He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. – Judges 3:17

Today's Scripture Reading (April 23, 2025): Judges 3

His name was Eglon. And we know very little about him. Why should we? Few records have survived from this era in history. But we have the Bible and the spoken stories that have been whispered and told around campfires for thousands of years.

For starters, he was King over Moab. Moab was a nation that had been a thorn in the side of Judah throughout their shared history. Moab existed on the other side of the Dead Sea from the land occupied by the Tribe of Judah, and the people had descended from Lot's elder daughter, whose story is told in Genesis 19. If we look back at that story, it is a tale that begins with an angel telling Abraham and Sarah of the miracle that would take place in their lives during the following year. Within one year, Sarah, who was now 90 years old and, in her words, "old and worn out," would give birth to her first child. Abraham was almost a hundred years old, but now God had chosen to provide them with a son, Isaac, the father of Jacob, who would become the father of the nation of Israel.

The counterweight to the story of the birth of Isaac is the birth of Moab. After the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plain, the daughter of Lot got Dad drunk and slept with him. The result of the union between Lot and his eldest daughter was a child they called Moab. Eglon was his descendent. Moab's name is heavy with meaning. Moab means "from my father." It is a name that sums up the sordid story of Lot and his daughters. Eglon was a descendant of Lot, just as Ehud, the other main character in this story, was a descendant of Isaac. 

According to the Talmud, Eglon was also Balak's grandson. The story of Balak is told in the Book of Numbers. Balak was also the King of Moab and wanted to defeat Israel, so he hired Balaam to prophesy against Israel. But Balaam found that he couldn't curse the nation. Every time he tried to speak a curse against Israel, it came out as a blessing. But the story of Balak and Balaam is probably best known because it contains a story about a talking donkey. If you don't believe me, then check out Numbers 22.

But maybe the biggest surprise of the Talmudic teaching is that it is thought that Eglon had a daughter named Ruth. The fact that Eglon was the Grandson of King Balak is not much of a surprise; Kings are often the sons and grandsons of Kings. However, the idea that Eglon is Ruth's father is somewhat surprising. But there is something in the passage in Judges that we gloss over too often. 

Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his palace and said, "I have a message from God for you." As the king rose from his seat, Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king's belly (Judges 3:20-21).

Did you catch it? Or did you get caught up in the killing of the King? Eglon rose at the mention of the name of God. At the name of "Elohim," he stood, a sign that the King was giving God his respect. Rabbis believe that because he gave God respect, God decided to do something special for Eglon through his daughter Ruth. Ruth, the Moabite, daughter of Eglon, married Boaz, the Israelite, and Ruth brought forth a son, and they called him Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David. David might not have known it, but he possessed royal blood through the unlikeliest of sources: his Moabite Great-Grandmother. Is the story of the Talmud true? I am not sure. I have no idea where the ancient notion came from. But if anyone had the ability and integrity to make the jump from being a princess to voluntary exile and the duty to protect her mother-in-law, it might just be Ruth.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Judges 4