God Delights in Empowering His Obedient Children

Judges 3:31

After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel.

For most of us, Shamgar is another one of the Bible characters that goes by mostly unnoticed. It is so easy to breeze right by Shamgar when reading in Judges.  Today’s passage and one brief mention in Judges 6 contain all that the Bible reveals about Shamgar.  But God’s inerrant Word wastes nothing.  Every person mentioned in the Holy Scripture is worthy of study.  So it is with Shamgar.

Shamgar was in a line of judges who served Israel.  Some of the judges were disobedient to God, bringing defeat and misery upon the Israelites. Some of the judges were obedient to God, bringing victory and peace upon the Israelites.  Shamgar was an obedient judge.  We know that because he saved Israel from their enemies.

We can surmise a few things about Shamgar that should be inspiring to us.  He was probably a simple man, a farmer (as implied by his use of the oxgoad as his weapon).  Because he was obedient to God, he was given the supernatural power to slay the Philistines using his cattle prod.

God used Shamgar to save the nation of Israel from the Philistines.  God is not limited by our abilities nor our resources.  He delights in using the obedient to orchestrate His will on earth.  He is waiting to use us.

Let us surrender all that we are and all that we have to Almighty God.   Let us come to serve Him in ways that we cannot even imagine.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for revealing to us in Your Holy Word how You use your obedient children to carry out Your plans on this earth.  We rejoice in knowing that You will release Your supernatural power through anyone of us as we surrender to Your calling on our lives.  We exalt the name of Jesus who has made us worthy to serve You.  We pray, Father, that Your Holy Spirit will inspire us to join You in Your work on earth. We pray that You will provide the grace and strength that we need to gain the victory that You have set aside for us.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Omnipotent King, Jesus Christ.