Head Scratcher — Ehud - Wednesday


Today’s Verse

Judges 3:20-23

Ehud walked over to Eglon, who was sitting alone in a cool upstairs room. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you!” As King Eglon rose from his seat, Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled out the dagger strapped to his right thigh, and plunged it into the king’s belly. The dagger went so deep that the handle disappeared beneath the king’s fat. So Ehud did not pull out the dagger, and the king’s bowels emptied. Then Ehud closed and locked the doors of the room and escaped down the latrine. (NLT)


Good morning! I hope you aren’t reading this while you eat anything… Like I said on day one, this story is savage. It is violent and gross. And yet, we can still use it to learn more about God and His character.

I want you to think for a moment about the worst decision you’ve ever made. Sounds tough, I know, but you probably have something in mind. Some decision you made that you wish you hadn’t. Some words you said that forever changed a relationship. A memory you’ve tried to lock away so you’d never have to remember it.

I can think of a few. 

In Romans 3:23, a follower of Jesus named Paul reminded the church in Rome that, “everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” And just a few chapters later in Romans 6:23, Paul says, “the wages of sin is death.” 

Bottom line: our sin results in death. And when the Israelite people found themselves enslaved to King Eglon due to their sins, well… death had to follow suit. King Eglon was killed so that Israel could be freed. 

But as we said on Monday, the Israelites did this time and time again. Israel had this tendency to do what they knew was evil, choosing to live their lives without God as their leader and King, resulting in their enslavement again, and again, and again. No matter how often God sent a judge to save them, no matter how gruesome the death of the evil king was, no matter how miraculous the miracle that saved Israel… no matter what, they always ended up back in the same pattern of evil and slavery. 

And so God did something to free His people once and for all. A sacrifice to end all sacrifices. A death so no one else would have to die. A good, innocent, and righteous King was gruesomely and savagely murdered so that God’s people would finally be free. 

God sent His son Jesus to die on the cross so that we would find freedom in Him from all of our worst decisions. 

I see how God saved his people in Judges 3, and am so grateful that God has saved us once and for all through Jesus. 


REFLECTION

Read Romans 3:24-25a and Romans 6:23. Instead of going to God with requests, simply approach God with thanksgiving, praising Jesus for His ultimate sacrifice on the cross that has freed us forever.


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Head Scratcher — Ehud - Thursday

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Head Scratcher — Ehud - Tuesday