Shortly after the children of Israel arrived in the Promised Land, they struggled not only against their neighbors in the same region, but also with doing right in the eyes of the Lord. However, their struggle over possession of the land was not unrelated to their struggle to remain obedient to the Lord their God, Yahweh. Judges 3:12-30 relates one account among several, forming a recurring cycle recorded in the book of Judges that described the children of Israel’s apostasy from Yahweh, followed by oppression by Israel’s enemies, repentance and crying out to Yahweh, and finally a deliverer who was raised up by the Lord to save the people from their oppression. This particular account in Judges 3:12-30 describes an eighteen-year stretch of Moabite subjugation under the regime of King Eglon of Moab. When the Israelites cry out to Yahweh for help, he raises up a uniquely gifted deliverer named Ehud, who plays a key role in deliverance from the Moabites that lasted for 80 subsequent years.

Ehud’s Preparation

We are given important details within this text that describe Ehud’s preparation for his task. In verse 15, we are told that Ehud is particularly gifted with left-handed ability. Even though the text literally describes Ehud as “bound of the right hand,” it seems more likely that this is a description of exceptional left-handed skill, rather than a defect of the right hand. If his right hand were crippled, King Eglon and his servants would have good reason to suspect left-handed ability, which was certainly not the case. Furthermore, 1 Chronicles 12:2 speaks of warriors who could shoot stones and arrows using either the left hand or the right, who were also members of the tribe of Benjamin, as Ehud was. (Incidentally, the name “Benjamin” literally means “son of the right hand.”) At any rate, we might be tempted to think of Ehud’s southpaw skills as a triviality, but it seems this unique ability was especially suited for Ehud’s “task at hand,” so to speak. One could say that Ehud was a special character with a special commission.

We also learn that Ehud carefully gathered the tools that he required for the job. In verse 16, we are told that Ehud made a special eighteen-inch sword for his purpose, which he fastened on his right thigh, where no one would find it. A sword of such short length is presumably much easier to conceal than the typical longer sword that a warrior might use for battle. As the king’s servants patted him down before entry into the royal court, they apparently only checked the left side, thinking that any typical right-hander would conceal a sword there. Thus, Ehud had little difficulty getting past the security checkpoints on his way to an audience with the king.

Ehud also “did his homework,” as he scouted out the king’s palace on a preliminary reconnaissance mission. One of the obligations of Moab’s oppression over the Israelites was that the Israelites were required to pay a tribute to the king. So, Ehud and company were chosen to bring the tribute on behalf of Israel, had a good look around the palace while they were there, then went on their way back toward home. After they had gone a certain distance however, Ehud sent the other men on ahead, and then turned back toward the king’s palace. These details of the Bible seem to paint a picture of a man who has a mind that is good at plotting out a scheme, while taking note of all the necessary steps required to see it to successful completion. Ehud isn’t “winging it” here. He sees a potential opportunity, and then drafts a plan that will ensure success.

Ehud’s Plan

When Ehud launched his special mission in Eglon’s palace, he used his gifts and abilities to their fullest extent. These clearly play a key role in his success. It goes without saying that without his left-handed skills, without concealing the sword on his right side, and without a specially crafted sword of just the right size, the results would have likely ended differently. However, perhaps Ehud’s greatest asset was his clever mind, as demonstrated by his cunning statements to the king. Like his sword, Ehud’s words to Eglon are also double edged. Notice for example, verse 19, where Ehud declares, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” The Hebrew word for “message” that is used here (dabar) can be understood not only as a “word,” or “message,” but frequently is best translated using words with a broader meaning, such as “matter,” “affair,” or “thing.” He uses this term again in verse 20, saying, “I have a message/word/thing from God for you.” It seems that Ehud is skillfully using double entendre in speaking to the king. Eglon presumes this is a special message from Ehud’s God. He even hauls his massive carcass from the throne in order to receive this special word. (By the way, this king has been appropriately named, since the term “Eglon” means “little calf,” or “heifer.”) However, Ehud doesn’t speak any words at all, but rather seizes the opportunity to thrust his sword deep into Eglon’s corpulent belly. Someone might have said that “the pen is mightier than the sword,” but for Ehud, it was the sword, rather than words that carried the day here. When Ehud spoke of a dabar from God, he intended to give King Eglon something a bit more pointed than mere speech.

Even though Ehud’s masterful plan had been met with success thus far, he still needed to escape the scene of the crime. In order to understand what is being described in the biblical text, it might be helpful to consider the architecture of Eglon’s palace. The palace consisted of two floors: a lower audience hall where the throne was, and a private upper chamber. Most royal visitors were seen downstairs in the main hall, but when Ehud announces that he has a secret word for the king, Eglon retreated to this private upstairs chamber, and ordered all the servants out. However, this private upstairs chamber also included a toilet—the other “throne”—which emptied through a hole accessed by a separate closet on the lower level. After he kills the king, Ehud locks the doors of the upper chamber from the inside, barring the only exit, unless…he escapes through the toilet. Ehud (carefully!) lowers himself through the latrine, and walks out of the closet on the lower level. He then casually strolls by the royal servants, leaving the dead king upstairs in the private chamber with the door locked from the inside.

As the story is told in the text, the servants head back upstairs to tend to the king. However, they see that the door is locked, and when they smell the stench from Eglon’s abundant entrails, they decide to wait for a while, thinking that the king is taking care of some “private business.” After an embarrassing length of time however, the servants finally decide to fetch a key and go into the chamber, where they see Eglon lying on the floor, dead. By this time, Ehud was long gone.

Ehud’s (God’s) Prevail

In order to maintain alliteration throughout the outline, it’s tempting to speak of this last section as Ehud’s Prevail, since we’ve certainly seen how Ehud’s unique characteristics are showcased in this story. However, our writer is certain to note that it is God’s hand that is at work throughout the episode. After all, it was Yahweh, we are told in verse 15, who raised up Ehud as a deliverer. And Ehud himself declares again in verse 28, that it was Yahweh who gave the Moabites into their hands.

From the outset, it appears this narrative is all about Ehud’s cunning and bravery. But as one commentator notes, there are apparently a number of fortuitous coincidences that were required to ensure success. Ehud just happened to be the representative chosen to carry Israel’s tribute to King Eglon. Ehud just happened to be allowed to have a second audience with the king. Ehud just happened to be left-handed, and the bodyguards of the king just happened not to check Ehud’s right side for a sword. Also, Ehud just happened to devise an unlikely and risky, yet clever means of undetected escape through the toilet. Indeed, this large number of seeming coincidences suggests a divine hand behind it all.

And so, how might God “just happen” to be at work for his purposes in your life? I am not about to suggest that God wants you to use deception, trickery, and violence to do his work. We should not fashion our own eighteen-inch swords to fight our own battles, but rather, use the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God in the service of God’s Kingdom. I would like to suggest that God can indeed “just happen” to use your life in unexpected ways. Who would have thought that being left handed could play such an integral role in the deliverance of the children of Israel? Perhaps God is seeking to bring deliverance to his world through aspects of your life that are often overlooked. We commonly think of those gifts and abilities that are most noticeable, such as musical talent, or other “up-front” gifts. Consequently, if we lack these highly visible gifts, we are tempted to think that God cannot use us in a way that is meaningful and significant. Take a look at your own life, and consider what you are good at, who you are, and the way God has made you. What do you see there that God can use? The Kingdom of God can be advanced by “ordinary” people who just happen to be backyard grilling experts, bowling league members, babysitters, or accountants.

While I was a student at Asbury Theological Seminary, I fulfilled a practical ministry requirement for my program in the chaplaincy department of a nearby hospital. What I had thought would be an ordinary academic requirement developed into a life-changing experience for me. Soon after completing my educational requirements, I began working there as a third-shift chaplain on the weekends. There I was one night, with a family by the bedside of a patient who had just died, and I began to reflect on the things God was doing at that moment. Even though I had experienced this scenario many times, it occurred to me that this family was going through one of the worst experiences of their entire lives, and somehow, God “just happened” to want me to represent the love of Christ to them. I’m no counselor or therapist. I often feel as inept as Moses did. Still, God repeatedly chooses to use ordinary people like you and me to do extraordinary things. Kathy Shanks’ lists of (ab) normal people being used by God bears witness to this. See her articles in The King’s eHighway, titled “Is the Word ‘Normal’ Just a Setting on the Dryer?” and “‘Abnormal Lay People’ in Atlantic District”. I challenge you to look for ways that God can “just happen” to use you for his Kingdom. As you go about following the Apostle Paul’s mandate of Romans 12:1, consider presenting your whole life to God as a living sacrifice.