Shamgar's Oxgoad: Courage When Surrounded by Six Hundred

Shamgar son of Anath stands among history's most singular warriors. Surrounded in open field by six hundred Philistine desperadoes bent on plunder and death—not cornered at Thermopylae where numbers meant nothing—he wielded only an oxgoad against overwhelming odds. The Philistines witnessed their own slaughter at every blow, yet continued fighting until the last man fell, demonstrating that men will sacrifice their lives for evil causes with the same ferocity they give to righteous ones.

Shamgar was ploughing when the Philistines came upon him. During an era when fear and discouragement gripped the nation, few possessed courage enough to continue honest labour. God never selects idle men for noble work; He promotes only the industrious. Shamgar's faithful diligence in his humble station caught Elohim's attention and raised him to become a judge of Israel.

The workman is greater than his tools. The spirit and skill of the worker tower above surroundings, transmuting common instruments into weapons of deliverance. Success does not depend upon circumstance or equipment but upon the character and resolve of the one wielding them. Noble deeds form the stairway to greatness and honour. Fill your present place to overflowing with yourself, and Adonai will beckon you to wider spheres of service and influence.