Ehud: slayer of the obese king

Ehud: Slayer of the Obese King Ehud was a brave man, and even though he is given less than one chapter of text about him in the Bible, his influence goes far beyond a few words on a page. Ehud obeyed God and lived his life as a role model which had a direct impact on his country for eighty years, and secured for himself a prominent place in Israel’s history books. Ehud is an example of what can happen when one man follows God’s leading in his life; that man can have an impact on numerous amounts of people for a limitless amount of time. Ehud was a faithful follower of God and there is no indication of him hesitating or looking for a way out when God called him to deliver Israel from Eglon. Ehud was not going to let his opportunity to serve the Lord slip through his hands and he realized that God’s people should not have to pay tribute to a pagan enemy in the land that was given to them by God. Because of this Ehud wanted to take advantage of his chance to confront his enemy face to face (Reid). To be a good follower of God one has to trust God to take care of your needs and know that He will not put you in any situation you cannot handle. A faithful follower of God must have faith that God will help get them out of any trouble they may get into accomplishing His will, Ehud did just that. Ehud was brave enough to have faith in God to help him escape after murdering a king in his own castle. Ehud also used his God-given talents; in the manner that he murdered the fat king. God must have made Ehud left-handed for a reason. His unique name means “ son of the right hand”. Although Benjamites are commonly left-handed and they are known for their particular left-handed battle skills (Ryan), God knew he would need someone special to complete this task and deliver Israel. The impact Ehud had on the Israelites was huge. Although Ehud was only characterized as a deliverer in the Bible he was also Israel’s second judge (Biblestudytools. com). Because Eglon was an oppressor and captured “ the city of palm trees”, he built himself a palace and for eighteen years oppressed Israel and forced them to pay him tribute (Unger). Eglon dealt with the Israelites so wickedly, his death was a recompense for his deeds and liberation for the tribes. Normally an act of treachery and violence like Ehud’s would be condemned, but for some reason his was not (Lewis). If Ehud had not slain Eglon, the Israelites may have been stuck under his rule for a long time. By killing Eglon and having the Moabite army after him because of his escape route, Ehud and his army were able to put ten thousand of them to death at the fords of the Jordan (Biblestudy. com). Ehud also impacted Israel by giving the land eighty years of rest. This eighty year span is unusually long compared to other times the land had rest (Bruce). Many people who attend church know the name Gideon, but not as many people as you would think know who Ehud is off the top of their head. Ehud impacted Israel by giving the land rest for far longer than Gideon, which I believe deserves some credit. “ No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baal… they did not remember the Lord their God who had rescued them” (Judges 8: 33-34). Compare that to “ That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years” (Judges 3: 30). Ehud’s impact lasted much longer than Gideon’s (not that it was Gideon’s fault) but he does not seem to get the credit he deserves for it. Ehud may not be mentioned a lot in the Bible, but he is in the history books. The Bible gives Ehud and his story approximately half a chapter, but he is written about much more in the history books. Ehud is written about by Josephus, who dedicates over fourteen pages to Ehud and his story. The fact that Josephus devotes so many pages to Ehud and Eglon displays their importance to Josephus. Josephus considered Ehud to be an excellent role model of bravery and cleverness (Feldman). Because Josephus held Ehud and his accomplishments in such high importance it is assumed that the Jewish people will also have the same view as him because of Josephus’s historical reputation. Much like major heroes of the Bible, such as Noah, Joseph, and Moses, Ehud faithfully followed God which led to impacting Israel’s history and becoming a role model for other people who are following God. Ehud shows us the results of faithfully obeying God, impacting numerous people for an unlimited amount of time. Are there any other Ehuds out there today? Is there an Ehud at Davis College willing to follow God’s calling as faithfully as Ehud did? Works Cited Bruce, F. F., H. L. Ellison, and G. C. D. Howley. The International Bible Commentary. Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979. Print. Feldman, Louis H. Studies in Josephus, Rewritten Bible. Leiden: Koninklijke Brill, 1998. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. Lewis, Arthur. Judges and Ruth. Chicago: The Moody Bible Institute. 1979. Print. Online Bible Study Tools. Billygraham. org, n. d. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. . Reid, David. “ Devotions for Growing Christians”. GrowingChristians. org. Web. Ryan, Roger. Judges. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2007. Print. Unger, Merrill. Unger’s Bible Handbook. Chicago: The Moody Bible Institute, 1981. Print.