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Wired Different

Judges 3:20-21, 27b, 30
And Ehud came to [Eglon, king of Moab] as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he arose from his seat. And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. … Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader. … So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.

After being chosen as the courier to take tribute to king Eglon, Ehud hatches a wild do-or-die plan, rolling every possible scenario around in his mind as he gallops forward to Moab. This is a risky rouse to say the least. Consider the obstacles for a moment. How on earth will he manage to get past Eglon’s armed guards at the front gate without his blade being discovered? Surely, they’ll frisk him for weapons, right? And even if he does manage to get past the guards, how will he get the king alone, away from his palace servants?

I believe this is precisely why Ehud’s left-handedness comes in handy. For one, I imagine that word was spreading through Israel’s ranks from previous tribute-bearers that Eglon was becoming overconfident and lax in his security measures—that he was no longer meticulously checking his Jewish captors for weapons. But beyond that, even if the guards did make a routine check at the gate, they must’ve only checked Ehud’s left thigh for weapons since that’s where a typical, right-handed man would keep them. Evidently, the very notion of a left-handed warrior never entered their minds at all! They make their quick check, see that Ehud’s upper right thigh is bare, and give the “all clear.”

Well, what happens next is a remarkable blur of divine reckoning: Ehud kills Eglon, slips away from the palace unnoticed, gathers an army back home, and returns to crush the Moabites. I wonder how many of the men on this day who now sing Ehud’s praises and hail his single-handed contribution are the same ones who, growing up, called him weird or odd or even a disappointment. One thing’s for sure: Ehud’s left hand won’t be the brunt of jokes any longer. Oh no—it’s the stuff of legend now.

 

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