Judges Lesson 2: Ehud the Second Judge

1.       Judges 3:12-30 tells the story of Ehud.  Read it again.  What strikes you as different between Ehud and Othniel (the judge who came before him)?  What seems the same? 

2.       What elements in the story of Ehud seems odd to you living now in the 21st century?  How do you deal with those parts of this story? 

3.       Judges 3:15 notes that the people cry out to God after 18 years of oppression.  How does this compare with the earlier generation’s experience of crying out to the Lord (vss. 8-9)?  Can you share a story of God answering a cry for help from your own life?  How did God answer?

4.       In verses 15 and 21 we are told that Ehud did not use his right hand (literally: “restricted to his left hand”).  Perhaps he was just naturally left handed (considered a handicap in that day), or he had a physical problem with his right hand.  Either way how might his “condition” have shaped his life?  How does this fact play a part in the success of his endeavor for God? 

5.       As you consider the story of Ehud, what are the basic patterns of this story that help you understand how you relate to God?