The Peasant with Potential

Text: Judges 3:31

Shamgar lived at a time when the Philistines were beginning to exert their power in the southwest corner of the land. Later they became a major force, but in Shamgar's time, they were already causing trouble. To meet the need, God raised up Shamgar as a judge. He was not an Othniel or an Ehud, but he was a man used by God to strike down the Philistines.

I. Shamgar

 A. A Man With a Very Confused Family Background.

  1. Shamgar was not a Hebrew name, it was Canaanite.

  2. His father's name, Anath, is the name of the Canaanite God of sex and war.

  3. Some have doubted whether Shamgar was even an Israelite.

   4. The truth is that his family had completely give in to the paganism all around them.

   a. They certainly did not prepare Shamgar to be a judge and deliverer of God's people.

 B. Shamgar Was a Peasant.

  1. We know that from his weapon, an oxgoad.

   a. An oxgoad was a long wooden stick tipped with metal at one end, and a blade on the other for cleaning the plow.

   b. Peasants used the tool to keep their oxen plowing together in the fields.

 C. Shamgar Was a Man of Courage.

  1. Only a very brave person, when armed only with an oxgoad would take on at least 600 men.

  2. In this context, Shamgar's courage was born of his faith in God.

  3. Shamgar’s name – unknown derivitive, but means “SWORD” – became the “sword of God”

   a. Eph. 6:17 “And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word (rhema) of God:”

   b. Heb. 4:12 -  The Word of God is:

·         Quick – zao – alive.

·         Powerful – energace – active.

·         Sharper – tomoteros – to cut with one single stroke [Contrast to: kopto = to cut by repeated hacking].

·         Pierces – to penetrate.

·         Divides –merismos – to cut asunder.

·         Discerns – kritikos – judges.

The underlying theme of this passage is that the SWORD (WORD) of God is EFFECTIVE!!!

• Shamgar, the Sword, God’s choice, was EFFECTIVE in the deliverance of Israel.

• Three great principles stand out from chapter 3.

II. God Uses Completely Different Kinds of Men.

A. Othniel

  1. A man of proven ability, superior character, and spiritual depth from the finest kind of background.

 B. Ehud

  1. A man other people thought had a serious limitation.

  2. Prominent, courageous, capable - but with a defect.

  3. Yet, God used Ehud’s limitation for his glory.

But what if you can’t even identify with Ehud? In spite of limitations, he WAS an important man.

 C. God Chose Shamgar

  1. A peasant from the paganized family and he worked through him.

God uses Ehuds, God uses Shamgars, and he will use you if you only will trust him.

III. God Uses People Who Draw Their Strength from Him.

A. Othniel

  1. With all his abilities and talents, he was successful only because of what the Holy Spirit did through him.

Let me remind you of Isaiah 40:29-31:

“He giveth power to the faint; and to [them that have] no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.”

There is a beautiful word in verse 31. It is the word to renew (chalaph). Those who wait for the Lord will exchange their strength. That is what God calls us to do - to come to him and us exchange our weakness for his strength.

IV. God Uses People Who Step Out In Faith and Trust Him.

 A. One Common Element Found In These Judges - Many differences already noted - FAITH

  1. They had the courage to take a risk, to step out in faith for God.

  2. They were bold enough to take God at his word and confront the enemy.

Hudson Taylor, as he looked back over 30 years during which he had seen 600 missionaries respond to his vision to reach China through the China Inland Mission summarized what he had learned: "God is sufficient for God's work...God chose me because I was weak enough. God does not do his great works by large committees. He trains someone to be quiet enough and little enough, and then he uses them."

By that standard, which is God's standard, all of us qualify. The issue is not whether he can or will use us, to his glory.

The great question is whether or not we will trust him to use us.

Sermon outline from Gary Inrig's "Hearts of Fire, Feet of Clay" and Dutch Sheet's teaching on the Book of Judges (Christian Life School of Theology)