The Book Of Judges (4 Of 5) Shamgar

We have already dealt with the life of -

• Othniel in Judges 3:7-11

• Ehud in Judges 3:12-30

Today we want to talk about another Judge, and his name is Shamgar.

The first thing we want to say about him is that the fact that he appears in the Bible at all is testimony to his significance.

• He was not an Othniel, with 5 loaded verses devoted him.

• He was not an Ehud, with 19 verses devoted to him.

• He was not a Deborah, who has two chapters devoted to her.

The Bible has very little to say about him, but again, it is significant that we find him in the scriptures.

We read about him in Judges 3:31, “And after him (Ehud) was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.’

Shamgar is not the kind of a man you want to make mad, especially if he has an ox goad in his hand.

He is God’s chosen man for this period of time in Israel’s history, to deliver them from the Philistines.

Illus: He makes me think of these rednecks who consider drunk driving to be a sport.

For example, a highway patrolman was parked outside of this night club and he was waiting for these drunks to get in their car and drive so he could arrest them.

About one o’clock in the morning, they all came out in a group and stood at the door while this one man came out and stumbled across the parking lot.

• The patrolman watched him stumble across the parking lot almost falling several times.

• He tried about six cars to see if his keys would fit the door locks. He finally found his car, and of course the key fit the lock and he got inside.

• He turned the windshield wipers on a couple of times.

• He accidentally blew the horn several times.

• He turned the lights on and off several times.

He finally got his car going down the road while all the other drivers were laughing at him and got into their cars and drove home.

The patrolman followed him several blocks, and amazingly he was driving the speed limit and had his car under perfect control. However, the patrolman had already seen enough to know he was loaded and wasted no time pulling him over.

He told him to get out, and required him to take a breathalyzer test. The man took the test and the test showed he had no alcohol in his body…NONE!

The patrolman said, “The machine must be broken, I am going to have to take you downtown!”

The man said, “No, I do not think so. The machine is not broken; tonight I’m the designated decoy!”

God designated Shamgar at this time to lead the people of Israel out of conflict.

The time period covered in the Book of Judges was intended to be an era of advancement for God’s people.

But Israel’s continuous sinning led them into conflicts with their neighbors over and over again.

The last time, we considered Ehud, a valiant left-handed judge who led the people to victory against the Moabites. Israel’s peace with the Moabites then lasted for 80 years.

But the Israelites had more than one enemy. It would be nice in life if there were only one problem at a time to solve, but that isn’t normally the case.

The Philistines were Israel’s enemy too. They would frequently invade and plunder Israel.

The book of Judges describes the lack of public safety caused by these raids.

• Judges 5:8 "The highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways."

• And verse 8 continues, “...Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?"

These desperate circumstances motivated one man, Shamgar, to remedy the situation. The Bible simply describes his courage - he "struck down six hundred Philistines with an ox goad."

WHAT WAS AN OX GOAD?

Oxen were used to plow the fields, and to assure their cooperation, the plowman used a long wooden rod, anywhere from five to ten feet in length and up to two inches in diameter, to prod these sturdy animals into working. On the one end of the goad was a sharp point. On the other end was a broad, chisel-like blade, used to clean the plow of clay or roots.

This farmer’s tool became a lethal weapon in the hands of a courageous man of conviction like Shamgar. He defended his family and his countrymen with this ox goad.

Let’s apply Shamgar’s life to our life. We need to consider three things, such as:

I. START WHERE YOU ARE

Where was Shamgar?

He was living in a time and place when his life and property, and the lives and property of his family and countrymen, were at the mercy of Philistine thieves and thugs.