In the book of Judges we learned how, “the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab. But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh. And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man. And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present. But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto you, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him, and Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlor, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto you. And he arose out of his seat. And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:”, and in chapter three and verse twenty-two of Judges, we learn how, “the haft also went in after the blade” where we read,
And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade,
so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.
The verse reads, “And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, …” The writer began with the words, “and the haft” which means “and the hilt or handle of the sharpened knife” “also went in after the blade” or “even so and indeed entered the abdomen following the sharpened edge of the knife”; “and the fat closed upon the blade” which means “and the abundant fat in Eglon’s body shut up and surrounded the sharpened edge of the knife”. The writer shared how the handle of “Ehud’s” dagger entered “Eglon” so deeply that the “fat” of his body surrounded and enclosed it.
The verse continues, “… so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.” The writer added the words, “so that he could not draw the dagger” which means “which caused Ehud to be unable to withdraw, pull out or remove the sharpened knife” “out of his belly” or “from his, Eglon’s, stomach or abdomen”; “and the dirt came out” which means “and the excrement or feces departed, proceeded forward and departed”. The writer shared because the sharpened knife went so deeply into “Eglon’s” body, “Ehud” was unable to removed it from him, and the excrement within his body proceeded from him.
When we consider the words in this verse, we learn just how effective “Ehud” was in delivering the people of Israel from “Eglon the king of Moab”. Not only did “Ehud” deliver to “Eglon” a gift or tribute to begin this attack, but after softening him through the gift, Ehud was able to send away his entourage, return to “Eglon” with a special message, make entrance into his resting quarters and deliver this knife wielding “message” from God. “Eglon” fell that day not only because the sharpened knife went so deeply into his fat body that his excrement came out, but because Jehovah God came to the rescue of Israel. God came to our rescue as well when He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and raised Him from the dead after three days. When we yield to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He comes to our rescue by forgiving our sins, granting us everlasting life and equipping us with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and give us the wisdom to deal with our adversaries whenever they rise against us. (See John 3:16; 16:13; Acts 1:8: Isaiah 54:15-17)
Next time we learn how, “Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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