Observation: Ehud had a plan for killing Eglon, king of Moab, but then he didn't do it. However, as he is returning home, he reaches the "stone images near Gilgal", and at that point turns back to Moab, finds pretext to re-enter the king's chamber, and kills him.
The "stone images" are likely the 12 stones - representing the 12 tribes - that Joshua had Israel bring out of the Jordan River and place near Gilgal when they entered the promised land (now ~96 years ago). This act was a memorial, explicitly intended to remind Israel of how Yahweh both demonstrates his power whenever the people are responsive to his instructions, and that they are now within in the promised land and as such living within the promises of the Lord.
While it is not explicit, it seems that this reminder worked for Ehud. He had a plan but then did not proceed - maybe he lost courage, maybe he believed his plan needed specific manmade circumstances that never arose - and the stones remind Ehud that the Lord will aid him if he is responsive to the Lord's instruction. Ehud turns back, has no problem performing the act, and walks by the stone's again during his successful escape ... again reminding Ehud that he is living within the promises of the Lord.
Application: Israel struggles - and repeatedly needs judges - because they keep forgetting what the Lord has done for them in the past. The bible says this is often a generational issue, as a generation that witnesses the Lord's blessings honors him but the next one does not. This is part of the issue of our modern world, as it seems we go from 'generation' to 'generation' and see each move further away from God because we struggle to pass along the memories and experiences of the Lord's great love.
Clearly this isn't an "American" problem if it is evident in Israel 3,500 years ago. But how can we address this? In an era where 'miraculous' achievements look more and more like manmade science, and global events become cause for ideological division, how to we create both shared and generational reminders of God's love, mercy, and authority?
We have tried. We have created government buildings with scripture verses engraved in marble, only to have them redefined as racist or hateful and erased. We have erected memorial stones for great events, carved in shapes and described with metal plaques, only to have them shoved aside and ignored as time passes. We have stories told as oral history of personal and collective miracles, only to have them dismissed as legend. We have documented the history of the people of faith who accomplished impossible deeds, only to have them villainized and thus dismissed due to one flaw in their character.
In the end, we are left with only one memorial ... the cross. The cross is not something to worship, and it is not a symbol a bow down before and honor in and of itself. It is a reminder that Jesus is Lord and savior, who died and was raised again, so that by faith we can have eternal life. Just like the stones at Gilgal, the cross reminds us that the Lord shows up in power whenever we are obedient and responsive to his word, and that here-and-now we live within his promise of eternal life.
Prayer: Lord, today I renew my appreciation for the cross. I do like when I see it, but I sometimes feel it is just kind of there, and I worry a bit about how people may behave toward it as if it could be an idol. However, the cross is a memorial, and one that still exists to show future generations the truth. May we find ways to continue to pass the truth about you and your promises to the next generations. Amen.
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