God has used countless people in the Bible... some of the greatest underdogs - David, Job, Jesus. These are all "nice guys" but were there any that don't fit the "Ned Flanders" image?

Today's post is about a left-handed liar who assassinated an obese king in order to free God's people from slavery & oppression. His story was found in the book of Judges (3:12-30) and was the second of the 12 judges who led Israel during a time of need. During the time of Ehud, the Israelites were ruled by their enemies, the Moabites. v17 describes the Moabite king, Eglon, as "an extremely fat man"

The Moabites oppressed the Israelites for 18yrs by the time they repented from their sins & cried out to God for help. So God called Ehud to deliver His people from their oppression. So he fashioned a small sword that he attached to his right leg, hidden underneath his clothes. This is important because most of the soldiers kept their weapons on their left leg, which made it easy to draw their weapon with their right hands. Ehud however, was left-handed, and that allowed him to keep his blade a secret. Also understand, at that time, being left-handed was considered a disability.

So Ehud & a small band of his friends approached King Eglon with a tribute - money & gifts that the Israelites were forced to pay as a part of their oppression. Later & alone, Ehud returned to the king and spoke with him in private, claiming that he wanted to deliver a message from God to the king. King EGlon was curious and unafraid, because he believed Ehud to be unarmed.

When Eglon's servants and other attendants left the room, Ehud quickly drew his improvised sword with his left hand and stabbed it into the king's stomach. Because Eglon was obese, the blade sank into the hilt and disappeared from view. Ehud then locked the doors from the inside and escaped through the porch. When Eglon's servants checked on him and found the doors locked, they assumed he was using the bathroom and didn't intervene. Eventually, they realized something was wrong, forced entry into the room, and discovered that their king was dead. Meanwhile, Ehud made his way back to Israelite territory and used the news of Eglon's assassination to raise an army. Under his leadership, the Israelites were able to defeat the king-less Moabites. They killed 10,000 Moabite warriors in the process and secured freedom and peace for about 80 years -- before the cycle started all over again.

Many people are shocked by the level of deceit & violence Ehud displayed in carrying out the king's death. But in reality, Ehud was commissioned by God to lead a military operation. His motives & actions are similar to a modern-day soldier killing an enemy during a time of war.

What we learn here is

God used Ehud to do just that, freeing them from oppression & abuse at the hands of the Moabites.

Also, this passage shows us that God doesn't discriminate when "choosing" people. God chose (what the world then considered) a "disabled person". And despite that label, God used him to win a major victory for His people.