King Eglon Must Die!

One of my favourite Bible passages growing up is found in Judges 3, when Ehud assassinated King Eglon of Moab.  For 18 years the children of Israel had been oppressed by the corpulent Eglon, who rallied the people of Ammon and Amalek against them.  God heard the cries of His people and raised up Ehud as a deliverer, a left-handed man.  He fashioned a two-edged dagger - too short to be considered a sword - and smuggled it under his clothes.  After giving a payment of tribute, Ehud sought an audience with King Eglon, saying he had a secret message for him.  Judges 3:20-23 contains the gruesome details:  "And Ehud came to him (now he was sitting upstairs in his cool private chamber). Then Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." So he arose from his seat. ²¹ Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. ²² Even the hilt went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the dagger out of his belly; and his entrails came out. ²³ Then Ehud went out through the porch and shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them."  Ehud escaped, gathered the people together, and subdued the Moabites.  God saved His people from their enemies, and they enjoyed peace for 80 years.

As a kid, I confess I wasn't looking for a spiritual application to this passage.  Maybe I led a sheltered life (which I did, no doubt!), but it was exciting reading.  There are many spiritual truths in this passage to glean and profit from.  As the passage came to mind yesterday, it occurred to me Ehud knew who his enemy was and how to defeat him.  This is huge.  He wasn't content with attacks on a Moabite garrison, or to hurl insults from a distance.  He would not be pleased to sabotage equipment or boast a large body count from his assaults:  he had his sight set on the king!  Ehud devised an effective strategy to defeat his enemy, and knew his weak spot.  King Eglon was powerless to attack or resist after the sword was plunged home.

The Word of God (the Bible) is called the sword of the Spirit in Ephesians 6:17.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 also says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."  Ehud was a man who carefully picked his shots.  He was not going to attack lackeys, village elders, or servants when he could end oppression once and for all by killing the king!  Eglon is a good representation of the flesh and its excesses.  Too often we can wage war on symptoms and neglect to deal with the heart of the matter.  Eglon had many servants, and to attempt a fight against them would have been fruitless and incited greater oppression.  Making our personal battles focused on mere behaviour will lead to eventual and certain defeat.  The enemy is enthroned within the stronghold and well-fortified!  The sword of the Spirit is effective at revealing our motives, and the Holy Spirit is able to wield it masterfully to expose hidden sin in us.  The razor-sharp cutting edge of the Word must be applied to our hearts and only when we repent will Eglon fall.

At this very moment, the Eglon in all of us is plotting his revenge.  Silently and subtlety he rallies his forces so he once again can rule. Thankfully we have the wisdom of God and the sword of the Spirit to finish him off.  The only way to defeat the flesh is to kill it, and Jesus was crucified so we might experience life abundant and everlasting.  Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."  When the sword of the Spirit is applied faithfully to our hearts, we experience the peace of God and fulness of joy.  How good it is to be free!