Judges 3:31: After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad, and he also delivered Israel.
I love how the Lord used one short story, in one short verse of one man, to speak to us all today! In the midst of a book full of heroes known as the Judges in Scripture, we suddenly read one verse of one man: no mention of his genealogy, no mention of which tribe he came from, just his dad’s name that can’t even be traced! And of course, in his hand, a simple farming wooden staff, often 2 to 3meters long, tipped with an iron to prod the cattle and scrape ploughshares.
Now don't be fooled—the brevity of Shamgar's record does not imply lesser stature because he is only mentioned in one verse; rather, it underscores the recurring pattern of God raising unexpected champions, and He does it to this day in Christ!
Shamgar killed 600 Philistines, one of the most feared enemies of God's people back in the day, with the tool he used during his daily life.
Shamgar was probably busy farming, going about his daily tasks, and yet in this verse God shows us that He used a normal man, going about his daily tasks, doing something extraordinary, because of His, God’s, strength. Shamgar didn’t use a special weapon, nor did he have a special strategy; he was just one man who became an instrument of God to be used with what he had in his hand.
As I read this verse about Shamgar again, I was reminded of 2 things:
1. How Jesus, a man alone, defeated the real enemy of us all without anybody’s help so that we may live!
2. Simultaneously, my faith was stirred by what the Lord can and wants to do through every believer in Christ for His glory every single day with what we have and by what we are doing.
The testimony of Shamgar proves unto us that it’s not where we come from or what we have achieved or even what we have that matters, but what matters is in whom our faith is and our willingness to allow the Holy Spirit to use what we have.
Paul wrote unto the church: "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Col 3:17).
See, we don’t need a platform to be of use unto the Lord. Ask Shamgar; he was probably farming like he did every day, and we too have the blessed opportunity to do whatever we do in the Name of the Lord Jesus!
Rely on and trust the Holy Spirit every day in all you do, and we too, just like Shamgar, can be of use for the glory of Christ as we allow Him to do extraordinary things even in our ordinary daily routines.
AMEN