Ehud - It Will Kill

Judges 3:16-17  Now Ehud made for himself a sword a cubit long, which had two edges, and he bound it on his right thigh under his robe.17 And he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.

Have you ever watched the show "Forged in Fire"?  It's a reality competition show where competitors make knives and they see who makes the best one.  There are many rules: The time frame in which to complete the task, the metal they have to use, the type of knife they must create - and then when it's all said and done, the expert judges test the knives to see how well they are built.  If you have seen the show, what insight into the level of expertise required - and skill - to make even a simple knife.

The Bible shares with us the parameters of the knife that Ehud had made.  It was a cubit long - which is 18 inches, and it was sharp on both sides. It's interesting that these details are given to us.  I think letting us know that Ehud made this knife himself shows us that he is a skilled bladesmith.  We are also told in the previous verse (see earlier blog) that Ehud is left-handed.  This explains why his knife was bound on his right thigh, thus making it easier for him to reach it.  Another detail given to us in these short versus is the girth of the king.  "Very Fat Man".  My mind quickly goes to Jabba the hut.  A picture of greed and laziness, self-serving and slothenly.  

Now  I don't believe that Eglon was always this way.  It tells us in the earlier versus that he went down with his soldiers to capture the Israelites.  That says 'soldier' and someone in good health to me. I think this is another nod to what can happen over 18 years when one gets complacent and only seeks to serve oneself.

It's very interesting the detail that God gives to us in His word (just two verses at that) and how all this will play out in the life of Ehud.....