Judges 3 features the sad end of the wicked Eglon. Ehud the lefthanded became the deliverer of Israel during the oppression of the Moabites. What was noteworthy was that these verses actually make me think of my inner Eglon:
20 And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat. 21 And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly: 22 And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out. 23 Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them. (KJV)
When I think about it Eglon is described to be as follows:
- Eglon was fat.
- Eglon was idle in his summer chamber.
- It's also read that when the dagger hit his belly - the dirt (or rightfully said human excrement) may suggest there was plenty of undigested food still being digested.
I was thinking about how Eglon's weight and idleness proved to be his downfall. The Targum of Jonathan says "his food went out" which was probably meant to lessen the disgust. Yet, the Bible also uses rags in Isaiah 64:6 meaning "menstrual rags" to describe our human righteousness. Just thinking about the description of Eglon being fat and having undigested food spill out can really mean a lot. Eglon was probably having very fatty snacks before he died. Elgon was probably eating a lot of pork - something that was forbidden in the Old Testament but allowed in the New Testament. Eglon probably went to the summer palace to cool down because being very fat - he would easily feel the heat.
Overeating is a very hard vice to defeat. Along with idleness tends to come overeating. Just think a domesticated pig does nothing but eat and sleep. However, a wild pig hunts its own food and works really hard so it's hardly caught for the slaughter. Eglon was like a domesticated pig. I find myself many times where I'm overeating and idle. That's why I call such a problem as my inner Eglon. If pride is my inner Haman then gluttony and idleness belong to my inner Eglon.
David also said in Psalm 30:6 that in his time of prosperity he bragged he would never be moved. In times of ease - it's very easy for me to say I'll never have problems. I could remember saying I'll never have financial problems until I lost some money that was never paid back. Other businessmen who are still strong can admit they too lost millions to a person they least expected would cheat them. Eglon in Moab had occupied Israel for a very long time and was getting complacent. In God's case, he always does everything He will to get Christians to shape up and slay their inner Eglons on a daily basis.
I think about how reading the Bible, studying the Bible, and getting good amounts of exercise help slay my inner Eglon. I get my inner Ehud going by practicing self-discipline by not eating too much especially if the food is so delicious (and some delicious foods come at a very affordable price), or when there's a buffet or celebration, and I dare believe that God seldomly caused me to choke as an act of chastisement not to overeat. Also, doing some exercise can help suppress appetite by decreasing the hunger hormones. I'd assume that Eglon lacked exercise and therefore had more hunger hormones coming in for him than Ehud who had his exercise on a regular basis.
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