“While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images and escaped to Seirah(Judg. 3:26)”
After executing the king of Moab, Ehud escaped past the stone idols and reached Seirah. There, he blew the trumpet to awaken Israel and led them to victory. Similarly, Shamgar defeated 600 Philistines using nothing but a simple oxgoad. The common thread between these two judges is that they overcame their weaknesses and societal prejudices by relying solely on God.
Why does God choose to use those who are weak? The phrase in verse 26, “passed by the idols,” offers a profound answer. Often, those with insecurities or limitations strive to grasp worldly power, wealth, or status to compensate for their perceived flaws. They build their own “idols” of strength and linger there, hoping to find security.
However, Ehud did not stop at the idols. To him, those idols were mere lifeless stones. He passed them by without hesitation and headed toward Seirah, the place of his calling. Shamgar, too, did not feel inadequate with just a rough oxgoad in his hand. They both understood that true power does not come from worldly tools or status, but from the Lord alone.
In our lives today, we constantly encounter “places with idols”—temptations like success, recognition, or financial security that promise to hide our weaknesses. Yet, true victory begins not by lingering before these idols, but by passing them by to move toward God. May my weaknesses never be an excuse to build an idol. Like Ehud, I desire to pass by the hollow idols of this world, relying only on the Lord and living out today with whatever “oxgoad” is in my hand.