It happened again. Judges 3:12-30 For the first time since Israel had come into the land God had promised them, they were attacked and put under servitude by three nations from outside of the land. Enemies from within had weakened their faith, so they compromised with the religions of the idolaters. Such compromises may not seem serious at first to some people, but anything we allow in our lives that leads us away from God is absolutely wrong. That attitude has far-reaching effects and consequences than we might imagine. The on-looking world saw the tendency of the Israelites to want to be like everyone else and took advantage of that tendency to gain control over them.
How do people cry out to the Lord? It will begin when we acknowledge our inability to deal with the problems sin causes. When we take ownership of our sin problem, we realize our need for God to be our help. That leads to repentance to God for our sins and an appeal for mercy. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Faith in Him occurs when we acknowledge that God is, and He is, the rewarder of those seeking Him. Faith in God will bring real trust and worship from the hearts of repentant sinners. Time will tell if the cry is fake and superficial or real and life-changing.
When strong, spiritual leadership is lacking, it is not long before God's people change to accommodate those around us and what appeals to the flesh. Israel wanted the things of the flesh, and that is what they got. Moab is a type of the flesh, and so is Ammon and Amalek. The leader, Eglon (large and fat), was allowed by God to take over Jericho and defeat Israel in the place of their first victory when they entered the land. Eglon was visible evidence of the flesh, and he was surrounded by fat men who composed a formidable army under their extremely fat king. The flesh imposes itself on people and leaves no space to accommodate scriptural truth and fleshly interests at the same time.
We may not realize the seriousness of catering to the flesh until it overpowers us and "the lust of the flesh" takes control. Bad habits, evil practices, and self-centeredness are so prevalent today that God's people are in danger of making "provision" for the flesh. There comes a time when we have to draw a broad line between ourselves and the world that feeds on the flesh and stay on our own side with God and the minority. Separation has a cost that must be paid and cannot be avoided if we are going to walk with the Lord "in all pleasing."
The "fleshly lusts which war against the soul" will not accept a compromise. It is "all or nothing" as far as control in the lives of the people of God. The flesh is determined to have its own way. It wants to please "self" no matter what is right or wrong. The flesh is a law unto itself. There is nothing admirable with the flesh, and ugly flesh does not promote good companionship. Eglon was a very fat man with an army of fat men, but he sat alone in the cooling part of his house. He did not provide comfort for others living in the flesh. Like that seated and pampered king sitting alone, the flesh against which we war loves ease, idleness, and the time to fulfill all its desires for self-gratification. We may not realize the true effect of the "flesh warring against the Spirit" until it is exposed in its true light as "dirt" within.
When the Lord Jesus Christ was here, He plainly taught what the flesh is that defiles the human heart. "Evil thoughts, adulteries, fornication, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these things come from with and defile the man." We need to recognize sinful flesh is an enemy of the soul and "make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof." There is no easy way to deal with the flesh. It must be put to death. The apostle Paul was pressed in his flesh and knew that the only way to victory was through the Lord Jesus Christ. The judge, Ehud, is a type of the Lord in mercy doing that for His people.
Ehud, the diplomatic judge, was a prominent man whose reputation was established as one whom others could trust to do for them what they could not do. Even though he was the son of a quiet man, Gera (meditation), from the smallest tribe of Israel, Benjamin (son of my right hand), Ehud (union, praise, majesty) could represent the people. Whether the fact that he was left-handed was considered a limitation or an asset, he knew how to use his left hand effectively. His right hand was "hindered," maybe injured or with a lasting defect, so he turned his left hand into a tool to be used for God. The tribe of Benjamin had a lot of left-handed soldiers who were effective when needed. They were especially skilled in using weapons, which would give them an advantage when they were against a right-handed enemy.
No matter what others may say or do, God has given us all we need to fulfill each task to which we have been charged. Sometimes, people are so disheartened that they may have to act alone to initiate the solution to a problem. It is not uncommon for people to not want to "rock the boat," so leave undone what we should and could do. Ehud was a courageous man who was not afraid to face and deal alone with the problem the Lord's people had, even though he was by himself. But neither did he act in haste or take rash action. He carefully planned what he would do and organized himself to follow a series of events step by step so he would not be caught unawares. Time spent in preparation for work is not wasted time.
The assassination of Eglon by Ehud may seem wrong or irrelevant to people today because of the times in which we live. Such a radical and violent act is considered by modern thinking to be a shocking and wrong way to deal with evil. Even though people find it difficult to relate to this event, we learn that courage, skill, and planning enable us to do what lies before us by God's will. We must consider what action we must take to make wrongs right.
How can I use what I am and have to carry out the will of God in my life? We need to take time to plan how we obey God when a specific work or challenge lies before us. Consider if some event I have been called to participate in has been an example of obedience to God. A spiritually committed man is always conscious of the presence of the Lord with him.
For God's people, any battle we face is the Lord's battle, and He will use us in the way most suited to His purpose. When we accept that as a fact, we will easily admit that the Lord delivers us from our enemies. We do not have power or control over the flesh. It must be defeated in the same way Ehud and those who finally joined with him were able to totally eliminate the army of "lusty (fat) men" without allowing anything connected to the flesh to remain. The result of eighty years of peace that followed was that one man was willing to be used by God by striking at the root of the problem and finishing it completely.
Eighteen years under another powerful force that is opposed to us seems like a very long time. Eighteen years that slowly run their course may seem like twice that long. Eighteen years of being told what to do and eighteen years of servitude to another and nothing to show for all your labor is not only discouraging but leads to a sense of hopelessness. All you worked for wasn't yours to keep. You never found what it was you left the will of God for trying to seek some quick satisfaction. That satisfaction you looked for was not to be found because the attractions of the flesh to which you were tightly bound leaves you empty inside.
After the time of testing had awakened the conscience and the flesh had taken control with its awful sentence, God, in mercy, moved to raise up a suitable man to liberate His people even though they lived in the promised land. The man he chose could be trusted with that responsibility. He was careful to plan deliverance by the God-given ability he had been entrusted with. It was not a desperate nor impossible thoughtless plan. He went right to the root of the problem and dealt firmly and permanently with the obscene, fleshly man.
There is no easy way to deal with the sins of the flesh. Fellowship with God and the flesh will never mesh because darkness and light, right and wrong, good and evil, cannot coexist. The flesh has to die, and the Spirit has to have full control. By divine wisdom and power, He is the guardian of the souls of those who call upon God in repentance and faith.
Eighty years of peace for God’s people followed the bold actions of one man willing to be used by God to end the evils of a fleshly king. More than a whole generation of people lived in peace because of Ehud. It wasn’t until that event faded into the distant past in the minds of the Israelites that other enemies rose up against them.