Once upon a time in a land far away, there lived a ruler that was called Ehud. Ehud was a leader but his nation was captured and under the rulership of a fat King called Eglon. Eglon ruled over Ehud’s nation for 18 years. Ehud’s people were tired of this servitude and cried out to their god for redemption. It was none other than Ehud that was identified as the person to redeem them.
This man Ehud was quite courageous but had what many recognized in that time as a big flaw – he was left-handed. Ehud and his people devised a plan to destroy Eglon, wherein the intended end-result was for Eglon to be assassinated. Eglon would be visited by Ehud, under the guise of Ehud delivering him gifts and then Eglon was to be killed in that time. It was a brave plan. It was a dangerous plan. Would it succeed?
The gifts were packed and Ehud and some of his countrymen left out to see fat King Eglon. Under his clothes, on his right thigh, Ehud had concealed a dagger with both edges sharpened. This was the weapon that was supposed to do the deed.
When Ehud arrived to see King Eglon, the King’s men, looking to Ehud’s left side (a right-handed person would strap his weapon on the left…but remember Ehud was left-handed) and not seeing a weapon, felt Ehud was unharmed and they did not feel it necessary to search under his clothes. They only checked for the obvious. No weapon was on show and that satisfied them. There was no thought to them that Ehud could have been left-handed.
After his men handed over the gifts to King Eglon, Ehud sent them away and indicated to the King that he wished to tell him, the king, a secret. King Eglon, having received all these gifts from the leader of the nation he had been ruling, was in good spirits and there was also the perspective that the bearer of the gifts had come unarmed. Eglon sent out all his men in order for both leaders to have privacy towards discussing the secret matter Ehud had mentioned. What a trusting King, Eglon was?! Here it is, a man he had never met before, Eglon chose to be alone with him.
After the king’s men went out, Ehud went to where Eglon was, in his summer parlour. Ehud got up and moved towards the king, saying he had a message for him. While doing so, the left-handed Ehud surprised Eglon by drawing his two-sided sharpened dagger from his right thigh. Ehud plunged the dagger into the protruding pot-belly of Eglon, wherein the dagger was buried beyond the hilt in the king, killing him.
“Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour…” The king’s men seeing the summer parlour door closed, wanted to go in to investigate but felt the closed door meant the king was probably using the bathroom and wanted privacy, hence the men decided to wait a while. When the wait was extensive and the parlour door remained closed, the men decided they would open the door and face the King’s wrath rather than just sit and wait. After the door was opened, they discovered the king, lying dead on the ground. By then, Ehud had long escaped and gone back to his country.
When he was within his nation’s boundary, Ehud used a trumpet to summon his warriors. With King Eglon dead, Ehud rallied his men and they attacked and killed approximately ten thousand of Eglon’s soldiers. His nation was no longer captive and this peace lasted for 80 years. From 18 years of captivity to 80 years of peace.
Now, this is a true story found in Judges 3 vs 12-30. Ehud was a real hero and the 2nd Judge of Israel. Eglon was the King of Moab who had Israel in captivity. The bible also reflects the story as graphical as I have written it.
Lessons to be learnt from the Ehud story?
- God can use your worst handicap to his glory.
- Even when you are seen as the least to man and not recognized, you with your least self can play a significant role in God’s plan. In the story, the left-hand was the least and a handicap, wherein, this could also be an analogy reflecting to you as a person.
- Never let your guard down with the enemy. Eglon realized that to his detriment.
- Expect the unexpected.
- When you think it’s peace and safety…
- Don’t just stop at the obvious; check everything.
- Confuse the enemy to secure victory. Presents then assassination.
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