-- Wednesday, 7/14/10 -- USING OUR WEAKNESSES -- Judges 3:15
J.R. & Bonnie Ricks
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USING OUR WEAKNESSES -- Judges 3:15 NIV
Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer — Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.
This time, when Israel cried out to the Lord for help, He gave them Ehud - a deliverer judge who was left-handed. At that time, being left-handed was considered to be a handicap. Ehud was less than whole. His left-handedness made him weak in the eyes of the people. But in God's eyes, his weakness was a blessing. With God's help, his weakness became his strength.
When Israel sent him to carry a tribute to Eglon, it's doubtful anyone realized that Ehud was going to be able to accomplish what he did. From the description, this guy Eglon probably looked a lot like Jobba the Hut - mound upon mound of globby fat… a really gross individual. Ehud knew this, so he made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long - one that would go all the way through a normal weight person, so it would definitely get far enough into Eglon to do some damage. Ehud strapped the knife to his right thigh, where no one would look for it. (A right-handed person would have his sword strapped to his left thigh.) Then he managed to get a private audience with Eglon and killed him. (For the gory details, read Judges 3:21-22... ugh!)
God used Ehud's weakness to accomplish His purpose. With God's help, Ehud's weakness was the instrument through which Israel was saved from its enemy, Eglon. God approaches each of us through our weaknesses to show us His strength. He heals the co-dependent man so that he can minister to others with co-dependency and enabler problems. He comforts the woman who has lost her child to cancer so she can counsel other parents in the same predicament. He allows a music star to become gravely ill, and that person stands before all of America and gives a testimony to God's goodness. He allows a child to be born with no hands, and that child becomes a musical blessing to the world - playing the guitar with his feet. He allows another child to be born with cerebral palsy, then makes him into a great evangelist who leads others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
All of us have weaknesses. Praise God for yours, because through them He can make you strong.
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 NIV
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