MPC, 15th September 2002.Judges 3 - "Nothing to Fear"
Andrew Richardson MPC, 15th September 2002.
The enemy at the end of the level. A computer gamer's worst nightmare.
Depending on the game, you've fought off a whole army of martial arts experts, space invaders or monsters. You've overcome every obstacle the computer's thrown at you. The end is in sight.
And it appears. Five times the size of anything else you've met. Armed to the teeth. Almost untouchable with your puny weapons. And somehow you've got to deal with it.
If you've ever played a game like Doom or Quake or even Space Invaders. You'll know the feeling. Facing an enemy that looks invincible. An enemy that's sure to stop you finishing the level... again. An enemy that's going to take your life and send you right back to the start.
That's a bit like the idea some Christians have of Satan and demons. Big ugly monsters... out there.... waiting to stick their claws into you and drag you off to hell. Listen to this. From the book This Present Darkness. It's about a guy who comes face to face with some demons. And it's scary.
He could see their feet, like the clawed feet of hideous reptiles, and the red flicker of their blades; he could hear their sulfurous hissing. He looked up. At least a dozen demonic warriors surrounded him. They were towering, fierce, with glowing yellow eyes and dripping fangs, and they were sneering and gargling with laughter.
You wouldn't want to bump into them on a dark night. And even though it's just a novel, it makes you wonder... if Christians do have to be scared of the Satan and his demons. If Satan is the enemy at the end of the level. Standing between us and heaven.
Back in Ancient Israel. At the time of the Judges. The Israelites were facing their own enemy. An Enemy that would really make you afraid. Eglon King of Moab. He's a pagan king. And God's given him power over Israel.... Because of their sin. And there's nothing they can do about it. No way they can stand up to him.
Look at judges 3 and vs 13. Eglon gets the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him. He pulls together whole coalition of enemies. And he comes and attacks Israel and takes possession of the City of Palms. That's another name for Jericho. The city where God won that great victory for Israel back in the book of Joshua. Making the walls fall down. Eglon even conquers it. He's got the Israelites right under his thumb. And in vs 14 they're subject to him for eighteen long years
For an Israelite back then, Eglon seems like an enemy to fear. Taking over the promised land. Taking away the blessings God had given them. As if he's pushing God right out of the Picture.....
But God hasn't abandoned Israel. He hasn't given up on them. And when they cry out to him he gives them a deliverer. A saviour to lead them in battle. To defeat Eglon and his armies... At least that's what you'd think. But this deliverer is not who you'd expect. He's a surprising choice. . In v 15. The deliverer God gives them is Ehud... a left-handed man. Or to put it a more literally, a man who's restricted in the use of his right hand.
In the movie The Princess Bride, there's a great scene where the hero Westley is having a duel. It's a full-on sword fight. Back and forth across the top of a cliff. And it starts to look like Westley's getting the upper hand. But as they're fighting back and forth, his opponent gets a smile on his face. And he says to Westley, "I know something you don't know.... I'm not left handed." And he switches the sword to his right hand and keeps fighting. It's a great moment. Suddenly you realize this incredible sword fight's all been with his left hand.
But it's not real life. In real life people who're restricted in the use of their right hand... aren't much good at sword fights. I know I'd be more dangerous to myself than the enemy, as a man who can't use his right hand. Ehud's a surprising choice. Not the kind of mighty warrior you'd expect.
And the Israelites know it. They don't expect this man who can't use his right hand to deliver them. They don't raise an army and go into battle behind him. They just send him on an errand. The second half of v 15 the Israelites send him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.
But Ehud's more handy, if you'll excuse the pun, than the Israelites think. He might not be a great swordsman. But he's God's deliverer, and he's going to deliver. In a surprising way.
He gets busy and makes his own special piece of tribute to take to King Eglon. V 16 Ehud makes a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he straps to his right thigh under his clothing.
And with his custom made sword strapped in place our unlikely deliverer sets out on his mission to Eglon king of Moab. In case you missed it, That's Eglon King of Moab. Did you notice? He keeps called by his full title. It's there in v 12, v 14, v 15 and v 17. A constant reminder he's not just Eglon, he's Eglon king of Moab. In charge. Powerful. Ruling Israel for 18 long years. An impressive man...with an impressive title. But when Eglon meets Ehud, when Eglon meets God's chosen deliverer, we start to see him in a new light. Look at v 17. "Ehud presents the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who is a very fat man."
Eglon might be the king of Moab, but that's not the only impressive thing about him. His size is also impressive. He's a very fat man...Not exactly a polite way to speak about the king. The polite thing would be not to mention his weight at all. But if it had to, at least it could be subtle. He was a very big man maybe, or he was horizontally challenged. But judges is blunt. It's highlighting Eglon's most unattractive feature. And it's saying "don't take this Eglon king of Moab too seriously. He might sound powerful, he might sound frightening. But he's only human. He's got a big weight problem."
And he's not too bright either. He'd probably believe you if you told him the word gullible had been taken out of the dictionary. And Ehud's way too quick witted for him. Makes him look like a complete fool. v 19 after presenting the tribute Ehud goes back to Eglon and says "I have a secret message for you, O king." ... what a great line. So ambiguous. Sure, Ehud's got a message for Eglon. But it's not what he's expecting. It's a sharp two edged metal message. Ehud's being a smart alec... giving Eglon a hint about what's coming.
But Eglon's got no idea. He's too dull to pick up anything suspicious. He plays right into Ehud's hands. Even sends his guards away. In the second half of v 19, he says, "Quiet!" And all his attendants leave him.
Ehud runs rings around the great Eglon King of Moab. Makes him look like a gullible fool. And then gives him a very nasty end to his life. In the second half of v 20, as the king rises from his seat, Ehud reaches out his left hand, draws the sword from his right thigh and plunges it into his belly.
It's a great moment. The powerful pagan king.... Destroyed... by a one handed man who hasn't even raised a sweat. Completely humiliated by God's deliverer.
And you can't miss it. There's a blow by blow description of exactly what happens to the sword. V 22 the handle sinks in after the blade which comes out his back. Ehud doesn't pull the sword out and the fat closes in over it. Definitely M rated. But it leaves you in no doubt. Eglon has come to a sticky end.
This scary enemy, this powerful king who was oppressing God's people. Ends up a laughing stock. Not only destroyed. But humiliated. Made to look a fool by God's unlikely deliverer....
And Ehud does exactly the same thing to Eglon's followers. Humiliates them. Destroys them. While Eglon's lying on the floor with a sword in his gut, in v 24 his servants say "he must be relieving himself in the inner room of the house." And they wait to the point of embarrassment. Before finally opening the door and finding their lord fallen to the floor... dead. So incompetent.
It reminds me of Colonel Klink and Sergeant Shultz from Hogan's Heroes. Running a prisoner of war camp where the prisoners are the most effective allied spies behind enemy lines.
Ehud's made Eglon's servants look just as foolish as him. And when the rest of the Israelites join in the fight they have no problem defeating them v 29. They strike down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not a man escapes.
This imposing king and his followers... Who've ruled Israel with an Iron fist...for 18 years. Come to a humiliating end. As scary, as invincible as they must have seemed. they're no match for God. He defeats them easily. With a one handed man.
And there's a sense in which all God's enemies are like Eglon. None of them stand a chance. They're all facing humiliating defeat.
That's what Psalm 2 says. It's talking about the nations and the kings of the earth who oppose God. And God's response is the same as with Eglon. Ps 2 v 4 says,
The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill."
The kings and rulers of the earth who oppose God.... aren't more of a threat than Eglon King of Moab. They don't stand a chance.
And it's at the cross where God and his messiah take their final stand against their enemies. It's at the cross God scoffs at them and rebukes them in his anger.
It's an even more unlikely place to find deliverance than at the hand of a one handed man. A man dying on a cross. But just like with Ehud, God wins a decisive victory at the cross. A victory that humiliates his enemies and destroys them. That's what it says in Col 2:15:
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
The principalities and powers. The spiritual forces of the devil who wanted to keep us captive in our sin. Who wanted to make us slaves in our rebellion against God. They're no better off than Eglon. The weapon they thought was going to be a killer. Their power to accuse us before God and point out our sin.... it's gone. At the cross every record of our sins is taken away. Satan's one weapon of mass destruction has been disarmed. If we're trusting Jesus, there's nothing he can do to take away our relationship with him... or his love for us.
And that's something we need to remember these days. Because there are a lot of weird theories around about Satan and spiritual forces. Theories that can be scary. As if you've got to face armies of demons all by yourself. A couple of weeks ago I got a camp brochure inviting me to come and get the spirit of the light horsemen. And if I got this spirit of the light horsemen it said, I could go into battle in the spirit realm... against impossible odds. As if Satan's the monster at the end of the level. And the only chance you've got... is the spirit of the light horsemen.
The problem is, theories like that forget the most important thing. Satan is a defeated force. Jesus' death on the cross has humiliated him. Just like Eglon and his followers.
And if you're following Jesus. If you're trusting his death. You're part of his victory. And you've got nothing to be scared of.
Sure, Satan's still active in this world. And he'd love it if you stopped trusting Jesus. And he'll give you all the trials and temptations he can. But that's all he can do. And as long as you stick with Jesus, as long as you keep trusting him, you've got nothing to worry about. Jesus has defeated Satan. He's made your eternal life with him absolutely certain.
So next time your friend gives you one of those books that tries to spook you about demons, or you wonder if Satan's got the power to destroy your faith and take you away from Jesus, just remember what Ehud did to Eglon. Because that's what Jesus death has done to Satan. And if you're trusting Jesus you're on the winning side, and you've got nothing to fear.