Running With The Giants, Week 3 - Pastor Ted Max
Pastor Ted Max's sermon, "The Left-Handed Deliverer," from Judges 3, reminds us that God often works in surprising ways through the most unexpected people.
The sermon begins by outlining the recurring cycle of Israel in the book of Judges: rebellion against God, followed by oppression, a desperate cry for deliverance, God sending a deliverer, and then a season of rest—only for the cycle to repeat.
This mirrors our own lives when we find ourselves fighting battles we thought we had already conquered, returning to places we promised we'd never revisit.
The message emphasizes that when we face oppression or brokenness, our first response should be prayer, not self-reliance. While we often try to fix things ourselves—strategizing, working, complaining, or Googling—and pray as a last resort, God desires for us to cry out to Him immediately.
Scripture repeatedly assures us that God hears the cries of His people, even if His answers don't always align with our expectations or timing. His concern is often more about what He is doing in us than what is happening to us, aiming for our reconciliation and eternal future with Him.
The sermon then introduces Ehud, the "left-handed Benjaminite," as God's chosen deliverer. In ancient culture, being left-handed was considered "shady" or even a disability, and the tribe of Benjamin ("son of the right hand") was the weakest.
Ehud was not an "impressive" first-round draft pick. Yet, God used this perceived deficiency as a key part of His plan. Ehud's left-handedness allowed him to hide a sword on his right thigh, an unexpected place that evaded detection when he approached the Moabite King Eglon.
This highlights a powerful truth: God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called. He doesn't need impressive people; He needs available people—those willing to step out in faith even when they feel inadequate or disqualified. Our weaknesses, shortcomings, and the very things we ask God to change in us, are often the tools He uses most powerfully to impact others and display His glory, just as Paul's "weak bodily presence" contrasted with his "weighty and strong" letters (2 Corinthians 10:10).
Ultimately, the story of Ehud reminds us that God can use what we consider our greatest weaknesses as instruments of His deliverance. He loves to use the foolish to shame the wise and the weak to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27), proving that His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
The sermon encourages listeners to trust God with their "nevers" and allow Him to turn them into "always," to take the next step of obedience—whether it's baptism, tithing, or simply crying out to Him—and to remember that following Jesus is a continuous journey where true rest is found in Him (Matthew 11:28).