One of the most famous courageous Biblical stories is about David, a young skinny kid who had an only a leather sling, home-made likely, and a few smooth stones that killed the giant Philistine Goliath. The Bible demonstrates in chapters how God uses the most unusual people, weapons and circumstances to show us who "He" is and "His" power; His ways aren't like our ways, He doesn't choose who we would likely choose such as our friends or family or popularity; He chooses individuals that we might not have any confidence; God seeks a willing heart to do His purpose and Will.
While there are many powerful famous and courageous Biblical stories, but I was intrigued by a short scripture of how God used an ordinary man to demonstrate His power by interceding and protecting this town from their enemies. Scripture Judges 3:31 is about a man name Shamgar, son of Ananth. While in those days, which preceded the time of Deborah and followed those of Ehud, Israel's subjugation was so complete that "the highways were unoccupied, and the travelers walked through byways." The government had become thoroughly disorganized, and apparently, as in the days of Deborah, the people were entirely unprepared for war. There was an old Hebrew farmer Shamgar had only a long ox-goad with which to prod his beasts in the field. The traditional enemy, the Philistine, comes up over the hill. Shamgar's neighbors were terrified and they didn't have confidence in Shamgar to defeat better yet, they overlooked Shamgar who wasn't a trained military man. But Shamgar is made of different stuff, a faithful man of God. He asks a man hurrying by, "How many do you think there are?" And the man calls out, "About six hundred, I should say."
While there are many powerful famous and courageous Biblical stories, but I was intrigued by a short scripture of how God used an ordinary man to demonstrate His power by interceding and protecting this town from their enemies. Scripture Judges 3:31 is about a man name Shamgar, son of Ananth. While in those days, which preceded the time of Deborah and followed those of Ehud, Israel's subjugation was so complete that "the highways were unoccupied, and the travelers walked through byways." The government had become thoroughly disorganized, and apparently, as in the days of Deborah, the people were entirely unprepared for war. There was an old Hebrew farmer Shamgar had only a long ox-goad with which to prod his beasts in the field. The traditional enemy, the Philistine, comes up over the hill. Shamgar's neighbors were terrified and they didn't have confidence in Shamgar to defeat better yet, they overlooked Shamgar who wasn't a trained military man. But Shamgar is made of different stuff, a faithful man of God. He asks a man hurrying by, "How many do you think there are?" And the man calls out, "About six hundred, I should say."
Shamgar gets ready and sets his jaws together hard, gets a fresh grip on his ox-goad, digs his heels into the ground for a good hold, and mutters to himself, "I guess they are about four hundred short." And he smites, left and right, up and down, hip and thigh, with his strange weapon called an ox-goad and killed 600 philistines. And then a great victory comes to the nation under its new leader, Shamgar died in the year he became a judge. God can use individuals who we may not choose to do His will and His purpose.
— 1 Corinthians 1:27
