The Hand of the Left: Ehud, Eglon, and the Strategy of Deliverance
The story of Ehud, Israel’s second judge, found in the book of Judges, is a striking example of God using unconventional means and unexpected individuals to execute His deliverance. It follows the recurring four-part cycle of the Judges period: sin, servitude, supplication, and salvation.
I. The Eighteen Years of Oppression
Following a period of peace, the children of Israel once again turned from the Lord. Their disobedience led to the rise of Eglon, the king of Moab, who marshaled the children of Ammon and Amalek and conquered Israel, taking possession of the strategic “city of palm trees” (Jericho). The consequence of Israel’s sin was eighteen years of oppressive servitude.
The King James Version states:
“And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.” (Judges 3:12)
II. The Unlikely Deliverer: Ehud the Left-Handed
When the Israelites cried out to the Lord in their distress, God raised up a deliverer: Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite. Crucially, the text describes him as “a man lefthanded.” This detail is key to the entire operation. While being left-handed was often viewed as unusual, for Ehud, it became a lethal tactical advantage.
Ehud’s mission began when he was chosen to deliver the customary tribute to the oppressive King Eglon.
“But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.” (Judges 3:15)
III. The Secret Message from God
Ehud prepared a double-edged dagger about a cubit (roughly eighteen inches) long and secretly concealed it upon his right thigh. This was a stroke of genius: a typical right-handed warrior would carry his sword on the left, and that is where Eglon’s guards would search. The dagger on the right thigh of the left-handed Ehud went unnoticed.
After delivering the tribute and dismissing his company, Ehud returned to the king, who was sitting alone in his “summer parlour.” Ehud requested a private audience, claiming to have a “secret errand” for the king. Eglon, a king described as “a very fat man,” dismissed his attendants and stood to receive the divine message.
The dramatic climax is recorded in the KJV:
“And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat. And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly: And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.” (Judges 3:20-22)
Ehud then locked the doors and escaped while Eglon’s servants waited, believing their king was merely “relieving himself in his summer chamber.”
IV. The Call to Victory
Ehud immediately sounded the trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, rallying the Israelites. He led them to seize the fords of Jordan—the only escape route for the Moabite forces—effectively cutting off the invaders’ retreat.
The result was a devastating rout: ten thousand of the stoutest Moabite warriors were slain. The land was then granted rest for eighty years—one of the longest periods of peace recorded in the Book of Judges.
“And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand… So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.” (Judges 3:28, 30)
The Return Question: The Finality of Judgment
The story of Ehud and Eglon, while focusing on a temporal deliverance, holds profound lessons about the Lord’s future return and judgment.
The Return Question is: How does Ehud’s decisive, single-stroke judgment on Eglon prefigure the final and complete judgment that will accompany the Lord’s Return?
| Prophetic Parallel | Ehud’s Judgment on Eglon | The Day of the Lord |
| Decisiveness | Ehud’s act was irreversible; he did not draw the sword out, leaving the haft embedded. It was a complete, finished action. | The Lord’s Return will be a decisive, final moment that ends all earthly rebellion and oppression forever. |
| Cunning/Strategy | God used Ehud’s concealed weapon and a clever tactical advantage (his left-handedness) to defeat the strong oppressor. | The Lord’s return will be unexpected and employ a strategic timetable known only to God, coming as “a thief in the night” (2 Peter 3:10, KJV). |
| Result: Peace | The death of Eglon brought eighty years of rest for Israel—a long period of Sabbath from war. | The Lord’s Return will usher in the establishment of His kingdom on earth, bringing about an era of eternal peace and rest that forever transcends the cycle of sin and oppression. |
The victory through Ehud shows that even one man, uniquely gifted and acting in faith, can be the catalyst for national deliverance when appointed by God. The final deliverance at the Lord’s Return will likewise demonstrate the supreme power of God’s chosen King.