A Regular Joe

A series on the Judges of Israel
 – Ehud from the tribe of Benjamin
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Judges 3:12-30 

[The book of Judges is a roller coaster ride. It’s about the history of Israel following their entry into the Promised Land. Unfortunately, Israel went through cycles of rejecting God and then repenting. Each time, the Lord saved them by raising up a leader who was called a judge. In this series, we will be looking at some of these judges to learn about God’s character as well as our own.]

 

"Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! 

Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!

Look, up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's SUPERMAN!!!

 

This was the introduction for every episode of the TV series “Adventures of Superman”. What made it more amazing was that Superman in real life was a mild mannered reporter who wore glasses. But, when Clark Kent heard about a crisis, he stepped into a telephone booth and emerged as Superman ready for action!

 

The story from this passage in Judges opens with Israel doing evil in the sight of the Lord. Therefore, the Lord gave Eglon, king of Moab, control over Israel. As a result, Israel was oppressed by Eglon for eighteen years.

 

Because of this, the Israelites cried out to God for help. So the Lord raised a rescuer by the name of Ehud, a left-handed man. In the meantime, the Israelites sent Ehud, along with others, to take their annual tribute to Eglon.

 

However, what the Israelites didn’t know was that Ehud had his own plans. He had made a double edged dagger which he strategically strapped to his right thigh hiding it under his clothes.

 

After delivering the tribute to Eglon and leaving, Ehud circled back without the others. He told Eglon that he had a secret message for him from God. Once all the servants were out of the room, Ehud quickly grabbed his dagger with his left hand and thrust it deep into the king’s belly killing him.

 

He then fled the city going to the hill country of Ephraim where Ehud sounded a call to arms for Israelites to follow him in fighting the Moabites. They killed ten thousand of their able-bodied warriors. Consequently, Moab was subject to Israel for eighty years.

 

Like Clark Kent, Ehud was just a “regular Joe”. In fact, in that culture being left handed was considered a weakness. Therefore, Eglon would not have expected an attack from his left hand. But God had raised up a deliverer by using Ehud’s weakness to show the Lord’s strength.

 

Paul wrote about this paradox of strength through weakness in his second letter to the Corinthian believers.

 

⁹ But God said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.    ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.           NIV

 

When you think about it, what Ehud did was pretty remarkable. He acted decisively without anybody to back him up. He was motivated because God had raised him up as Israel’s deliverer. And even though being left handed was considered a liability, he turned it into an asset.

 

As you can see one person, even a “regular Joe”, can make a difference.

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

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Superman

1 Timothy 6:11-21

 

 

“Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive!

Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!”

“Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane!

It’s Superman!”

 

These are the powerful words that I heard as a little boy every time Superman was on TV in the 50’s. Normally, he was mild mannered Clark Kent, a journalist. But when he put on his cape, he became a hero who went flying around Metropolis defeating the bad guys with super human powers. He was one man who changed the world around him. And I wanted to be like him.

 

In today’s passage Paul addresses Timothy as a man of God. Obviously Paul had great respect for him and believed that Timothy, like Superman, could change the world around him. He could do it, not because he had super human powers, but because God was with him and had called Timothy to Ephesus. Being called a man of God carried with it high expectations.

 

Listen to some of Paul’s challenging words to Timothy:

 

• But you, man of God, flee from this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
• Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.
• I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame.
• Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth.
• Guard what has been entrusted to your care.

 

Clearly, being a man of God who is called to change the world is not an easy task. However, like Timothy, God has called us to guard what has been entrusted to us; to keep his commands without spot or blame; to flee sin and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness; to live a life that shares Christ’s love.

 

In so doing, we will be fighting evil in the world. We may not be Superman, but we can be a Man or Woman of God who can change the world around us. Not because we have super human powers, but because we know God will never leave us, is always faithful, has gifted us, loves us and has sent us to do His will.