East Baptist Church – Denison, TX

 Shamgar, One Person Makes A Difference

Judges 3:31 (NASB) ³¹ After him came Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad; and he also saved Israel.

An ox goad is an eight-to-ten-foot wooden staff or pole fitted with a sharp iron point at one end and a flat iron blade on the other side to clean the plow’s tongs. It is also used to direct and motivate ox while pulling a plow. (It is a farming tool)

We tend to look at and study those in Scripture that are given much space and time, and our attention is naturally drawn toward the big shadowing figures of the Bible. We marvel at the faith of Abraham, the leadership of Moses, the courage of Joshua, the victories of David, the wisdom of Solomon, and the ministry of the Apostle Paul. Their lives occupy chapter after chapter of God’s Word, and rightly so. They were chosen by God to accomplish remarkable things, and their stories continue to inspire believers thousands of years later.

But I submit to you this Lord’s Day that if we only study the well-known personalities of Scripture, we miss a wonderful truth that quietly runs throughout the entire Bible. Scattered across the pages of God’s Word are men and women whose names are mentioned only briefly. Some appear in only a single chapter. A few, like the man we will study today, are introduced in only one small verse. 

At first glance we may be tempted to pass over them because their stories seem so small when compared to the great heroes of the faith. However, the Holy Spirit never wastes a single word. Every name, every event, and every account recorded in Scripture has been preserved because God intends to teach us something valuable.

God has always been looking for a person’s willingness to be used. Our God measures greatness much differently than the world. Society applauds popularity, influence, wealth, and recognition. God looks for humility, faithfulness, obedience, and willingness. Many of the people whom history has forgotten are remembered forever in the pages of Scripture because they simply made themselves available in obedience to the Lord.

As we look at this man of action we know so little about, I cannot help but wonder how many opportunities we miss because we are waiting for better circumstances, greater resources, or more impressive abilities.

The man who was available: (3:31a) After him came Shamgar. It is remarkable that God chose to introduce one of Israel’s judges with so few details. We are accustomed to lengthy biographies and impressive qualifications, but the Holy Spirit gives us only a handful of words concerning Shamgar. There is no description of his upbringing, no record of his education, no account of previous victories, or defeats and no list of outstanding accomplishments. One person standing alone in the power of the One Almighty God.

Shamgar reminds me that God has never required extraordinary credentials before accomplishing extraordinary work. Throughout Scripture, the Lord repeatedly chose shepherds, fishermen, farmers, tax collectors, and common laborers to accomplish His Divine purposes. The greatest qualification has never been ability. It has always been availability. When I simply place my life into God’s hands, He becomes responsible for accomplishing what I could never do through my own strength.

I have discovered that when my identity is rooted in Christ rather than in human recognition, I no longer have to compete for attention. My responsibility is not to become famous. My responsibility is to become faithful. If my name is never remembered by history, but my life has been useful in the hands of God, then I have accomplished something of eternal value.  Hear the great D.L. Moody “The smallest deed done for Christ is greater than the grandest dream never attempted.”

As we meditate over this one verse in a Book many of us overlook.  I see that opportunities to serve God often appear disguised as ordinary responsibilities. Many believers spend years waiting for some dramatic assignment while overlooking the simple opportunities that God places before them every day. I have learned that the Lord usually guides faithful servants one step at a time. Martin Luther King Jr. “You do not have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

One of the greatest temptations believers face is the tendency to believe we cannot serve God because we do not possess the right resources. We often convince ourselves that if we had more money, more education, more influence, or greater abilities, then God could truly use us. Yet throughout Scripture, the Lord repeatedly accomplished extraordinary victories through the most unlikely means imaginable, Shamgar is only one.

When my life is surrendered to God, He can take the ordinary tools of everyday life and transform them into instruments for His glory. The question is not whether I have enough. The question is whether I am willing to place what I have into God’s hands.