A Left-Handed Benjaminite with an 18 inch Sword
“Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjaminite, as a deliverer for them. The Israelites sent him to Eglon king of Moab with tribute money.”
Continuing to judge number 2, Ehud.
First, let us notice he is from the tribe of Benjamin. So he could be related to King Saul like his great grandfather or great uncle. We don’t know for sure, but he is also named after the great-grandson of Benjamin, and his dad was named after the grandson of Benjamin. We also know that Ehud is not the great-grandson of Benjamin but several generations removed. Benjamin and his sons went to Egypt with Jacob (Genesis 46). They lived in Egypt for 430 years and Moses was the great-grandson of Levi. This would make the first Ehud about the same age as Moses. And no one from Moses’s generation entered the promised land except Joshua and Caleb.
Second, let’s note that he was left-handed. We find several people who were left-handed.
“They were archers who could use either the right or left hand, both to sling stones and shoot arrows from a bow. They were Saul’s relatives from Benjamin:”
1 Chronicles 12:2 HCSB
These archers left their blood relation with Saul and joined David before Saul was dead.
“On that day the Benjaminites rallied 26,000 armed men from their cities, besides 700 choice men rallied by the inhabitants of Gibeah. There were 700 choice men who were left-handed among all these people; all could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.”
Judges 20:15-16 HCSB
Later in Judges, we find more Benjaminites who were left-handed.
It must be a Benjamin thing I guess.
“Ehud made himself a double-edged sword 18 inches long. He strapped it to his right thigh under his clothes”
Being left-handed helped him in hiding his sword. It was strapped to his right side. Most people would have theirs strapped to their left side! So when checked at places with the posting “no swords beyond this point” his left side would be checked but not his right.
“Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in his room upstairs where it was cool. Ehud said, “I have a word from God for you,” and the king stood up from his throne. Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly. Even the handle went in after the blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And Eglon’s insides came out.”
Judges 3:20-22 HCSB
Now in the king of Edom’s presence, his left side was checked and no one suspected an 18-inch sword on his right side. God used Ehud to deliver the nation of Israel from the Edomites with his left-handed 18-inch sword. When Ehud ran it through the king it did not poke through his back and it was swallowed up by the belly of the king.
“Ehud escaped by way of the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upstairs room behind him. Ehud escaped while the servants waited. He crossed over the Jordan near the carved images and reached Seirah. After he arrived, he sounded the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hill country, and he became their leader. He told them, “Follow me, because the Lord has handed over your enemies, the Moabites, to you.” So they followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.”
Judges 3:23, 26-28 HCSB
As he fled from the king's palace he crossed over the Jordan to find some warriors in the tribe of Ephraim to form an army to strike down the nation of Moab.
What abilities and tools are at our disposal to use for God? Ehud had his sword and the enemy was caught unaware. Are we doing our part to chat h the devil unaware? Or are we so lax that the devil constantly catches us unaware? Non of us will fight the devil with a two-edged sword and we should not be ready to fight our fellow man with the sword, but the word of God is our two-edged sword for spoiling the work of our adversary.
“For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.”
But Jesus will use his double-edged sword to once and finally destroy those who follow the devil.
“A sharp sword came from His mouth, so that He might strike the nations with it. He will shepherd them with an iron scepter. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty.
Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and against His army. But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with him the false prophet, who had performed the signs in his presence. He deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image with these signs. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.”
Revelation 19:15, 19-21 HCSB
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