Bye-Bye, Fatty

Fat King

Bye-Bye, Fatty

I’ve struggled with my weight most of my life. I’ve worked really hard, lost 110 pounds, and I’m only about 25 pounds or so from my goal. King Eglon of Moab should have worked on his weight, for the king “was a very fat man” (Jud 3:17). Husky, hefty, obese.

When the Israelites sinned, God gave them over to the chunky king for eighteen long years (Jud 3:12-14). Yet, when the Israelites cried out to YHWH, he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, “a left-handed man” (Jud 3:15). I know many left-handed folks, but being left handed was very rare in the ancient world and was often seen as a disadvantage. Yet for God’s people, Ehud’s being left-handed allowed him to gain victory over his plump opponent.

You see, when the Israelites sent Ehud to pay tribute, he “made a double-edged sword about a cubit long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing” (Jud 3:16). The Moabites were not expecting a man to be left-handed, thus they would never have checked for a weapon strapped to the right thigh. Ehud was able to get alone with Eglon, and he “reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly. Even the handle sank in after the blade, and his bowels discharged” (Jud 3:21–22).

God used an unusual quality in Ehud to bring victory to his people. God can—and will—do the same with you. When we give ourselves wholly to God, he can use even the most mundane, embarrassing, and unusual parts of us to bring glory and honor to his name. Are you allowing God to use all of you for his glory?

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