In my Old Testament class I recently taught through the Book of Judges. Samson is probably the most famous judge of Israel, but I love the story of Ehud. He's known for being "left-handed." The original wording of this description literally means that his right hand doesn't work. Scholars believe that perhaps Ehud's right hand was injured or he had some kind of defect or handicap of his right hand. In the culture of the Ancient Near East, the right hand was the hand of power and authority, so a person with an injured or handicapped right hand wouldn't be considered much of a threat. But God chose Ehud to deliver the Israelites from the oppression of the Moabites and their great king, Eglon. You can read the full story in Judges 3:12-30 HERE. It's a really cool story.
Also this week, I received an email devotion from Carson Newman that happened to be about the story of Ehud. I loved what the writer of the devotion said:
Once we see how the story of Ehud points to Jesus Christ, we can see our part to play in the story. God uses unlikely people to bring about His plan. God delights to use the weak things of the world to shame the strong; the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. We are strongest and wisest when we think we are fools and weak and look to God. When we do, God can use us for His glory. It doesn’t matter how young you may be.
Joan of Arc led armies at 17. Pascal invented a type of calculator at 19. Madison led the Continental Congress at 29. It also doesn’t matter how old we are. Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings at 62. Webster finished his first dictionary at 66. John Glenn went to space at 77. God gets glory because He uses farmers, fishermen, former terrorists, former prostitutes, and carpenters to turn the world upside down. He can do the same with us!
