Ehud: Divinely Designed Savior
Scripture Reading — Judges 3:12-30; John 1:43-46
"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?"
Did you smile a little as you read how a shrewd lefty from the tribe of Benjamin (which literally means “son of the right hand”) got that sword past the guards, or how Ehud managed to keep Eglon’s death hidden while he escaped? Maybe you were aghast at the description of Ehud plunging the sword so deep into Eglon’s belly that the fat swallowed it, or that Ehud described this execution as “a message from God.”
What should a savior look like? How should a savior act? Whose expectations should a savior meet? God designs all the saviors of his people, from Moses to Jesus, according to standards that are right in God’s eyes. The lefty from Benjamin and the teacher from Nazareth, although just right in God’s eyes, did not look like saviors to most people.
Our own expectations of a savior do not matter. We’re in so much sinful trouble that we can hardly imagine the kind of rescuer we would want—not to mention the kind we need.
Jesus, an unlikely teacher from Nazareth, regularly amazed people wherever he went “because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law” (Mark 1:22). In fact, Jesus had the authority of God, and he also did many miracles. People paid attention to these things—but would any of us have designed a Savior who freely submitted to an excruciating death to pay the price for our sin?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Thank you, Father, for sending your only Son to be the one Savior we truly need. In his name, Amen.
About the author — Arie C. Leder
Dr. Arie C. Leder is the Martin J. Wyngaarden Senior Professor of Old Testament Studies at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He previously served as pastor at Ebenezer Christian Reformed Church, Trenton, Ontario, and with Christian Reformed World Missions in Latin America. He teaches courses on the Pentateuch and on historical books of the Old Testament.
Start your day with quick daily devotions.
See God's love, power, presence, and purpose in your life every day!