The 2nd Judge - Ehud

At home in heaven, Othniel had hardly been gone when

The people of promise had perverted their way

Sinning in the Lord’s sight & serving other gods. The

Lord’s choler was kindled & his countenance was

Changed toward the children of his chosen Israel

Amalek and Ammon, led by Eglon the Moabite

Invaded Israel and instituted a tyrannical rule.

For 18 years, they yearned for yesterday’s freedom

And lamented their loss of liberty to no avail.

Finally, they faced the fact that forgetting the Lord

Had caused their calamity. They cried out to the Lord

To forgive their failure & free them from their foes.

The gracious God heard their groanings & granted

The people a pardon by providing a deliverer

To lead them to liberty. The Lord raised up Ehud

To break their bonds and battle the Moabites.

The 12 tribes at that time were under tribute to Eglon

& were forced to give gifts to the greedy warlord

Ehud carried that cargo to the king of Moab

But he had hidden a weapon, a handmade dagger which he

Had run in under his raiment on his right thigh.

So as Eglon sat in his summer parlor

Ehud, Israel’s emissary entered his presence &

Presented the portly prince with the present they sent.

Then Ehud said, “Sir I have a secret errand to thee.”

The king told the courier to keep silence until he had

Told all of his attendants To take leave of him

When Ehud and Eglon were alone in the chamber

Ehud came close to him and quietly said to the

Morbidly obese Moabite “I have a message from God.”

Then he lifted his left hand and lunged with his dagger

Blunting the blade into the belly of Eglon

Where His fat folded over and fastened the dagger.

As Eglon gave up the ghost & groaned his last, Ehud with

All his strength struggled to extricate his dagger

From the flesh of the fallen warlord

Pull and pry as he may the weapon was

Held fast by its haft in his huge stomach.

Unable to draw the dagger he darted for the windows

And winged his way off to the wilderness of Seirath

But before he broke loose he bolted the doors

Of the prince’s parlor to prevent the entry

Of soldier or sentry till he was safe in Seirath

There he rallied resistance to rout the Moabites

And end the enslavement of every Israelite

Eglon’s servants, surprised to see that their master

Lingered so long in the locked parlour

Waited in the wings wondering what to do.

They knocked & knocked but none answered.

It would be embarrassing to barge in on Eglon, but

Too much time had gone by to tarry any longer.

They called for a key, came into the parlour &

were dumbfounded to find the fallen Eglon

Lying down dead upon the deck of his chamber.

- Steven L Anderson, 2011