What's An Oxgoad?

Today during devotions I read Judges 3:31. One verse dedicated to a man named Shamgar. "After him came Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad; and he also saved Israel."(Judges 3:31) Twenty-two words telling it straight of how God used Shamgar.

This is the first time I read or focused on this verse. I began to wonder who is Shamgar. What can I learn from this individual and what is a an oxgoad? So I did a little digging.

First let's take a quick look at the book of Judges. Basically the book of Judges accounts the various activities of Judges who delivered and had authority in Israel after the death of Joshua. Now Joshua had defeated the main forces of the opposition and led Israel into Canaan and divided the lands to the various tribes. Before his death he warned Israel to not mix or intermarry with the local people. Stay away from their foreign gods and keep your eye on the true God. But Israel disobeyed. Which began a pattern, for the next 400 plus years, of Israel worshiping idols, God punishing them by letting them be overcome by their enemies, Israel repents & return to God's ways, God's forgiveness and blessing of prosperity. Judges covers 7 periods of oppression and 7 periods of deliverance. Here is where Shamgar comes into play.

Shamgar was a deliverer. Through Judges 3:1-30 we see Israel being delivered from the Moabites by a judge named Ehud. After that Israel was undisturbed for 80 years. The final verse is about Shamgar. The Philistines were a threat from the east and the bible says that Shamgar "... struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad; and he also saved Israel."v.31. It doesn't specify if it was in one full swoop or if it was over time. But it does tell us how he did it. With an oxgoad. What is an oxgoad you may ask; it is an agricultural tool. It is a type of long stick with a pointed end, like a cattle prod but without the shock. This man delivered the people of Israel with a pointy stick. I love this because based on his weapon of choice he should have been killed but no, he wiped out 600 Philistines. I believe his victory came from his obedience to God. He is an example of a man who was willing to be used by God for the purpose God designed for him.

How many times have we sold God short. We think because of our inadequacies that he can't do great things. Here is a man, I'm assuming a farmer because of the oxgoad, with probably not much resources or fight experience, doing the impossible. Despite what he didn't have, it didn't stop him from being used by God.

Be encourage by Shamgar! He may only have a single verse dedicated to what he did but it was important enough to be put into the Bible. I think its God's way of reminding us that he can use ANYONE. Not only use anyone but use in the most surprising ways. But we have a part to play. We need to be OBEDIENT. Yes the "O" word. The action we know to do yet fail to do it. Allow yourself to be used by God in an extraordinary way. Obey and see the miracles that God can do!