Lefties

Judges 3:15

Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man.


For many who read this verse, it is nothing more than mere Bible trivia that could gain them nothing more than a bit of pride at the next Trivial Pursuit tournament.

However, for those who wish to dig deeper, God is telling us much more here.

Being right-handed, when I first read this verse, I took it at face value and kept reading. But later, I still wanted to know why the writer of Judges and his co-author, God, would want us to know that Ehud was left-handed. Here is what I have learned after a bit of reading:

In Hebrew, as well as many other Semitic and Mesopotamian languages and cultures, the left hand was used as a metaphor for evil, misfortune, and punishment from the gods. So, when you read this verse within the context of the culture, you see that God is telling us much more than Ehud's hand of preference. God is telling us that no matter what society tells you about your abilities, you can be and are called to a higher purpose.