God is Looking for Some Left Handers

I just came in from the first night of Bethany's Annual Youth Conference in Baton Rouge. I heard an awesome, strong message tonight from the speaker whose name escapes me. But he preached from this text in Judges 3:14-15,"So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man left handed: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab."

He talked about how when God's people cry out and get serious about being rescued, God always raises up a deliverer...this time it was a man named Ehud who was a Benjamite and who was left handed. Now this was kind of ironic because in the Bible, Benjamin comes from the Hebrew name Binyamin which means "son of my right hand", or "son of the right hand." Even though he came from a tribe known as "sons of God's right hand," God raises up a deliverer for Israel who is left handed.

Isn't that like God, just when we think we have him figured out, He throws us a curve out of nowhere (and from a left hander at that). As the story goes God used Ehud to destroy "the fat man" Eglon, which brought deliverance to Israel. The preacher tonight talked about how God is looking for some left handers to bring deliverance to a generation that needs rescued from the power of the devil ("the fat man").

I did notice something as I was reading ahead of the speaker tonight. In Judges 3:21 "And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly." Notice, Ehud took his dagger out from under his right thigh. The thigh is significant because we see Abraham several times make covenant with different ones by the person placing their hand under his thigh. I think the thigh represents intimate covenant. God delivered up a left hander from His sons on His right hand to bring deliverance to Israel who are in intimate covenant with him.

What does all this mean Pastor? I believe there is a powerful prophetic word here for today's church. I sincerely believe God is looking for left handers today to bring deliverance to a generation who is crying out for deliverance. These left handers are not from the institutionalized, dead, do-things-the-same-way, play-it-safe, rigid church. But the left handers that God has called out today are unique, different, noncompromising, and untamed. They act out of an intimate walk with God, not what man thinks is best for them. They are made of the same stuff of John the Baptizer...they don't like playing church and tickling people's ears. They have come to bring deliverance to the captives like Jesus did...to kill the fat man (the devil).

Are you a left hander?

-Pastor Randy