Transcript
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OVERCOMING STRONGHOLDS!

Judges 3:12-31

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How do you overcome strongholds in your life? How do you overcome oppression in work, the home or in your life in general? How do you overcome LARGE DIFFICULTIES?

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The Bible always has the answer, it is by FAITH and PRAYER “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God Romans 10:17. This message may help you and later I would like offer you the prayer time. SEE UNLESS WE DEAL WITH THESE THINGS, WE CANNOT BE FULLY USED OF THE LORD.

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Turn to Judges 3:12-31. Verse 12 “And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord strengthened Eglon (EG-LAWN) king of Moab (MOW’AB) against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. Verse 13 “Then he gathered to himself the people of Ammon (AM-MONE) and Amalek (AM-AW-LAKE), went and defeated Israel, and took possession of the City of Palms (Jericho). Verse 14 so the children of Israel served Eglon (EG-LAWN) king of Moab (MOW’AB) eighteen years.”

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Do you remember the woman Jesus healed on the Sabbath day found in Luke 13:11-16?11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. 12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” 13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? 16 So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound--think of it--for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”

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Both are for 18 YEARS! How long have you been hurting and troubled? Eglon (EG-LAWN) (means calf-like). A king of the Moabites (MOA-A-BITES), crossed the Jordan and took “the city of palm trees” Jericho in (1359 b.c.), according to Josephus, he built himself a palace there, and continued for eighteen years to oppress the children of Israel, who paid him tribute.

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See when the “children of God did evil in the sight of the Lord” God lifts His hand of protection off them. When we are living in sin, that sin MUST be dealt with, or we will be overcome by it, and God’s hand and blessing will be lost! Notice what happens next!

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Verse 15 “BUT when the children of Israel cried out (crying in repentance) to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them: Ehud (AY-HOOD) the son of Gera (Ge'ra), the Benjamite, a left-handed man. By him the children of Israel sent tribute to Eglon (EG-LAWN) king of Moab.”

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Ehud (AY-HOOD), meaning he that praises, of the tribe of Benjamin. As a Benjamite he was specially chosen to destroy Eglon (EG-LAWN), who had established himself in Jericho, which was included in the boundaries of that tribe. He was very strong, but left-handed.

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Benjamin signifies the son of the right hand, yet men’s natures do not always answer their names. The only thing that this man had going for him was that he was left-handed as we will see soon. For God chose this left-handed man to be the man of His right hand. GOD WANTS YOU AS HIS RIGHT HAND MAN OR WOMAN ALSO!

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Remember Joshua “After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant” Joshua 1:1. Joshua had to live with the fact that he was the son of Nun, sounds likes “nobodies child.” He must have felt at times that he wanted to be the son of a somebody.

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Ehud (AY-HOOD), must have felt the same at times, he was left-handed, of the tribe of right-handed men. But God never uses the men or women you expect at times. GOD HAS A CALLING AND WORK FOR YOU TO DO!

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Verse 16 “Now Ehud (AY-HOOD) made himself a dagger (it was double-edged and a cubit in length) and fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh.”

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Note a two edged sword was made by him. Double-edge sword must speak of the “Word of God.”

Ephesians 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

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The sword was usually worn on the left side; so that Ehud's (AY-HOOD) was the more likely to escape detection. Now do not miss that. He was left-handed and would have to reach over on his right side to pull out the dagger. In that day almost everybody was right-handed, (more so a Benjamite) and they were searched on the left side to see if they carried a weapon. The king’s Secret Service agents searched Ehud (AY-HOOD) on the wrong side.

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Verse 17 “So he brought the tribute to Eglon (EG-LAWN) king of Moab. (Now Eglon (EG-LAWN) was a very fat man.) Verse 18 And when he had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried the tribute. Verse 19 But he himself turned back from the stone images that were at Gilgal (GIL’GAL), and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” He said, “Keep silence!” And all who attended him went out from him. Verse 20 And Ehud (AY-HOOD) came to him (now he was sitting upstairs in his cool private chamber). Then Ehud (AY-HOOD), said, “I have a message from God for you.” So he arose from his seat.”

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In a clever move, Ehud (AY-HOOD), was selected to bring a “present” of the tribute money, (maybe with a large among of food also) demanded of Israel by the Moabite king. Ehud (AY-HOOD), decided to use it as an opportunity to assassinate the Moabite king. In order to carry out the assassination attempt, after the official presentation of the tribute, Ehud (AY-HOOD) dismissed the entourage and requested a private audience with the king himself.

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Perhaps Eglon (EG-LAWN) thought that Ehud (AY-HOOD), had come to deliver a new recipe for a triple chocolate cake etc. or perhaps he thought Ehud (AY-HOOD), was prepared to bring a special bribe to him personally in addition to the tribute. The fact that the king responded to his secret errand with the statement “Keep silence” further suggests that he expected something of a personal nature that he did not want the others to know about, thus, he sent them out.

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His summer parlour, where he used to indulge himself in ease and luxury food, was soon to be the place of his execution. Ehud (AY-HOOD), demands his attention to a message from God (verse 20), and that message was a dagger of judgment and death to Eglon (EG-LAWN).

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Though a heathen king, though rich and powerful, when he expected to receive orders form heaven, he rose out of his seat; he stood up when God was about to speak to him.

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Verse 21 “Then Ehud (AY-HOOD), reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. Verse 22 Even the hilt went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the dagger out of his belly; and DIRT (his entrails) came out.”

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At a convenient moment, Ehud (ay-hood), grabbing the dagger with his left hand from his right thigh as he ran, and thrust it into his belly and plunged it into the king. He stuck him like you would a pig. The dagger was covered by the king’s fat. The story of Eglon’s (EG-LAWN) death is both graphic and hair-raising.

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Eglon (EG-LAWN) signifies a calf, and he fell like a fatted calf, by the knife, an acceptable sacrifice to divine justice. Notice “As the sword went in the dirt came out” the coming out of the dirt or dung, he that had been so very nice and curious about his own body, to keep it easy and clean, now he will be found wallowing in his own blood and guts (excrements).

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Ehud (AY-HOOD), having slain the king of Moab, assembled the men of Israel, marched against Moab, and killed about ten thousand retreating soldiers. Israel then enjoyed rest for eighty years.

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It is the sword of the Lord that needs to be taken to those things in your life, for when the sword goes in the dirt comes out! “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God Romans 10:17. TOO BE USED OF THE LORD WE NEED TO DEAL WITH THOSE THINGS IN OUR LIVES THAT TROUBLE US!

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See also: Internetpreachersforchrist.blogspot.com/


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