Get the Dirt Out

There he was, feeling the full weight of fear and conviction. For weeks now he had awakened stirred by courageous faith, but as the moment of truth approached, doubt continued its relentless barrage. His name was Ehud and God had been compelling him to do something.

Ehud grew up in a time when his people, the Israelites, were enslaved to a dictator whose appetite for oppression was as extreme as his appetite for food. (The Bible says he was an excessively fat man.)

We don’t know much about Ehud. We are told by the writer of Judges that he was left-handed. (And as my grandpa used to say, if he’s left-handed, he must be in his right brain.) We are also told that he was compelled to make a double-edged sword, to pretend to take a tribute to King Eglon, and to make an attempt on Eglon’s life. 

So, the day has come. Ehud’s heart is beating fast. His mind is racing. He passes by security. He heads into the throne room. There are lots of people around and he is freaking out. He delivers the tribute and starts to walk away. Then, just as he is about to give up, a rush of courageous faith comes and he turns toward the king and says, “I have a secret message for you.” Amazingly, the king responds by commanding everyone to leave so he can hear Ehud’s secret message. The doors are shut and Ehud finds himself face to face and one on one with the massive and oppressive Moabite ruler. 

For this next part, make sure you are not eating. Ehud shoved the sword into Eglon’s belly. The sword went all the way in and did not come out the back because of the size of Eglon. Then, the King James Version of the Bible says, “The dirt came out.” Yuck. And—What?

The result of all this was freedom, revival and joy for the Israelites, who were once again governed by God. 

There are many lessons for us from this historical periscope; but what I want us to see is the importance of the sword in bringing about the joy of revival’s freedom. For Christians, the New Testament makes it clear that our sword is the word of God. The word of God found in the Bible is sharper than a double-edged sword, (Hebrews 4:12) and it is useful for training, rebuking, correction, and training in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16). 

In other words…

If we want to get the dirt out of our lives and our communities, we need to get the word of God in. 

How shall a young man cleanse his ways? By getting the word of God into him. 

The perfect Law of the Lord restores the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, and gives light to the eyes. 

Please take the spiritual practice of reading, meditating on, and memorizing the Scriptures seriously. The world around us, and even within us, can be such proficient producers of dirt. Yet, that dirt is no match for the consistent washing of the water of God’s word. Wash your own soul, wash your wife’s soul, wash your children’s souls, and wash your friend's’ and co-workers’ souls. Don’t be weird about it though. Just be thoughtful and hospitable—and sneak it in whenever possible.

David