Unfortunately due to technical problems, this sermon is not in audio form.
Prayerfully these notes will challenge you in your counting on God.

Pastor Wayne.



WHAT CAN ONE MAN DO?


The structure of the book of Judges is laid out in a chiastic form focussing in on Gideon and his antithesis - Abimelech. The general ideas of the first two chapters are then filled out with the stories of Othniel , and the remainder of the Judges. Each cycle of apostasy and redemption shows the people going deeper and deeper away from God.

We see the deliverers being less righteous
We see God using unworthy people for his worthy glory

Even tho we see that no person is perfect, we see that all can be used by God.



We begin with Othniel, son of Kenaz.
His story is typical -
A relative of Caleb against Syria
he reflects the same power that Caleb, and his daughter possessed.
This story is lacking in detail, because it is typical
the focus is not on him, but on God raising the deliverer
Following God, and peace for a generation
Till the kids forgot.






The story of Ehud
12 again the Israelites did evil,
the LORD gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel.
Eglon came and attacked Israel, from Kir Heresheth
they took possession of the City of Palms.
13 with the help of the Ammonites and Amalekites,
14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for 18 years.





15 Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD,
he gave them a deliverer
—Ehud, a left-handed man,
the son of Gera the Benjamite.

The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.
16Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long,
which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing.
17He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab,
in Kir-Heres(eth), the capital
Eglon was a very fat man.
(Eglon means calf - fat calf - ready for slaughter). The joyful, humorous retelling of this story by the author emphasizes the right timing of God.

18After Ehud had presented the tribute,
he sent on their way the men who had carried it.
19At the idols near Gilgal he himself turned back

He probably did not attempt to kill Eglon on his first visit due to the extra security, however after he left, he did not have enough time to go home and get a weapon, so he was considered safe. Also, the Moabites placed great stock in what the gods had to say, so when the people saw Ehud stop at the idols, stand for a while, and then turn around and go back to the king, his reason was believable. He did not receive his message from these gods, as he was already prepared, but by this course of action, he gave the impression of receiving a message from said gods.

"I have a secret message for you, O king."
The king said, "Quiet!" And all his attendants left him.

20 Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of
his summer palace
"I have a message from God for you."
the king rose from his seat, This is what one does when the gods speak. One should stand in respect when the gods speak.
It is easy to Picture the fat man pulling himself up out of his comfortable chair. He did not have a chance against Ehud. Ehud moved in while he was in the process of standing (No need to rush).

21 Ehud reached with his left hand,
drew the sword from his right thigh
and plunged it into the king's belly.
22 Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back.
Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it.
Or perhaps, it reads that his innards spilled on the floor.

23 Then Ehud went out to the porch;
he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

24 After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the room locked.
They said, "He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the house."
25 They waited to the point of embarrassment,
when he did not open the doors of the room,
they took a key and unlocked them.
There they saw their Lord fallen to the floor, dead.

26 While they waited, Ehud got away.
He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.
27 When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim,
and the Israelites went down with him from the hills,
with him leading them.

28 "Follow me," he ordered,
"for the LORD has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands."
So they followed him down
taking possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab,
they allowed no one to cross over in either direction.
29At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites,
all vigorous and strong; not a man escaped.

30 Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for 80 years.

This is an Interesting story, but why is it in the Bible?
for the glory of battle?
For the defeat of an enemy?

One man

respected, trusted, in charge of paying off the Moabites
a unique skill/gifted - left-handed
so were a bunch of other benjamites
Perhaps 10 percent of people are left-handed.
Benjamin means “son of my right hand”
Ehud was “impaired in his right hand”
(A humorous way of stating that he was a lefty)

why act now?
The Lord raised him up when the people were ready to turn
perhaps he thot of it for a long while, but only at the right time did he act.

We see the need to act alone without polling the community
Sometimes it is imperative to act alone without broadcasting one’s plans.
An example was the missionaries who hosted a prayer page for their ministry with muslims. Someone other than the supporters read it, and all the details were subsequently published in the local language in the local paper. Their ministry came to an end.

who gave him permission to jeopardize the nation?
It was just a small thing, this attempt at assassination. If he failed? If he was caught with the weapon, he would surely die and he risked the lives of all. It was a foolish act - one man alone, yet that is what God called him to do.

If he had asked, the religious community would probably have told him not to do it. Yet the Holy Spirit directed him, and he was successful.




Ehud finished the job by calling for reinforcements. He did not attempt to win the victory all on his own, but recognized the need for the community to work together to finish the job.

He knew where to apply the pressure. The fords of the Jordan had to be crossed by all of the fleeing Moabites, and any re-inforcements from Moab had to also cross the Jordan.

What changed? Why did the people not rise up before? They lacked the courage because they were not counting on God. When they called out to the Lord, he removed the fear from their hearts, and they were then willing to fight/



Is this the normal way of victory? - the lone hero?
Should we run our church this way?
Should we act this was as a Christian

Perhaps, this might be you
called to do the unusual
asked to act alone.
Will you count on God, even tho your friends say it’s too big?

what if this is your neighbour?
Do you say stop
do you hold them back?
Or are you willing to come and stand beside them when they call?


What can one man do alone?
Start something that changes the world forever
remember that God moves in mysterious ways
he delights in diversity
a spirit filled life is an extreme life

A missionary family story.
He is 65 yrs old.
Her health is a regular struggle, and is a daily testimony to God’s sustaining power.
They have a big mortgage,
They were pastoring/counselling in a church
God has called them to a new ministry
The are again dependant on faith support with some assistance from paid seminars .
Can they survive? Is it worth it? Will it change the world?

The future is a big unknown, but they count on God. He has never failed them. This is where God had called them. They are willing to stand alone.

Are you willing to follow God, even alone.

Above all, count on God