Be of Good Courage
Theme: Courage develops through confidence in God & His covenant promises
Text: Judges 3:12-30
Here is a thought: The basis for our courage to act is the promise of God’s presence, His defining of who we are; and the promise of His power and strength being made perfect in our weakness
Biblical courage is to be motivated from the heart to do something brave... it is not a lack of fear, nor is it doing something extraordinary without regard for the personal consequences... No, courage is acting in the presence of fear or uncertainty, with a full understanding of the potential harmful consequences to that action; yet deliberately choosing to move forward, obeying God or to act/fight whatever is applicable in the situation. The basis for our courage to act is the promise of God’s presence, His defining of who we are and the promise of His power and strength being made perfect in our weakness. Several Biblical characters show this example: Think Abraham, Gideon, Joshua, Peter and John before the Sanhedrin when they are challenged about their faith. God calls them to be strong and of good courage.... but not without reminding them of the one most important thing that enables us to be courageous - His promise to NEVER LEAVE US or FORSAKE US, to be with us always. This was true for me too - in the midst of opposition and accusation in my workplace, the LORD reminded me that Jesus said in Matthew 28:20 Behold I am with you always, even to the end of the age... and Paul writing in Romans 8:31 - If God is for us, who can be against us? I want to challenge us and ask this question.... do you and I have CONFIDENCE in God? Do we know Him who has promised to be with us and are you convinced of the truth of His promises? I want to dwell on a character that you will probably not know - a man by the name of Ehud who was a judge in Israel and see what we can learn from his story about courage. We find the story of Ehud in the book of Judges 3. The title of my message is “Be of Good Courage”
THE STORY UNPACKED
As a reminder, the Israelites had crossed the Jordan into the promised land under Joshua and conquered many nations and cities. Joshua has since died, and the people are now living in a time without a clear leader and no king - in the space of a generation they forget the works of God and go after foreign gods. They enter into cycles of compromise followed by violation of God’s law (sin), oppression by an enemy, crying out to God and then being delivered by a judge that God raises up.
12 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. 13 Then he gathered to himself the people of Ammon and Amalek, went and defeated Israel, and took possession of the City of Palms. 14 So the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. Judges 3:12-14 (NKJV)
For some context:
(a) Moab and Ammon - descendants of the sons of Lot that were conceived through incest with his daughters
(b) Amalek is descended from one of the sons of Esau and was the first nation to make war on Israel after they came out from Egypt. God instructed Israel to blot out the memory of Amalek (Deut 25) because they attacked the rear guard of Israel, the weaker people who were tired and weary.
(c) The City of Palms is a reference to Jericho - the first city the Israelites took in Canaan
15 But when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. By him the children of Israel sent tribute to Eglon king of Moab. 16 Now Ehud made himself a dagger (it was double-edged and a cubit in length) and fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh. 17 So he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.) 18 And when he had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried the tribute. 19 But he himself turned back from the stone images that were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” He said, “Keep silence!” And all who attended him went out from him. 20 So Ehud came to him (now he was sitting upstairs in his cool private chamber). Then Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” So he arose from his seat. 21 Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.
26 But Ehud had escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the stone images and escaped to Seirah. 27 And it happened, when he arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the mountains of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mountains; and he led them. 28 Then he said to them, “Follow me, for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him, seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over. 29 And at that time they killed about ten thousand men of Moab, all stout men of valor; not a man escaped. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years. Judges 3:15-30 (NKJV)
POINTERS FROM EHUD I chose Ehud as character because I want to highlight that courage is not something that only is displayed by heroes, by well known people, by those who have got things sorted out and going for them.. by those who seem to be the obvious choice in appearance and manner... I want us to see the following:
GOD RAISES UP THE COURAGEOUS 15 But when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man.
Ehud is called a left handed man - the original Hebrew usually means to be impeded in the use of the right hand. Commentators argue for two contrasting meanings in the Hebrew - either it means he had a right hand he could not use and was therefore forced to use the left; or it means he was ambidextrous and tied up his right hand in order to train his left hand for war. The men of Benjamin were great warriors according to scripture and they are listed as part of David’s mighty men who could use both the left and the right hand to shoot arrows and hurl stones. Regardless of the correct meaning, we need to notice something deeper... Courage is not rooted in physical abilities or human attributes. Consider for a moment that Ehud is by no means presented as a great leader at the start of the story - perhaps he saw himself like Saul, a Benjamite, one of the smallest tribe, a nobody in a manner of speaking. In my view it makes sense to think of Ehud as a man who could not use his right hand therefore making him a safe choice to present the tribute to king Eglon: his appearance and his presumed lack of ability in the eyes of the king’s soldiers perhaps made him seem like no threat.
The Bible does not explain how God raised Ehud up.. but we can look to the example of others like Gideon, Jeremiah, Peter, even Jesus Himself: A) An encounter with God: For Gideon, the Angel of the LORD appeared to Him.. for Jesus at His baptism in the Jordan river, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove and rested on Him B) A defining of who you are, i.e. what does God say about you / purpose (CALL) For Gideon, the angel said: The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!” For Jesus, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” C) Empowerment by the Holy Spirit for the task at hand, the revelation of strategy, but primarily a deep sense of the favor of God and His continued presence with you, in you and on you For Ehud: He developed a strategy and prepared himself for the task at hand... he made himself a double edged dagger that he strapped to his right thigh.. his unorthodox method and his apparent physical limitation made him an unexpected assassin that could escape detection, the perfect one for the purpose of God. Perhaps you liken yourself to Ehud, looking at limitations and other perceived reasons why you would not be a good choice to be used of God - but we need to see that it is God who raises us up and empowers us to be courageous for His purposes.
2. THE DANGER OF SHRINKING BACK CAN BE COUNTERED Going back to the story of Ehud, we need to see that even though he prepared himself, had his weapon ready, he still faces a moment that we all encounter on our journey of obeying God and doing things that require courage: he faces the choice between shrinking back or pushing forward despite the risk.. this is the moment of truth for Ehud.. do you see it?
18 And when he had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried the tribute. 19 But he himself turned back from the stone images that were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” He said, “Keep silence!” And all who attended him went out from him. Judges 3:18-19 (NKJV)
He presents the tribute to the king surrounded by the men who accompanied him... and then he sends them away. It seems that he stays there with the king.. but according to some scholars Jericho and Gilgal is approximately 2kms apart. He in fact also left... Did he perhaps develop some cold feet? Did he start having fear or doubt? During my travels to other churches and countries, I have often faced this same kind of cold feet feeling - a sudden challenge in my mind whether I am really sure that God asked me to do something or say something. I had to journey with Jesus in this area to be courageous and move forward despite the uncertainty or the fear of missing it and making a mistake.. What can we learn from Ehud about staying the course and obeying God? I want to suggest three things that can helps us avoid the danger of shrinking back.
I. The power of thanksgiving, true worship, unity and vision Remember the nations that came against Israel in this story? Ammon and Moab - the two sons born from incest. Prophetically I believe these nations represent compromise and complacency. Picture Eglon, the fat king, sitting comfortably on His throne in the place of abundance and sustenance, this is the ultimate picture of a comfort zone. Our weakness for compromise and becoming comfortable with what is easy often strips us from the courage to move into the more of what God has for us and calls us to. Ehud’s name means I will give thanks, or I will praise; some scholars also say it means undivided union. Thanksgiving and worship focuses our undivided attention on who God is, on who He is for us and on His promises of faithfulness and empowerment. Courage and strength is tied together in the scriptures - and the idea behind the Hebrew word used is that strength and courage comes from having vision. Not just any vision, but seeing things from God’s perspective.
II. Remembering the covenant promises of God The third nation that came against Israel in this story is Amalek. Jewish mystics and sages draw parallels between the word for Amalek and the word for doubt. Remember the tactics of Amalek? They did guerrilla warfare coming against the rear guard of Israel, attacking them in their weak spots. This is very much the way doubt works - it slowly erodes away our confidence.. confidence in what God had said, confidence in who we are, confidence in what we are called to do.
We can speculate, but perhaps Ehud suffered from doubt. Notice that Ehud turned back at Gilgal, a place of REMEMBRANCE. Gilgal was a very important place for the Israelites - the first camp after they crossed over the Jordan river into the Promised Land; the first Passover meal in the Promised Land to remember the faithfulness of God in bringing them out of Egypt. Also, the place where Joshua commanded a man from each of the 12 tribes to set up a stone from the Jordan river - the 12 memorial stones with the main purpose of REMEMBERING and telling the story to the next generation. And lastly the place where Joshua circumcised all the men who came through the wilderness - the restoration of the sign of the covenant with Abraham. Even the name Gilgal carried significance - it means “rolling” because it was to be a reminder that God rolled away the shame of Egypt from them. NOT REMEMBERING LEADS TO SHRINKING BACK...
I believe Ehud was confronted with all these things when he came to Gilgal and so he strengthened himself in these reminders. We can stir up courage in our hearts and cast off doubts and fears by setting up such memorial stones in our own journeys - keeping a record of God’s faithfulness, retelling the stories and testimonies of how He came through for us. This is how I stir courage in my own heart
III. The power of the WORD and the SPIRIT Ehud made himself a double edged dagger that he used to assassinate king Eglon. Purpose made, strategically planned in the power of the Holy Spirit. The word used to describe this double edged dagger is only used here in the Old Testament. It is a prophetic picture of the power of the word of God and reminds us of what the writer of Hebrews says:
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)
We need to see that we find courage in the knowledge of the word of God... His word truly provides the answer to our questions, it strengthens, encourages and comforts us. But the Word and the Spirit works together...The Holy Spirit will bring scripture to mind - this is the context of the word of God as the sword of the Spirit in Paul's description of the armour of God (Romans 6:17).
Courageous people are full of the word of faith and full of the Spirit... this is what motivated someone like Stephen to be courageous even when facing persecution and while he was being stoned for his faith: 5 ...And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.....8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Acts 6:5 (NKJV)
Where is this faith from? Faith comes by hearing the word of God... and applying it. What is this power? It is the Holy Spirit living within us. We need both for courageous living. We need the power of the WORD and the SPIRIT combined.
3. GODLY COURAGE IS CONTAGIOUS AND STIRS UP OTHERS 27 And it happened, when he arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the mountains of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mountains; and he led them. 28 Then he said to them, “Follow me, for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him, seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over. Judges 3:27-28 (NKJV) Share the examples of walking in discipleship with others, learning from their example: Positioning the Prophetic and Zach Lombard; intentional relationships with Nathan Bam in Scotland; taking a courageous risk with words of knowledge in the mall, Scotland and Swaziland. Seeing others begin to rise up....
APPLICATION Today, the world we live in often challenges Christians to compromise on our beliefs, morals and values.. there are many voices that come against the truth of scripture and that wants to lead us down paths of doubt in the faithfulness and power of God. When we surrender to these challenges, it steals our freedom and joy just like the occupation of Israel under Eglon did. But the call of God to you and I is to courageously confront COMPROMISE, COMPLACENCY AND DOUBT through the power of the WORD and the SPIRIT.
We can stir up godly courage through:
* Thanksgiving and worship
* Remembering the faithfulness of God through recordkeeping - testimony, journals
* Spending time in the word during times of intimacy with the Father
* Pursuing the empowering anointing of the Holy Spirit Tell the story of the call to get involved in the nations.
In conclusion, perhaps this is a question to ponder on as we think about Ehud’s example of the journey of courage and our response to what God says.... have you allowed the Holy Spirit to bring you into an encounter with God and help you see how God sees you?
Here is a thought: The basis for our courage to act is the promise of God’s presence, His defining of who we are; and the promise of His power and strength being made perfect in our weakness
So where do you stand in your journey of being courageous? Do you need to have an encounter with Jesus so that His presence will be with you always? What is holding you back from being courageous? Do you need to hear Him define who you really are so that you can break free from compromise, complacency, fear or doubt? Do you need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to enable you to stand firm and fight for the promises of God over your life?
