Judges 3:12-14 "And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. (13) And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees. (14) So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years."
We can already see in this book of Judges that Israel had cycles when they
would follow closely to the Lord and other times when they would stray from
Him. This was a constant in their history. But, if we are honest with
ourselves, it is also a constant in each of our lives. There are times when we
feel closer to God than at other times. In the day of Judges, the people would
stray to the point of worshiping the gods of the land. This is what God had
warned them about before He brought them into the Promised Land. They were not
to follow after the nations and serve their gods; yet, they did it time and
again. God would allow the nations to rise against them each time they
strayed. On this occasion, the people of Moab came against Israel and
"possessed the city of palm trees." What is the significance of
this? Palm trees always represent a place of rest and comfort. Remember when
Israel came to Elim where there were 70 palm trees. It was a place of rest and
restoration.
At the time of our verses today, Moab had taken away their
rest, comfort, and place of restoration. It is a true fact that when we wander
away from the fellowship of God, we lose all comfort and peace. It is an
impossibility to maintain peace in our hearts and minds without the presence
and power of God being with us. So how did God use a judge to deliver Israel
when they cried out to Him? God chose a man by the name of Ehud to deliver
Israel from the stronghold of Moab. We read in Judges 3:16, that Ehud "made
him a dagger which had two edges."