Ehud, the Left-handed

Scripture:

Judges 3:12-31

Quick Summary:

Israel is under the rule of the Moab king Eglon. Along comes Ehud, the Judge, who is left-handed and had a reputation of being tricky. He used those tricky skills to kill the king and free Israel from Moab.

The Point:

No matter what others think about us, God can use us to do his work.

Questions for Family Time:

1.     Why did people think badly about Ehud?

a.      He was left handed, and everyone thought if you were left handed you must be bad.

2.     How did Ehud use his left handedness for God?

a.  The king didn’t think he was grabbing his sword until it was too late. He killed the evil king.

What did Ehud do?

a.     He plunged the sword into the kings belly, and the king’s guts fell out, and the sword got stuck in his fat. (Gross!)

3.     What did you learn?

a.      No matter what people say is “wrong” with me, God can use it for good!

Deeper:

            The stories of the judges are not sweet stories. They are pretty violent and pretty gross. They are some of the most exciting and vivid stories of the Bible. Even though they can be gory, at the heart, they tell us amazing truths about God and his love for his people. That’s why I am excited to tell these crazy stories to the kids. Our story for today will definitely not disappoint. Stabbing a king and watching his guts pour out. His fat wrapping around the sword. Gross.
            But the real story of God’s love comes before all that craziness when God chooses Ehud. The only thing we are told about Ehud is that he was left handed. For us, this seems a non-descriptor all together. Who cares if he is left-handed? It just means he needs a different set of scissors, right?
            For the Israelites, and the first readers of this text, left-handed meant a lot more. It meant this man was known for being a trickster. He was known for being sneaky and untrustworthy. Those left-handed people were not to be trusted. You never knew what they were up to. Being left-handed came with a bad reputation. Ehud came with a bad reputation.
            Yet, God chooses him, over all the “good boys” in Israel to free God’s people. In fact, God chooses him not despite his flaws, but it appears for his flaws. Ehud does what everyone would expect of him…he tricks the king into trusting him. The wild part of this story is that God takes this flaw, and uses it for his kingdom. He doesn’t ask Ehud to change who he is. He asks Ehud to use his flaws for God’s work.
            We often talk about giving God our gifts, but Ehud reminds us that God wants all of us, flaws included. He wants those parts of us that we are not proud of. The parts that we are made fun of for or looked down on for. He says those bits of us…the divorce, our imperfect bodies, our history of drug use, and our imperfect parenting…those things of ill repute are his tools for changing the world. And he says this for our kids too. Not good at school? God can use it. Not great at sports? God can use it. Not cool? God needs you. Can’t sit still to save your life? God wants us, flaws and all. God sees potential where we only see brokenness.

Personal Reflection:

               What do you see as your flaws? How could God use those flaws to make the world a better place?