Judges 3:12-30
Ehud Assassinates
the King of Moab
The book of
Judges records the immediate period following the Israelites’ settlement in the
land of Canaan. In those days, there were no kings in Israel. From time to
time, the LORD raised tribal leaders to be “judges”. At the micro level, the
judges were entrusted to administer internal affairs. At the macro level, they were
tasked to lead the people out of foreign oppression.
In the days of
Judges, the Israelites were tragically assimilating into Canaanite idolatrous culture,
which resulted in moral decay. They disobeyed God and broke their covenant with
Him. So God raised Eglon, the king of Moab, to invade Israel. The Moabites brutally
oppressed the local Israelites for eighteen years (vv. 12-14).
From Messenger to
Assassin
When the
Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised a deliverer for them. The deliverer
was Ehud the son of Gera, from the tribe of Benjamin. “Benjamin” means “son of
right hand” but Ehud was left-handed. In those days, being left-handed was a
form of disability. Can Ehud really succeed in becoming a great warrior?
Ehud was
entrusted by the Israelites to present a tribute to the king of Moab (v. 15). They
did not order him to assassinate Eglon. But this mission gave Ehud an opportunity
to assassinate the king of Moab.
Now Ehud had fashioned
a two-edged sword. The sword was a cubit (35 cm) long – just long enough to be
strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. In general, a weapon is usually
strapped to the left side of the body so that the wielder can quickly draw it
with the right hand. But Ehud was left-handed. So, he strapped the sword to his
right thigh instead. This way, his concealed weapon went undetected by the
king’s guard.
Ehud was given
the security clearance for an audience with King Eglon to present Israel’s
tribute (vv. 16-17). Having presented Israel’s tribute, Ehud left the palace
together with those who helped him carry the gift. They did not stop until they
reached a safe place, that is, the stone images near Gilgal (vv. 18-19). There,
he dismissed his companions but he alone returned to Eglon’s palace.
But why did he
send his companions away?
Ehud did not
inform anyone of his plans in advance. He was prepared to be the only one
bearing the risk of assassinating the king of Moab. He went back to King Englon
and petitioned, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.”
Eglon was an
astute man but he had no inkling of what Ehud’s “secret” was about. Instead, he
was so drawn by the “secret” that he dismissed his attendants, which gave Ehud
the opportunity to strike (v. 19).
Ehud said to the
king, “I have a message from God for you.”
The king rose
from his seat, which made it easier for Ehud to assassinate him (vv. 20-21). In
the blink of an eye, Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his
right thigh, and plunged the sword, including its handle, into the king’s
belly.
The sword was
enclosed by Eglon’s fat. It pierced through the king’s body (vv. 21-23). Ehud
did not even recover the sword from the king’s belly. The fattened calf had
been slaughtered! The fat closed in over the sword and even the contents of his
bowels were discharged.
The scene was
gory but, at the same time, there is humour in it. What is represented here were
the plunging of Eglon’s wealth and empire-building dreams. The tyrant was
humiliated and shown to be full of filth. An oppressive king is not to be honoured!
Then Ehud calmly
went out to the porch; he shut the doors behind him and locked them. He did
this to deceive the Moabites so that his “secret” would not be so quickly
exposed to give him enough time to escape from dangerous territory.
After Ehud was
long gone, the king’s attendants came and found the doors locked. They said,
“He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the palace” (v. 24). They
waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the
room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to
the floor, dead (v. 25).
From Assassin to
General
Ehud passed by
the stone images and escaped to Seirah. When he arrived there, he blew a
trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. This was Israel’s call to arms (v. 27).
He led the Israelite army and gave them orders. “Follow me for the LORD has
given Moab, your enemy, into your hands” (v. 28).
The Israelites
followed Ehud and descended from the hills. Ehud went from being a messenger to
being an assassin and now he became a general! The Moabite army had just lost
their commander-in-chief. Ehud seized the initiative to attack them before they
could reorganise their command structure.
So, the
Israelites followed Ehud down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan. The
Moabite army fled helter-skelter in an attempt to cross the Jordan to go back
eastward to the land of Moab. But the Israelites had set up a blockade to
prevent the Moabites from going home. “At that time they struck down about ten
thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not one escaped” (v. 29).
That day Moab was
made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years (v. 30).
Conclusion
By coupling his
physical defect with an intricate plan, Ehud deceived King Eglon and his
guards, which paved the way for his successful assassination of the king. Some
may question Ehud’s use of underhanded tactics. In the course of history, God
allowed the use of such extraordinary ploys to execute His judgment and subvert
the status quo.
The king of Moab’s
assassination was the retribution of his wickedness. Those who do evil in the
sight of the LORD will attract tragic consequences. God judged both the
Israelites and the Gentiles. God’s judgment upon King Eglon of Moab shows that
He is against oppressive and repressive regimes of the world.
Ehud’s
accomplishment of his mission was not merely due to his brilliance. The will of
the LORD was to deliver His people out from being in bondage to their enemy.
Ehud’s actions were in line with God’s will and, thereby, received God’s
approval. This was the main reason for Ehud’s success. If anyone repents, seeks
for God’s help, and marches to God’s cadence, God will lend a helping hand.
Application
Ehud’s right hand
was disadvantaged, which meant that he could only use his left hand. Yet God
used his weakness to accomplish the mission. Through Ehud’s weakness, God
displayed strength. The LORD was the one who did the fighting. The LORD God can
use ordinary people. Regardless of what pressure we are placed under, or what danger
we are facing, or how desperate our situation may seem to be, God is always our
way out. Nothing is too difficult for God!
Ehud did resort
to trickery. He breached Eglon’s trust by leading the king to believe that he
had a word from God. But he actually brought a sword. His success does not
justify his fraudulent means. He was not an ideal judge like Othniel. Yet, an
imperfect person can still be used by God to accomplish His will.
The whole episode
of assassination shows that Ehud made extensive preparations. If we are to
serve God, then we must fashion our spiritual swords (Heb. 10:12), which is to
have God’s word planted deep in our minds (Col. 3:16). As servants of God,
especially as leaders, we must be equipped and have the clarity of vision to evaluate
current events and circumstances, so that we may seize the opportunity to
accomplish the work that God has entrusted to us.
Ehud’s killing of
Eglon was only a small victory. He did not lose perspective in the euphoria of
this small victory. His real goal was to end the oppression of Israel. He
displayed the spirit of leadership by calling the people to arms to attack the
enemy.
Ehud took advantage
of the situation. He gathered Israelite troops to attack the Moabites while the
enemy were in disarray due to the loss of their king. He also exhibited mastery
of strategy by sending troops to occupy the fords of the Jordan River. The
outcome was, Ehud led the whole body of the Israelite army to rise up and
annihilated 10,000 Moabite elite warriors. This was a wonderful display of team
work.
Ehud had great
leadership skills and was adept in integrating manpower. He took charge and led
the troops to accomplish the goal. A leader must be a good shepherd. The good
shepherd whom the Lord Jesus spoke about also led from the front (John 10:4).
Only hired hands flee in the face of danger (John 10:12-13).
A good leader
must be able to integrate the team and harness its strength, and then the whole
will be greater than the sum of its parts. It does not matter how capable a
leader is as an individual. He is to mobilise the people and delegate the tasks
to them.
Ehud did
everything well and so the nation had peace for 80 years. 18 years under
Moabite oppression is short-lived but 80 years signifies prosperity under God’s
presence, enjoying the peace, blessing, and freedom to worship God for a very
long period. This is the meaning of shalom.
The
Lord Jesus is the perfect and righteous “Judge”—deliverer. He is the Word of
God from the very beginning. He then was sent by God the Father to become a
human being. He died on the cross and, three days later, rose from the dead.
With that He utterly defeated Satan, broke the chains of evil, redeemed
sinners, and gave them new life. This is the mystery of God’s plan of salvation
from the beginning.
Now
the Lord Jesus is calling His body of redeemed people to rise up and reap the
harvest of his victory. Despite our shortcoming and limitation, we are to be
equipped and make proper plans in the service of the church and in the service
of society, so that lost souls are won for the Lord; the environment is
transformed, ushering in an era of peace and well-being.
Let us serve God
in a way that is pleasing to Him, that is, to seek His will wholeheartedly and
revere Him. Let us read the Bible every day, meditate upon God’s truth, pray
unceasingly, and draw near to Him. Then in everything that we do, God will
guide our way. He will help us to overcome difficulties and temptations, so
that we may experience His long-lasting blessing and shalom!
