generation was born who did not know God or worship
Him. There is a difference between knowing about God and knowing God.
Knowing God is to have a personal relationship with Him in obedience
and worship. The world knows about God which is plain to see in everyday
living. The world rejects the commands of God.
Today, the power of the church is weakened by our lack of obedience and
worship of the things of the world. When the situation got bad enough
the Israelites cried out to God for help. He gave them judges who
led them to defeat their enemies. When the judge died, the Israelites
returned to the worship of idol gods. The cycle of defeat, crying out to God
for relief then returning to worship of idols was repeated throughout
Israel’s history.
A STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS
V:15 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. 16 Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. 17 He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. 18 After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way the men who had carried it.
A. God selected judges who were righteous, obedient, and courageous to lead
Israel into battle against the enemy. God gave Israel the victory over their
enemies.
1. While God promises us victory, It is up to us to develop a plan for
victory under God’s guidance.
2. To defeat the enemy it is good to know their strengths, their weaknesses, and
their habits.
The king had a strong army and was guarded at all times. He had a summer
palace which he relaxed in.
The King required a yearly tribute from his subjects.
The king was a very fat man.
Ehud had to know the layout of the palace, entrance ways, and exits.
Ehud had to know the procedure of the guards outside the palace door.
Ehud devised a scheme to get the king alone.
This information was used to Israel\’s advantage. Ehud was left-handed
which he would use to his advantage. According to the Washington Post,
only ten percent of the world is left-handed.
As a leader of Israel, Ehud used the yearly tribute to the king to get into
the palace.
Ehud planned to stab the King to death. He made a two-edged sword, 18
inches long which he strapped to his right leg underneath his garment.
At that time it was believed that a left-handed man was handicapped and
not to be feared. It would be a surprise to the king that a warrior
would use His left hand to handle a weapon. Therefore the king may not
have been alarmed when Ehud used his left hand.
The final part of the plan was to get the army of Israel together and position
them in a place to go to war at Ehud’s command. Having been oppressed for
years, Ehud may had to encourage the men of Israel to be ready for battle
after he came out of the king’s palace. The sound of the horn was the signal
for the Israelites to go into battle led by Ehud.
The victory is ours. Once we accept the challenge, God gives divine insight
on how to perform during the victory.
THE ENCOURAGEMENT TO CONTINUE
V:19 At the idols near Gilgal he turned back and said, \”I have a secret message for you, O king.\”
The king said, \”Quiet!\” And all his attendants left him.
The idol gods posted at Gilgal may have been a reminder of how God detested
the Moabites and the need to rid Israel of idol worship.
Having gained the confidence of the king with the tribute, Ehud left with
his men and then returned alone with a special secret message for the King.
Perhaps the King\’s ego had been stroked with the tribute. A special message from
Israel\’s God may have stroked his ego even more.
DIVINE DECEPTION FOR THE ENEMY
V:20 Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his summer palace and said, \”I have a message from God for you.\” As the king rose from his seat, 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into the king\’s belly. 22 Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. 23 Then Ehud went out to the porch; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.
Having a plan and exciting the plan are two different things. Anything can go
wrong in the plan. The conditions you are expecting could be different. When God is
the focus of your plan, He will ensure that it works. All of our plans ought to be
designed to give God the glory. The plan was to rid Israel of their oppressor and
return her to freedom and peace. The first part of the plan worked. The king was
dead. Getting out of the palace was next.
DIVINE DELAY, GOD INTERCESSION
V:24 After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, \”He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the house.\” 25 They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked it. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead.
26 While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.
It was God who put the thought in the king’s servants to wait before checking on him.
They consider that the king may have been using the bathroom as the reason the
doors were locked. The servants knew the routine of the king, so it was normal
for them. Their delay in finding a key to unlock the doors was enough time
for Ehud to escape unnoticed and get back to his army.
A UNITED STAND AGAINST THE ENEMY
V:27 When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them.
28 \”Follow me,\” he ordered, \”for the Lord has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.\” So they followed him down and, taking possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab, they allowed no one to cross over. 29 At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not a man escaped. 30 That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.
Ehud had done a good job of planning the execution of the King and getting
the men of Israel ready for battle. This new generation of men would get
experience in the power of God to rid them of their enemies.
This time they killed all of the Moabite army. They allowed none to escape.
They came under oppression because they failed to kill the Moabites when they first
came into the land. In addition, they follow after the idol gods of the land.
God commanded them to tear down all the alters of idol gods. They refused
to do as commanded.
When we fail to follow God’s commands we forfeit the victory God
has planned for us.
The God we serve is gracious to hear our cry for help when we call on
Him. God is always ready to bring victory into our lives. Our job is to
resist the temptations of the world and follow His commands.
