Pete Owen - What the Judges Teach us about the work of Jesus and His Comming - Class 2 - Ehud make a Sword with Two Edges

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:05

   I don’t think I can remember reading a section of scripture that’s so small. I mean the the the account of evil is from verse 12 to verse 30 with such extraordinary detail pointing to the work of the Lord Jesus. Every word in this account teaches us about the work of the Lord Jesus and we LL see in this session now that we re going to focus particularly on the work of the Lord Jesus in his first coming. Now what does eglon mean?

2. 0:39

   So this Moabite king is strengthened by God and he he becomes the ruler over the Israelites. What does eglon mean? Well, if you look it up in strongs, you’ll see it’s the word round. Right now, I’m already as a primary school teacher feeling entertained by this, right, that this guy, his name means round.

3. 1:06

   And if you look it up further, it says that the root of the word is the word calf. Now, what do we know about in verse 17, the end of the verse, it says Eglon was a you Listen, I know normally this is it’s rude, but it’s the Bible, so you’re allowed to say it. OK.

4. 1:25

   Eglon was a very fat man. If you say to my children, can you tell me something about Eglon? They’ll say he was a fat. Thank you, Steve. Yes, that’s excellent. That’s really good. They’ll tell you even more. They’ll tell you he was a very fat man, but he really was a fat cow, right?

5. 1:48

   Round calf Eglon is a fat cow right? Now, let me give you a bit more evidence for that because that’s not a lot, is it? But do you know that Hebrew word of the this idea of the this fat man? So I’ve put some some some notes for you on the screen here.

6. 2:06

   I know we can’t read them very well, but just to help Eglon from this word from calf, same as round, OK, He’s a very fat man. And that word fat here, the last time it’s used in the Scriptures is in Genesis 41. Just go to Genesis 41 and it’s used repeatedly in Genesis 41.

7. 2:23

   As soon as you get there, you’ll know it because you remember Pharaoh’s dream and Pharaoh dreamt about 7 thin cows, but he also dreamt about 7. Come on, wake up. He dreamt about 7, right? So you read in the record in Genesis 41, fat cow, fat cow, fat cow, fat cow, fat cow.

8. 2:43

   Then you come to Judges and you read about a everyone’s got it. I love it. Right? Brilliant. Well done. Eglon is this fat cow and this guy symbolises the flesh. I heard it said on a study that someone gave me on on Judges. Here the eglon symbolises horizontally what Goliath symbolises vertically, right? So Goliath symbolises King sin.

9. 3:22

   He’s this big tall guy. And Eglon, well, he’s this big fat guy, right? And he symbolises king sin. You notice Judges 3 verse 14, the children of Israel served Eglon. Now make a note in your margin. Next, the word serve the word slave in the Hebrew. But you know, be that as it may, Romans 616 and then will you turn there for me, please? Romans 6/16 and Romans 6 we learn about a king that can rule in US, and the king that if we let it can rule in our lives, can reign in the life of Peter Owen, of anyone else. Is king sin?

10. 4:29

    So Romans 6 verse 12 Let not sin therefore reign. Let it not be the king. Don’t let king sin reign in you. What shall we say? What then? Verse 15 shall we sin because we’re not under the law, but under grace? God forbid know you not that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, they become the children of Israel in Judges 3 the servants don’t they to eglon to whom you yield yourself servants to obey, whether of sin, to death, or of obedience to righteousness.

11. 5:15

    God be thanked that you were the servants of sin, but you’ve obeyed from the heart. Remember we saw the importance of the heart. Psalm 81, Romans chapter one the importance of the heart in our lives. If you get your heart right, if you’ve obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you, being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness.

12. 5:46

    So in our lives we’ve got a question to ask ourselves, who is going to reign in me, King Sin or King righteousness, and to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey? Well, that’s who. That’s who you let be your king. So if you allow in your life temptation to continually take over and to continually make choices that you really know you should not make, in the end you are making a choice.

13. 6:27

    I am making a choice to serve King Sin. So all of us have got to be challenged by that. There is no point in coming on a weekend like this and, you know, getting their pencils out, scribbling away, you know, we’ve got some more head knowledge. Great, Love that you saw that. Brilliant. Met some people I know and, you know, met some new people. Great.

14. 6:53

    In the end, it doesn’t affect us on Monday morning, on Tuesday morning or or or Wednesday night, student night and we go, great, it’s student night, brilliant. This is on and that’s on in the city.

15. 7:12

    You gotta on Wednesday night think who am I going to obey? Do I go sing King sin or do I go King righteousness? Do I get to Bible class or do I go out my mates?

16. 7:31

    Do you see that in the end, if it doesn’t affect us, then we might as well be serving Eglon. So the first point is they’re serving him. They’ve been sold to him because that’s who they’ve chosen to obey. OK, come back to Judges through and you’ll see that Eglon, the king of Moab verse 12 comes against Israel because he had done evil in the because they had done rather evil in the sight of the Lord. And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek and went and smote Israel and possessed the city of palm trees.

17. 8:11

    Now the city of palm trees is which city? Jericho right So the city of palm trees. We believe that that here S this Moabite king. You remember that the Moabite territory is the territory that the Simianites got caught up with before they crossed the Jordan. So it’s in modern day Jordan, It’s just across the river, and the first major city they came to when they crossed the river was Jericho.

18. 8:37

    But this guy has now gone in and archaeologists have dug up what they believe could be the palace of Eglon. So this guy comes in and he sets himself up in Jericho to serve them, and he brings with him Ammon and Amalek. Now wherever we read the Amalekites in Scripture, leprosy in Scripture represents, the Canaanites in Scripture represent, and the Amalekites in Scripture represent sin.

19. 9:11

    All right, so the Amalekites are bad news. The fact that they’re here just with you, come back to Exodus 17. Most of you know this really well, but just very quickly go back to Exodus 17 to be reminded of how the Amalekites were defeated when they came against the Israelites. And you know this well, Exodus 17 Moses said to Joshua, verse 9 choose out men and go out fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.

20. 9:47

    So Joshua did as Moses said to him and fought with Amalek and Moses Erin and her went to the top of the hill. And you remember, don’t you, that Moses had to have his hands held up. And Joshua S in the battle fighting Joshua S in the valley fighting the battle. Joshua represents who who fights our our battles in the valley.

21. 10:07

    Moses with his arms outstretched On one side he’s got Aaron, who is a on the other side, he’s got her who is A and Moses is a prophet. So you’ve got a priest, a prophet and a Prince and his arms are outstretched. And we see that teaches us, doesn’t it, of the work of the Lord Jesus. And because of that work, the battle gets won. When the arms go down, the battle can’t be won. The arms have to be lifted up.

22. 10:42

    That’s the symbol of Israel, of prayer, that through prayer God will fight our battles. But also clearly isn’t it teaching us of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ put on the cross to deal with the problem of the Amalekites with the problem of sin? Now just come to Deuteronomy 25 because this part of the record in Exodus doesn’t tell us how sneaky and awful the Amalekites were.

23. 11:11

    Verse 17, Moses says to them in this final speech he gives before he falls asleep, and he doesn’t go into the land. Deuteronomy 25 verse 17 Remember what Amalek did to you by the way, when you will come out forth. When you came forth out of Egypt, he met you by the way, and smote the hindmost of you, even all that were feeble behind you. When they were faint and weary, he feared not God. Remember what Amalek did, says God. And what the Amalekites did is they picked off those that were at the back, at the hindmost, those that were feeble and weary and young people, brothers and sisters. Surely we’ve got to take this lesson on in our lives. Two things we need to reflect on now. Where are you in ecclesial life?

24. 12:15

    Are you a bit weary at the moment? I just shattered. I I if you had my job, if you had my course, you’d understand. I’m up to here. Do you realize what I’m planning at the moment? To sort out? Oh, I’ve got em. If we get weary, the Amalekites can pick us off.

25. 12:45

    Those who are feeble, spiritually broken and feeble. Where are you if you allow yourself to get too feeble, You’re not taking in the meat of the word. You’re you’re not really, really trying to draw on the Scriptures in your life. You will get feeble. It’s inevitable. It’s impossible not to.

26. 13:10

    King sin. The Amalekites will pick you off. That’s reflection #1 where are you in the Ecclesia? And the remedy? Yes, it’s getting to Bible class. Yes, it’s getting to youth gatherings. Yes, it’s making sure that we attend the meeting, do our readings and prep. It’s also working.

27. 13:38

    Have you got a job in the Ecclesia? I don’t mean like, you know, a title. You know what I mean? Excuse me. I I don’t mind doing a job, but it does need to have a title. And I’d like to have it announced every Sunday. What it is that the title of the king cleaner is doing?

28. 13:54

    Yeah. I just mean, are you giving something? Sometimes we’re really good, aren’t we, at taking. Do you know what I mean? We’re we’re really good at, you know, letting others do bits and pieces. And yeah, we’re good at turning up. Are we? Are we give us, are we prepared to say sure, I’ll, I’ll help with that. Every Sunday morning, announcements are given and often help is asked for.

29. 14:25

    And do you know what? Nearly always, if you speak to a recording brother who gives those announcements and say to them on the Sunday evening, does anyone? No one. We’re all terrible at offering to help. If you offer to help and get working, your position immediately changes in the camp. You immediately go from being at the hindmost, at the back, feeble, weary, to moving to the middle to be working.

30. 15:00

    Get working in the ecclesia. Find a reflection point here. Be mindful where your brothers and sisters or where your friends are. Because OK, you might be right in the heart of ecclesial life, but if someone you know and love just like a dog on the outside, you’ve got to get them in. By hook or by crook you’ve got to get them in because they are so vulnerable at the back, being weary, being feeble.

31. 15:46

    You VE got to drive outside their house, honk your horn and say I’m not stopping honking my horn till you get in my car. We’re going to Bible class together right when I grew up in South Devon there was a a family and they just never went to anything except the Sunday morning meeting.

32. 16:06

    So my dad relentlessly poor family rang up on a Thursday, which was our Bible class night, said. I’m coming to pick you up. I’m coming to pick you up. I’m coming to pick you up. And then it became a habit of that brother and sister S life and they suddenly got themselves in the middle of the camp and loved being part of the ecclesia and what amazing brothers and sisters they were.

33. 16:34

    Sadly, that brother, much older brother, he’s fallen asleep now. He’s fallen asleep in the hope of Israel. Nothing to worry about. He’s in the. Middle of the camp. So practically think who’s weak, weary, vulnerable, but the high most do something about it. Do something about it. OK, We know we come back to Judges chapter 3. The Amalekites were there.

34. 17:05

    That’s the type of people they were. Judges 3. I’m going to, because of time, they’re going to move us past this. I want you to notice that Eglon, the king of Moab was the king over the children of Israel. They had to serve him four verse 4 18 years. Now when I was studying this, I found myself thinking, you know, what does this mean?

35. 17:34

    You know, each word is important. 18 years. Where do we? Well, we do come across another period of 18 years in Scripture in Luke 13. You come with me to Luke 13. Keep a marker. But it’s interesting, isn’t it? You know, we believe that the whole of Scripture is the inspired word of God.

36. 17:54

    So we find it fascinating that there’s another part of Scripture where we read about a period of 18 years and this 18 years is the time a woman had a spirit of infirmity. So Luke 13 and verse 10, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity. 18 years.

37. 18:27

    So here’s our link, isn’t it? Oh, that’s interesting. 18 years and this woman was bowed together. Josh, there’s our word bowed together. We’ll pick it up for everyone else in a minute and could in no wise lift herself up. So this woman is bowed down. She she’s, she’s got a smooth of infirmity.

38. 18:51

    She she’s physically disabled because of this spirit of infirmity. And how is it described in verse 16 that the Lord Jesus says ought not this woman being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan hath bound Satan is king sin Satan has bound below these 18 years. This woman couldn T she be loosed from this bond?

39. 19:19

    And of course, they were furious because of the fact He’d done it on the Sabbath day. What the Lord Jesus Christ does, verse 13, He laid his hands on her and immediately she was made straight and glorified God. So the Lord Jesus Christ is able to deal with the problem of sin. She’s bound by Satan and its consequences. She’s totally bowed over.

40. 19:50

    She’s bowed down. She’s bowed down because the pressures of sin, she’s bound by it. Do you see that? And who is it that provides the remedy? The Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour, the judge. So come back now to judges. And I want you to notice in judges too, when we read about the cycle of the judges. In verse 12, what do you read about the Israelites that’s significant when we compare it to this woman. They bow down to them.

41. 20:39

    Thanks, Caleb. They bowed themselves to them. Judges 2 and verse 12. So do you see that? What is happening in their life? They’re bound by Eglon in type Satan in type, King sin, they’re bound by him and bowed under the pressure of him. And Luke 18 tells us the solution for her problem for 18 years can only come in the Saviour of the Lord Jesus Christ.

42. 21:12

    And so when we come with that information back to Judges 3, we’re not surprised to see that when they’ve been bound by Eglon, the king of Maab, 18 years, the children of Israel, verse 15, cried unto the Lord. The Lord raised them up a deliverer. The word deliverer is the word Saviour. He gives them the Saviour.

43. 21:35

    And the Saviour is this man Ehud, the son of Gira, a Benjamite, a man left-handed. Now, the Benjamites, what were they famous for? Being left-handed? Yeah, the Benjamites. At the end of Judges, we read that the Benjamites were famous for being left-handed. And we’re told, aren’t we, that they could throw a stone from a sling within a hair’s breadth with their left hand.

44. 22:03

    They were so brilliant with their left hand. But what do we read about E Hood Eve of the son of Giram, a Benjamite. What does Benjamin Benjamin mean? Son of my right hand. What? So we’re going to unpick this. So Ehud, isn’t there a bit of an irony here that the Benjamites who are renowned for being left-handed, their tried means son of the right hand? We’re going to see why this is so significant shortly. So he’s this Benjamite, but why is it so important? Look at your margin next to the word left-handed. Can someone tell me what their margin says? What the Hebrew for left-handed, the margin tells us what does it mean?

45. 22:55

    God shout it out louder, Shut up his right hand. So when it says a man left-handed literally in the Hebrew, what it means is his, his right hand is shut up. He can’t use his right hand. So I, yes, you make a note of that. His right hand is shut up.

46. 23:17

    He’s the son of the right hand. His own right hand, though, is shut up. And of course, we’re going to see whose right hand ultimately is going to give the victory in the life of Ehood. Well, it’s going to be God. A really good reference to have in your margin. Psalm 44 and verse three. And we give you two or three references, but this is an excellent 1.

47. 23:47

    Psalm 44 and verse three. They GAT not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them, but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hast a favour unto them. Thou art my King, O God, whose servants are you? Are you going to serve King sin or king righteousness?

48. 24:20

    If you make God your king, Psalm 44, verse four, then by his right hand He will save us. So I told you, I’ll give you a couple of references. You’ve got Psalm 44 and verse three. Another good one, Isaiah 41. Let me just read to you Isaiah 41 if I can find it for me myself. Here Isaiah 41 and verse 10.

49. 24:50

    Fear thou not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee. Yeah, I will help thee. Yeah, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Another good reference is I’ll just give you now Exodus 15, the several in Exodus 15 where the children of Israel are saved by God’s right hand.

50. 25:14

    OK, so this is the point. Now we’re going to see in the life of Ehud, yes, he’s going to work. He’s the type of the Lord Jesus Christ, He’s the Saviour, but it is by God’s right hand that we are saved. It is not by the work of man. And so his right hand has to be shut up. It can’t be about God.

51. 25:40

    It can’t be about man rather, apologies, it must be about God. Apologies. OK, so come with me back to Judges 3. So E Hood, the son of Gira, a Benjamite, a man left-handed, is going to be the Saviour, and by him the children of Israel sent a present. Now the word present is the Hebrew word Minka, Minka here.

52. 26:11

    And that is the word used of the meal offering that, the meal offering the authorised Version. We were doing it with the children at the beginning of this week. We read Leviticus, won’t we? And you remember that in the authorised version it says the meat offering, which as a child confused me for about 35 years thinking why on earth does the offering doesn’t have any meat in it get called the meat offering, right? But it’s the meal offering isn’t it? Clearly, looking at the blank faces, it’s not quite such a funny joke as I thought it was.

53. 26:45

    None of you were confused with the same problem, which is good. So this meal offering they prepare is a present. Now, let me just check if everyone’s got this. Eglon is a Come on, Eglon is a big. Now, if you needed to get a present together for a big fat cow, what would a big fat cow want more than anything else?

54. 27:17

    Foods. Yeah. Big fat cows love food. So when they get the present together, they’re like, what is it? They have a team meeting, I have no doubt, you know, And they say, what can we give Eglon, You know, what is it there that he’s going to really like, you know, shall we get, you know, shall we get some money for him? Shall we?

55. 27:39

    And suddenly someone has a brain wave. No, no, no, no, no, no. Don’t bother with the money. What about some horse? No, no, no, no, don’t bother. What about? No, He just likes food. So they put together the most phenomenal hamper, right? And they bring their presents. So here’s the Meeker offering and they bring it to Eglon. So come on, They bring verse 17, the present to Eglon. Now, while they’re making the present, Ehud has been busier still.

56. 28:23

    What’s he been doing? In verse 16? Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges of a cubic length, and he did good it under his raiment upon his right thigh. Now all of those points are of major significance. He made a dagger, or some versions will say sword. Elsewhere that word is translated sword or knife.

57. 28:52

    He makes this dagger. This sword, it’s got two edges. It’s the cubic length. He hides it under his garment on his right thigh. Now we come across this word dagger elsewhere in Scripture and we come across it first in Judges chapter 3. Will you come to Judges 3?

58. 29:19

    Joshua 3, rather Joshua three, you’re in Judges 3, aren’t you? Sorry, Joshua three, I was thinking, why is no one turning the pages? Joshua chapter 3, the children of Israel have crossed the Jordan and in Joshua chapter five, sorry guys, Joshua five, we’re in Judges 3. We want to go to Joshua five we come across this word verse two.

59. 29:48

    At that time the Lord said to Joshua, make thee sharp knife. Now this is our word. This is the the dagger or the sword. It’s the same Hebrew word make sharp knives and circumcise again the children of Israel. Now, where are they when they complete the, the the act of circumcision against the males in Israel?

60. 30:11

    Where are they? What’s the name of the place? Gilgal. What does Gilgal mean? The rolling away. Yeah. So I can see most of the boys sort of, you know, their eyes crossing as they get a bit squeamish talking about this. But this is the awfulness of what’s happening here. And it would have been so, so painful for these guys that were being circumcised, but a principle was being laid down.

61. 30:40

    And that is they’re about to go into the land under the hand of Joshua. Look, Chapter 6, they come to Jericho. Don’t forget that this is where, of course, Eglon is going to be defeated in Jericho at Gilgal, the principle was set. The flesh has to be cut off at Gilgal. The principle is set.

62. 31:09

    The flesh has to be cut off. Now come back to Judges 3. Come back to Judges 3 and notice that E Hood and the men who were with him bearing the present. They go to Jericho, presumably to Eglon’s palace. But then what happens verse 18, when he made an end of what to offer the present.

63. 31:37

    He sent away the people that bear the present, but he himself turned back from the quarries that were by Gilgal. So he gets back to Gilgal and he knows at Gilgal this is the place where he remembers the flesh has to be cut off. So in your margin next to Gilgal, and it makes suggestion that you put Joshua 5 verses 2:00 to 9:00, that’s where they made sharp knives that the flesh might be cut off.

64. 32:19

    But he has got a sharp knife. He’s been making, well, the sharpest dagger he can make told in verse 16 that he was made, he made him this dagger. He was involved. He was, he was engaged in it. And this dagger, this sword which has two edges speaks to us, you know, Harry spoke about it in his prayer, speaks to us of what the sword with two edges speaks to us of the word of God. So here’s some references.

65. 32:53

    So in your margin next to two edges in verse 16, we make these references, Hebrews 4 and verse 12. I’ll read it to you. The Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, the joints and marrow. It’s a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart.

66. 33:24

    That’s what our Bill Harry alluded to in his prayer, picking up on the two edged sword, speaking to us of the word of God. Did he? He would just go and find a dagger? No, he made it. He connected with that dagger. So our challenge, make sure that we spend our time sharpening the blade, sharpening the dagger, Put time into Bible study, sharpening the dagger, open the word of God in your life.

67. 33:56

    Sharpen your dagger. That’s what he was doing and that’s why he was spiritually prepared to deal with King’s sin. Now we believe that these events are also teaching us about the time of the end. Come with me to Revelation, Revelation chapter one, first

68. 34:24

    Revelation 1. And in Revelation one we have a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Saints. And the picture is a symbolic picture. We call it the multitudinous Christ, or we call it the rainbowed Angel, or we call it the one man. It’s all the same thing. It’s the picture of the Lord Jesus Christ married to the Saints.

69. 34:44

    And in the Book of Revelation, the books of sign and symbol, we’re given signs and symbols for us to see the characteristics of, in this case, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Saints. And what do we notice in verse 16 of Revelation One that out of his mouth, Revelation One verse 16. So out of the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Saints, when we come to deal with the problem of sin in the earth, in the Kingdom age, out of His mouth went a sharp 2 edged sword and His countenance was the sun shining in His strength. Come to that later on this evening. Just remember His countenance was the sun shining in his strength, but out of His mouth goes of two edged sword. What do we do?

70. 35:33

    Well, we go out and literally deal with the problem of sin in the world. Go to chapter 19 of Revelation where we see the same picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Saints, and His name we’re told in verse 13 is called the Word of God. What was it that was strapped to his thigh? The two edged sword, the word of God. So no wonder.

71. 36:02

    Look verse 15, out of his mouth goes the sharp sword. So what is it that’s going to destroy sin in the world? The sharp sword coming out of his mouth is the word of God. That’s what’s going to destroy the nations.

72. 36:23

    Just keep reading verse 15 out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations. He shall rule them with a rod of iron. He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God, and he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Where does Ehud put the dagger?

73. 36:53

    He puts it on his thigh, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Isn’t it amazing what Ehud is pointing towards? Now come back to Judges and back to Judges Chapter 3. Let’s carry on in our story. They get to Gilgal and Ehud says to the men who are with him. You guys go on, you, you go back. I have got now to go to see Eglon by myself. Look, verse 18, Judges 3.

74. 37:34

    When he’d made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bear the present, but he himself turned back. He himself turned back because like the Lord Jesus Christ in his first coming, he has got to do it alone.

75. 38:00

    The Lord Jesus couldn’t take his disciples with him to the cross. They were caught up with the problem of sin. They were bound by Satan, by Eglon, by sin.

76. 38:14

    He needs to go on his own to release them from that burden to deal with the problem of sin. So he sends them away, but he himself goes back. Now some good references I think I put I put on the screen here Isaiah 63 and verse 3 where we read the Lord Jesus says I VE trodden the wine press alone of the people was none with me. I’m on my own.

77. 38:44

    For I would tread them in my anger and travelled in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments and I would stain all my raiment. Jesus had to do it alone. He was the only one without sin. Keep a marker but come to John 60 so you remember that when we come to John 16, we we, we’re in the last week of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ and we see that he’s going to have to tread the wine press alone.

78. 39:20

    He’s going to have to go to the cross alone. John 16 we read at the end of the chapter, verse 32. Behold, the hour comes. Yeah, he is. Now come that you shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone. Now look at this. Isn’t this so lovely? Yet I’m not alone because the Father is with me. These things I’ve spoken to you, that in me you might have peace in the world.

79. 39:56

    You’ve got tribulation. Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. ISN T it so lovely that the Lord Jesus Christ says to his disciples, I VE got to go on my own now, I VE got to go to tread the wine press alone. And as their hearts were breaking, as they started to realise the magnitude of what was about to happen to their Lord, to this man that they had walked with for some years.

80. 40:27

    They’d seen him never do anything wrong. They knew the brutality of what was going to happen to him. He says to them, I’ve got to go alone. Yet I’m not alone because the father is with me. And I’m sure that Eihood had just the same mindset. Come back to Judges. He had to go alone.

81. 40:55

    Yet he knew he was not alone. He had the Father with him. So we read he himself turned back. Now that phrase is such a significant phrase in the work of the Lord Jesus. You re in Judges 3. But I do want you to go back to the New Testament. I want you to go to Hebrews. I’m going to repeat this phrase to you. He himself, He himself, some of you will be finishing this. He himself likewise took part in the same Hebrews chapter 2 and this chapter speaks to us of the work of the Lord Jesus in the atonement in how He was going to through how God was going to deal with the problem of sin through the Lord Jesus Christ. So Hebrews chapter 2 we read in verse 14 for as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood. So in other words, all of us, we are partakers of flesh and blood.

82. 42:09

    He also himself, he himself likewise took part of the same that through death He might destroy him that have the power of death. That is the devil. So the Lord Jesus Christ had to be made like us.

83. 42:34

    Keep a marker there just to keep it in your mind. On the way back, stop at Romans, Romans 8, Romans 8. These are such important passages for our understanding of the how the Lord Jesus Christ dealt with the problem of sin that God made him. Yes, He was the Son of God, but He was also the Son of man. He himself likewise took part of the same of flesh and blood that he might destroy sin.

84. 43:10

    So Romans 8, verse 3, what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh. God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemned sin in the flesh. So you bring that now back to Judges 3.

85. 43:31

    This is Ehud. He is the character now, He’s the Saviour. His work is pointing to the work of the Lord Jesus. What do we read verse 19? He Himself has got to go alone. So I’m going to make a suggestion to you in verse 19 next to He Himself. Make a note. Hebrews 214 or Romans 8, verse 3. Hebrews 214, Romans 8, verse three. Now this quote that I put on the screen here I think is so helpful in our understanding of the work of the Lord Jesus, the atonement.

86. 44:10

    It was written by our brother John Carter back in 1958, so before most of us were born. But just just read that to yourself and I’ll read it to you shortly.

87. 44:38

    Jesus shared our nature. Hebrews 214. He himself likewise took part in the same, that he might deal with the problem of sin. Romans 8, verse 3 God, sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemned sin in the flesh. What does Brother Carter write? He shared our nature. Hebrews 214. Romans 8 Three That in the very arena we’re sin ruled.

88. 45:14

    We’re sin ruling in our bodies we’re bound, aren’t we? We’re all bowed down to the problem of Sin. Its claim could be contested and overthrown. So where has Ehud got to go to defeat Eglon and all the Eglon as king Sin represents? Can he get Eglon to come to him? No. In the very arena where Sin ruled. He’s got to go to Eglon’s palace. Do you see?

89. 45:52

    Because this is where Eglon rules from. OK, Our time is moving, but we’ve got 5 minutes. Are we OK? 5 minutes. Yeah. Thumbs up, everyone. All right, 5 minutes. Are we OK? Talk. OK, Judges three. He himself turned again, verse 19 from the quarries that were by Gilgal and said, I have a secret errand for you.

90. 46:16

    OK, who said Keep silent? And all that stood by him went out from him, and Ehud came to him. He himself likewise took part in the Senate. He goes to the very arena where sin rules. Ehud came to him and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone, and he arose out of his seat.

91. 46:47

    Now let’s just pick up some of these words, the word errand and the word message. So in verse 19 I’ve got a secret errand. That’s the same Hebrew word as the word message in verse 20. So maybe circle them and connect them together. Errand and message, the same word. Now actually it’s a very, very well used Hebrew word. I’ll probably say it wrong.

92. 47:12

    It’s something like the word dobar, and ordinarily translated, it’s translated hundreds of times to the Scriptures. It’s the word word. It’s the word word. Now, what has Ehud got hiding on his right thigh? He’s got a dagger, A2 edged sword, which speaks to us of the word of God. So he’s not lying. He says I’ve got a secret word for you, a word from God, a message from God for you.

93. 48:01

    So no wonder Eglon is so chuffed, isn’t he, that he gets up having all this word from me, from God. And of course we know, don’t we, that even then puts forth his left hand. Why does it have to be man’s left hand who’s winning the victory? It’s God’s right hand, so he puts forth his left hand.

94. 48:24

    Man is going to need to be a base in the atonement, and God is going to need to be exalted. So as man is a base, he puts forth his left hand. So God’s right hand is going to be exalted. He’s the one that’s going to give the victory, and he puts that dagger.

95. 48:49

    Verse 21, he took the dagger from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly. And the hearth also went in after the blade, and the fat closed upon the blade, so he could not draw the dagger out of his belly, and the dirt came out. He himself likewise took part of the same in the likeness of sinful flesh.

96. 49:11

    He’s connected to Eglon. He can’t get his sword out. He spent all those days sharpening his sword. It’s stuck. He can’t get it out. It’s been used to defeat King Sin right through his belly. And the dirt came out. Final reference Philippians chapter 3. Keep a marker, come to Philippians chapter 3. Keep your marker because you need to make a note, but come to Philippians 3.

97. 49:55

    Now I want to thank our brother Jake actually for this because I was struggling how to put this slide together and my brother Jake Jeffries said he he would help me. So I’m I’m really grateful to him for that. So Philippians chapter 3, thank you Jake, thankful for your help. Philippians 3, here we are.

98. 50:14

    There’s a lot of links in Philippians 3 to Ehud now. We haven’t got time to do it now, but you cast your eye in the breakthrough Philippians 3 to see if you can find more connections that I’m about to give you to Ehud. There are lots Philippians 3 though. I want you to go in at verse 90, where we read of the wicked, of the likes of Eglon, whose end is destruction, Whose God is their belly? That’s Eglon, isn’t it?

99. 50:47

    They brought the present of food for him. He was the fat cow, His God was his belly. Whose glory is in their shame. Who mind earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, whence also we look for the Saviour. What was he Hood? He was the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our viability. Listen, the point is this.

100. 51:14

     You and I are no different to Edgar. If we allow ourselves to serve King’s sin, if we allow our lives to be ruled, to be reigned over by King’s sin, our end is destruction. Our God is our belly, that S who we serve. You VE got to make sure that you serve King righteousness in your life and He will change our vile body that may be confessioned unto His glorious body according to the working whereby He S able even to subdue all things to Himself. I did ask you to keep Marker and Judges 3. I did tell you this was the last reference. It is, but just look at Judges 3 verse 30. What does Ehud do?

101. 52:11

     Last verse about Ehud Moab was subdued. Philippians 3. What does the Lord Jesus do? He’s able even to subdue all things unto himself. So THS well, first one that’s of significance to our study. Now serve king righteousness, serve king righteousness. Make that the priority of your life and think of it as a binary choice where there’s two options.

102. 52:50

     One is King’s sin, one is king righteousness. Next time you’re in a position where you’re thinking, what is the right thing to do here? Or rather, what shall I do here? Try to get your mind to get down the lane of King righteousness. Rather than allow ourselves to fall to King’s sin #2 rely on God’s right hand in your life. The whole point is our right hand has got to be shut up. We can’t do it alone.

103. 53:30

     The Lord Jesus was sent to do it alone for us. If you believe in that victory and trust in it and trust in God’s right hand, then you will be looked after. You will be brought into the land. And while we wait for that time, sharpen your sword, young people, sharpen your sword. Brothers and sisters, sharpen your sword. This word He’s able to why make us wise and give us salvation? What fools are we if we don’t open it on a daily basis to sharpen our swords?