"Shamgar the son of Anath,.. killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad; and he also delivered Israel." -Judges 3:31
Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar are the first three judges of Israel. And they are listed together in Judges chapter 3. Little is written about them, especially Shamgar who only gets one verse to his credit. What we can gather from this man of God is that his name means "sword", his father's name means "answer" or "response", and he (Shamgar) defeated 600 men using a farming tool as a sword. Why an ox goad? Was he a simple farmer when God called him? Was this the only resource he had? I believe so. We tend to think of Samson and his superhuman strength when we think of the Judges in Isreal. But not all judges were empowered with superhuman strength. God didn't just use superman but also the batman and Robins of the day. Those who lacked "superpowers" but used their abilities and resources around them to their advantage. Shamgar's response or answer (Anath) to God's call to rise up was using a simple farming tool as a sword. So then don't be discouraged or feel unqualified because God qualifies the called. You just gotta use what you have for God's glory. Knowing that battles can be fought using what you got! Learn from the men and women God used in the Bible; David used a sling shot to defeat a giant. Jael used a tent peg to win a war. Gideon used pitchers, torches and trumpets and won the battle. Moses used a staff to defeat the Amalakites. And a small boy used his lunch box to feed over 5,000 people!
- HOW IS THE BIBLE A SWORD THAT CAN BE USED TO FIGHT BATTLES? WHAT BATTLES HAVE YOU WON USING YOUR RESOURCES?
- "Stand your ground courageously, and trust God to use what’s in your hand to accomplish great things for His glory." -Charles Spurgeon