Subject: The Suggestions for the New Year
Text: Judges 3:31 And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.
Introduction: Life is filled with transition and change. You and I can count on opposition. Almost every time you make a New Year’s resolution, embrace a new vision, or attempt a goal, you expect opposition. Even if you decide to follow Jesus, to live a godly life with the purpose of God in mind, you can expect opposition. The hymn writer said it this way, “Time is filled with swift transitions, and none on earth unmoved can stand, build your hopes on things eternal and hold to God’s unchanging hands.” Adversity will come! Listen to some quotes by writers on adversity,
• Adversities do not make the man either weak or strong, but they reveal what he is. -Faith Forsyth
• Gold is tried in fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of adversity. --Seneca
• Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm. –Syrus
Proverbs 24:10 “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.”
Caroline Schoeder, "Some people change when they see the light, others when they feel the heat." I am convinced that more people change when they feel the heat than when they see the light.
So, it is with the man of our text, who decided he wanted a different kind of life. His name is Shamgar, son of Anath. He was a simple farmer who earned a reputation as the slayer of 600 Philistines with an ox goad. Every challenge God allows is an opportunity to grow. How we respond to the challenged of life determines our success or failure. Some people respond too negatively, they are defeated before they start. Others spend their time fighting the wrong enemy, as king Saul spent his time fighting against David. Still others become paralyzed by fear as the children of Israel before the Promised Land. Some embraced the challenge as David did with Goliath and became Israel’s favorite son. Some challenges may be avoided or delayed, while others must be faced head on. Whenever you decide to live for God and receive everything God has for you, Satan will come against you. How do you respond when it seems like everything is standing in your way?
Wouldn’t it be nice to simply change your course and avoid unpleasant things altogether? Wouldn’t be nice to reboot and start over? Most of the time, if I have a problem with my laptop, or I pad or the internet service, I just reboot it! When I reboot, the computer repairs itself. In life, you can’t simply reboot! The bible tells us in Eph. 6:11-13 that we must prepare for opposition and adversity when it reads
“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Most of us enjoy the sound of a new year, but the truth is leaving the past behind is challenging because of deep-rooted habits, unresolved emotions issues of guilt, regret, trauma, and then there is the comfort of the familiar, but it's overcome by accepting the past, focusing on present actions, practicing mindfulness, making the changes needed, and intentionally building a better future through new actions and experiences.
So it was with the man of our text, Shamgar. Shamgar, son of Anath, was the slayer of six hundred Philistines with a simply farming tool called an ox goad. Just as Samson slew a thousand Philistines with a jawbone of an ass, so God empowered Shamgar to rise to the occasion. Shamgar was simply caught in the turmoil the nation was going through, but he found a way to be successful and deliver Israel. He was confronted on a country road, having neither sword nor spear, but he used the instrument at hand. No matter how weak the weapon, if God directs it, you can win the victory.
This lesson may seem distant from our time, but it is still very pertinent. We live in a day of suicide bombers, terrorist, chemical weapons, nuclear weapons and the like. Hundreds are killed in one way or another every day, but to slay six hundred well trained, well armed soldiers in hand to hand combat is still quite a feat. It seems like an impossible task and yet he succeeded.
Think about it a simply farmer, untrained in warfare, with a farming ox goad as his only weapon. It was a long stick with a small flat metal attached to one end and a sharp point on the other end. They are still commonly used today in the Middle East. The sharp end is used to keep the oxen moving along, while the flat end is used to clear debris from the cart wheels and plow points. He is so ordinary!
The life of Shamgar is listed between Judge Ehud, a left-handed man and Barak, a man who needed Deborah by his side to succeed. No definite years are given for his judgeship, little is known about his youth and childhood. Yet he became a deliverer of Israel. He comes on the scene in the middle of chaos. Judges 2:12; 5:6 gives us the details. This was a dark period in Israel's History. After God through Joshua had led Israel into the Promised Land, Israel had failed to subdue their enemy. They had allowed them to dwell among them and now they had become a snare to Israel, instead of Israel ruling and reigning over the land, the situation was reversed. The enemies were lording over Israel. Israel had begun to cow down to their enemy, AND BOW DOWN TO THEIR Gods. Their armies had disbanded and disarmed themselves. There no structured government in place, no justice in the land. Everyone was doing their own thing. The Scripture said, "Everyone did what was right in their own eyes."
This chaotic situation forced Shamgar into action. Shamgar did not step forward because of illumination, Shamgar step forward because of desperation and He slew 600 men using only an ox goad as his weapon of war. He prepared the way for a greater deliverance of Israel under Deborah and Barak. Some may wonder why I want to talk about Shamgar ? Even though very little is written about him, there are several good reasons I want to consider him (1) He step forward at a time when the nation of Israel was in great need of change (2) He did not allow the lack of support to stop him from taking action (3) Hiss individual actions not only blessed his family, it blessed the nation.
Shamgar maybe unfamiliar to many of us. He is an unlikely hero with no famous ancestry line. He is not described as a wealthy man or well educated man nor a man well prepared for the task before him. Shamgar had no sword, shield, spear, helmet or any other thing need to wage war or fight a successful campaign. No mention is made of his religious commitment or his military training. I believed God sets him forth as an example to all of us who must face great challenges with limited resources. Like many of us Shamgar had a thousand disadvantages; but God still used him to deliver Israel.
I believe God gives the example of this man so that none of us would ever allow our circumstances to dictate to us what we can or cannot do. Everyone us must realize that we are “can do” people, serving a “can do” God. I know many of us remember Samson, Barak, Deborah, and Ehud, all these were famous and did many exploits. Normally, we would never compare ourselves to the Samsons or King Davids of the Bible. We need examples like Shamgar, an ordinary guy, who stepped up to the plate, overcome obstacles and saved the day.
Today, our world is filled with chaos. Wars that will not end. Changing policies and injustice, moral and spiritual decline and confusion seem to be the order of today. Corruption seems to be everywhere, and the church has not been able to avoid being contaminated. The schools are under attack, and the country is bogged down in violence. Racism and disrespect is on the rise. Gun violence, Murder and killing are constantly in the headlines. Our communities struggle with economic disparities, bad credit, no credit and exorbitant interest rates. At a time like this, the church is being called on the rise and leads the way from darkness to light.
How can the church rise, when she is also under attack? Many say the church is dying rather than growing; others say the church spends all its time hiding behind the stain glass windows and are afraid to tackle the problems of the real world. Some are asking the question, Is the church even relevant today? Some accuse the church of being in maintenance mode rather than ministry mode. Some have identified the present church as the church of Laodicea, that seems rich, full, and has need of nothing when in reality, its poor, wretched and blind. Instead of helping others, the church needs help! We must remind ourselves that the church is still the Lord's church. It is still a shining light amid the darkness.
Shamgar found himself a victim of circumstances. The nation had forsaken God. Without God's favor the enemies of Israel had come in and plunder the nation. The entire society was under oppression. An old familiar enemy, tribes who were once their servants had become their masters. Injustice was rampant throughout the land. The strong lorded over the weak, the rich lorded over the poor and there was no court of appeal. The resources were scarce, food was in short supply, laws were nonexistent and friends were hard to come by. Now, poverty and lack had become Israel's newest enemy. At a time when others were giving up, submitting to the enemy, Shamgar found a way to make a difference. Shamgar found a way to survive and thrive. The Bible says, "He too delivered Israel." He was an ordinary man, but he was a real man. He was one solitary individual who lifted up his eyes and looked on the field and said "Enough is enough!" We must look around us, not to complain, but to see our God given opportunities to act in His stead. We must play the man for our generation. We are ordinary men and women, but those who are saved have an extraordinary anointing that empowers us to make a difference. God knows who we are and He has no doubt about what we can accomplish for his glory. Shamgar may not have been the strongest or smartest. He may not have been the most skilled in warfare, but he accepted the challenge and took action.
In our lives we may have walked into chaos, inherited chaos or created our own chaos. We may not have made the smartest decisions; you may have fathered children before marriage; got a spouse before you got a house; have a blended family, may be facing a mountain of debt; may be unemployed or under-employed; may need to be retooled or schooled. Shamgar’s story offers three significant challenges that may help us.
Challenge number 1 – Start where you are! You can’t simple hit the reset button. You may be unable to erase the past or delete the mistakes. You can determine with God’s help to start where you are. Don’t spend any time or energy worrying about where you would go if things were different. What it is, is what it is! You are up for the challenge! Where you go will be determined by where you start. Shamgar couldn’t wait for a better time, place or position. Its now or never! Can you afford to wait?
Challenge number 2 – Use what you have! You may not have huge amount of resources or helpful assistants. Choose to use what you have. Use Godly advisors around you; take advantage of the resources God has provided. Get in the word and get the word in you. Decide to be a good provider, love your wife, and bring your children up in admonition of the Lord. Be a good friend and support others. Shamgar couldn’t wait for better equipment, additional supporters or special training. All I have in hand is an ox goad. What do you have in your hand?
Challenge Number 3 – Do what you can! You cannot control others around you. We try, but can we really control our members, grown family members? We struggle to control ourselves. Paul said, “when I desired to do good, evil was always present.” Yet, there are some things you can determine do now. You can keep developing solid life principles. Develop the attributes of a good Christian. Be the best you can be. Teach what you learn to others. You can do all you can do as you work, plan and move forward.
Decide today, with God’s help, I will be a responsible and accountable person. I will not spend my time lamenting over my mistakes of the past, I will discover the possibilities of the future for me and my family. Today I take on the good work of being a Christian with new sense of urgency. With God’s Help, I will Start where I am, Use what I have, and I will do what I can!
I am encouraged by Shamgar’s story! This story teaches us that comeback is possible. I had missed the mark, I have failed before, but I am still here! There is no mention of Shamgar’s relationship with God, or his friends. There is no mention of Shamgar’s prayer life or fellowship with God. Comeback is more than possible for me, because I have found a friend in Jesus. The Hymn writer, Charles W. Fry said it best, when he said “I’ve found a friend in Jesus, He’s everything to me, He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul; The lily of the valley, in Him alone I see, All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole. In sorrow He’s my comfort, in trouble He’s my stay, He tells me every care on Him to roll: He’s the lily of the valley, the Bright and Morning Star, He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.”
Through Jesus, I have a relationship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. I have sweet fellowship with the Father and the Son. I am not facing life alone…You are not alone! We have each other as sojourners together on this journey! You pray for me and I will pray for you. Together we can make it!
Even if we have to walk alone, Jesus proved that we can make! He was so alone, He cried out “My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me?” Yet he allowed himself to suffer death on the cross and everyone thought it was all over. Everyone, the disciples, the high priest, the crowd, and even Satan thought it was all over. The resurrection testifies to the possibility of comeback. It’s not over until God says it’s over!
As you embrace the new year, understand that there may be some emotional baggage from past events that you must deal with that can make it hard to move forward but you can do it. There are many things beyond control; we cannot change our past. Don’t allow overthinking past mistakes or losses can become a mental trap that fills you with anxiety or depression. Your past experiences shape who we are, so letting go can feel like losing part of ourselves. Allow yourself to feel emotions without judgment; don't deny the pain. Understand your past shaped you but doesn't define your future. Like Shamgar of old, let’s focus on the present. Engage fully in current task before you, simply notice your surroundings to stay grounded in today. Then take actions! With God’s Help, determine to Start where you are, Use what you have, and do what you can! Break the old habit of fear, be confident in God and in yourself. Decide to take a new path forward. With God’s help, we can build a better future. Shamgar was trying to deliver his family, but he delivered a nation. His actions caused the nation to set new goals and to take concrete steps towards reaching them. He too, delivered Israel. Amen.
