Fighting the same battles - The king of Eglon

Ever wonder why you have to fight the same battles over and over again? Ever wonder why some things get harder with time?

As I read Joshua 12, I noticed that they had defeated the king of Eglon. The scripture treats it as if it's one of many battles, but not a very notable one. I'm not saying it's unimportant, but if you read Joshua 12:12 in context, it reads more like a list than saying anything major about Eglon.

Lets fast forward to Judges 3. Here, Israel has been stupid again. As even I have done, they backslid and were doing whatever they wanted instead of following God. So, God raises up a judge to steer the people back toward Him. The south-paw Ehud would be their deliverer from the oppression of Eglon and the kings of Moab.

Verses:

Joshua 12:7 & 12

7) And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west, from Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions;

12) The king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;

Judges 3:12

12) 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.

Judges 3:15

15) 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 lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.

Judges 3:28-30

28) And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over.

29) And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man.

30) So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.

Matthew 12: 43-45

43) When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

44) Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

45) Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

At a later time, I'll go over the details of the exchange between Ehud and Eglon, but for now, lets look at the macro picture here. Israel stopped following God. Israel began willfully sinning. As their emphasis toward worshiping God shifted to other things, they became weak to the powers of this world. God intervenes and gives them a chance for redemption.

So much of our lives are like that. We go off and start sinning because we stop caring about what God has set before us. Yet, He's always faithful to give us those opportunities to turn things around. As you read through the book of Judges, Israel keeps sinning and screwing up, but God chose to give them chance after chance.

Israel shows that we need a savior. I think about in Matthew 12, where Jesus talks about the casting out of a demon (unclean spirit). He says that though you expel it, you must fill your life (house) with something else or the demon comes back with seven more worse than it.

How about inviting the Savior into your heart? Why not be filled with the Holy Spirit and keep Christ's Word in your heart. This way, after the demon/demonic influence is removed from your life, it has no room to return to. We all need a Savior. Only one can do the job. Why not welcome Him to stay in your life?