All the Men of the Bible
Ehud [Ē'hŭd]—strong or union.
- The son of Bilhan, great-grandson of Benjamin (1 Chron. 7:10; 8:6).
- The son of Gera, the second judge of Israel (Judg. 3:15-26; 4:1).
The Man Who Was Left-Handed
This left-handed man was a ruler in Israel, and the peculiar thing about the tribe of Benjamin to which Ehud belonged was that in it were seven hundred left-handed men. So skillful had they all become in the use of the left hand that they could sling stones at a hair’s breadth and never miss.
Eglon, king of Moab, oppressor of Israel, imposed an outrageous tax upon the people, and Ehud received a divine commission to destroy the oppressor. Meeting the king in his summerhouse and saying that he had a secret message for him, Ehud, the left-handed man, put his left hand to his right side, pulled out a dagger and Eglon died. Thus for the salvation of Israel the left-handed weapon did its work. Wonderful is it not, that God can use all kinds for the fulfilment of His purpose?
Devotional content drawn from All the Men of the Bible by Herbert Lockyer. Used with permission.