Judges 3:12-30 IT HAPPENED AGAIN 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 the first to some people, but anything we allow in our lives that leads us away from God is absolutely wrong. That attitude has farther 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.
When strong, spiritual leadership is lacking, it is not long before God's people change to accommodate to 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. The flesh imposes itself on people and leaves no space to accommodate to scriptural truth and fleshly interests at the same time. Eglon was visible evidence of the flesh and he was surrounded by fat men who composed a formidable army under their extremely fat king.
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 any comfort for others who were living in the flesh. Like that seated, 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 of 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 who could be trusted by others 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, 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. No matter what others may say or do, God has given us all we need to fulfill the task each task to which we have been charged.
Sometimes people are so disheartened that we 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," and so leave undone that which we should and could do. Ehud was a courageous man who was not afraid to face, and deal with alone, the problem the Lord's people had, even though he was by himself. But neither did he act in haste or take a rash action. He carefully planned what he was going to do; organized himself to follow a series of events step by step so he would not be caught unawares. Time spent in preparation for a work is not wasted time.
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 it is the Lord who 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 because 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 Eighteen years slowly ran their course Eighteen years being told what to do Eighteen years of servitude too
What you worked for wasn't yours to keep You never found what it was you left to seek The satisfaction you looked for was not to be found Because of attractions of the flesh you are tightly bound
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 people even though they lived in the promised land
The man he chose could be trusted with responsibility He was careful to plan deliverance by God-given ability It was not a desperate nor impossible thoughtless plan He went to the root of the problem - and 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 The flesh has to die and the Spirit have full control By divine wisdom and power, He is the guardian of the soul
"Father, it is a great comfort to know Thou art aware of everything that happens in my life - whether it is good or bad. I pray that I will not dishonor Thee in any way by giving way to the pressures of the flesh. I understand they will be with me as long as I am in the body. Thanks for understanding me, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."