(Judges 3: 12-36)

Being sent on a course was a common feature of my work in the civil service. Although many of these were designed to develop ‘management skills’ there were others that were interesting and relevant! A particular exercise that made an impact on me when on one of these more absorbing workshops, was being in a group presented with two lists. One was of some well-known people, and the other was of particular medical conditions. The aim was to link up those on one list with the other.

Remarkable achievements

So it was startling to be reminded that President Franklin D Roosevelt suffered from polio and required the use of a wheelchair for mobility, or that Ludwig van Beethoven was deaf. Even more remarkable were the achievements of Helen Keller, an American author and political activist, who was both deaf and blind, yet still gained a Bachelor of Arts degree. The achievements of Stephen Hawking with his motor-neurone condition are well-known. But to realise that Albert Einstein had difficulties with learning – kicked out of school for behavioural problems at one stage and not being able to read until aged nine – was astounding.

Left-handed

Disabilities of many kinds have made people feel, especially in the past, that they have nothing to contribute, even in respect of serving God. Such a feeling might have been the case in respect of a man named Ehud in the Old Testament. In fact, the first thing that we are told about him was that he was a “left-handed” man. Even up to more recent times the dominance of a person’s left hand over their right was viewed as a disability that needed correction! Harsh action was sometimes taken to ‘correct’ this ‘fault.’ The Hebrew word for left-handed literally means ‘hindered in the right hand’ just as the Latin word for ‘sinister’ and the French word ‘gauche’ both meant ‘awkward’ or ‘left-handed’. Ehud was noted as being from the tribe of Benjamin which appeared to have a significant number of warriors who were similarly left-handed (see Judges 20:15-16). In his case, the description of him being left-handed may also have meant that he literally had little use of his right hand.

Taking these factors together it did not seem that Ehud was qualified to bring any release from the repressive regime under which the Israelites were then suffering. For eighteen years a confederacy of Israel’s enemies made up of the Ammonites and the Amalekites, headed up by Eglon, king of Moab, held “power” over God’s people (Jdg 3:12-14). The opening words prefacing this point in Israel’s history explained the reason for this subjugation: “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and because they did this evil …” His contemporaries would have considered Ehud as defective, weak and incapable of making a contribution to change this desperate situation.

“Deliverer”

Yet not only did God actually appoint Ehud as the “deliverer” (in response to the Israelites crying out to the Lord) but that very restriction, or ‘handicap’, was to be the means of instigating that deliverance. Ehud was presented to King Eglon with some required “tribute” – a form of indemnity or tax that had been imposed (Jdg 3:15). But having departed after carrying out that task he then returned with a ‘for-your-ears-only’ message “from God”. This enabled him to be alone with the king, not only with that supposed message but also possessing a concealed short double-edged sword next to his right thigh. (A right-handed person would have positioned any weapon on the left side of his body – an area which would probably have been frisked by security guards prior to Ehud’s reappearance before Eglon.) He was therefore able to draw out his weapon and, with his left hand, use it to deadly effect.

God’s handiwork

Successfully getting away (having locked the door of the king’s apartment behind him) whilst the king’s servants discovered their dead master only after a considerable delay, Ehud “blew a trumpet” in the hill country of the tribe of Ephraim (Jdg 3:27). This summoned the Israelites to battle. The assassination of the Moabite leader clearly indicated God’s handiwork. No doubt galvanised by this success, the Israelite forces gained possession of the fords over the River Jordan thereby blocking the homeward route of the enemy troops. Ehud was in the forefront of this action: “Follow me…for the Lord has given Moab your enemy into your hands” (Jdg 3:28). As a result, about ten thousand Moabites were lost as they attempted to retreat. Described as “vigorous and strong” not one of them escaped.

Is there some restriction affecting you through which God may want to work and show his power to intervene in difficult situations?

Ehud’s willingness to step out alone as God’s “deliverer” and make use of the very restriction that would have labelled him as having nothing to contribute enabled more than victory to be achieved. It resulted in Israel subsequently enjoying eighty years of peace. Is there some restriction affecting you through which God may want to work and show his power to intervene in difficult situations?

Reflection

• Why do we have a tendency to focus on the restrictions from which we may suffer and which make us feel that we have nothing to contribute?
• In what ways can our personal restrictions actually bring into sharper profile the power of God when experiencing his intervention in situations?
• What perspective do the words of Paul in Philippians 4:13 have in this context of restricted ability?