“After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an ox-goad. He too saved Israel.” (Judges 3:31)

‘Continuous improvement.’ This was the mantra that managers consistently thrust upon their staff, of whom I was recently one, in a high profile government department. Progress and achievement were not only required but also needed to be clearly discernible and measurable. This approach whereby results have to be obvious (and getting better) as time progresses is not limited to the world of business and government organisations. It is also infiltrating church life and ministries. Statistics and measurable growth seem to be the determining factors in many Christian circles.

But surveying the way in which God worked through the lives of successive Judges whom he appointed, it may be noted that this criteria of ‘continuous improvement’ was not a dominant feature. Some of these Judges, such as Ehud and Gideon, had clearcut encounters with Israel’s enemies to effect deliverance of the country from oppression. However this was not a universal pattern. Samson, as shall be seen in a subsequent study, was engaged in what seemed to be an ongoing struggle over a period of time – twenty years – without a marked change in the situation facing Israel. Othniel, that first Judge, was described simply as one who “went to war” (Judges 3:10).

A further feature of this record is that whilst some Judges, like Gideon and Samson, had several chapters allocated to describe their exploits, others had very few verses recording their actions. This brings us to Shamgar about whom we have but one solitary verse (shown above) to provide us with details of his life and achievement. The key to what he did under God’s anointing is found in the description of him making use of an “ox-goad.” From this it would be reasonable to draw the conclusion that Shamgar’s job was simply to look after oxen. Perhaps these were his own or belonging to others. The role that he undertook – probably a seven-days-a-week occupation – would not have brought him to the attention of many people.

The ox-goad

But, in the face of the oppressive Philistine occupation being experienced by Israel at that time, it would not have seemed to anyone that Shamgar had anything to contribute by which to make a difference. However, God was able to work through him, and Shamgar “delivered” Israel by using that ox-goad. This was definitely not a sophisticated piece of hi-tech hardware! It was simply a long stick with a metal spike at one end to jab into a plough-pulling ox as a means of non-too-subtle encouragement! The other end had a blade for cleaning the plough itself. It was simply an ordinary piece of equipment for use by someone carrying out their ordinary daily toil in an age where the economy was almost totally geared to land cultivation.

Growth and progress as God’s people can involve a “little by little” experience.

That same, everyday ox-goad was turned into a weapon that disposed of 600 Philistine oppressors. No details are provided with regard to how this was accomplished. However, God had previously described that he was going to “drive out those nations before you, little by little” (Deuteronomy 7:22). A time-frame was provided in this context: “But I will not drive them out in a single year….Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land” (Exodus 23:29-30). Although these verses primarily related to the initial conquest and possession of the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua, it did provide a general principle. This had both a practical and spiritual application. Growth and progress as God’s people can involve a “little by little” experience. Clearly this does not exclude dramatic and overwhelming victories. But the defeat of Jericho was followed by a long period of gradual occupation extending to the time of these Judges (see Judges 1). Jesus’ parable of the growing seed, its imperceptible development being the key feature (prefaced by “This is what the kingdom of God is like” Mark 4:26-29), underlines this means by which God chooses to work.

So Shamgar’s exploits with his ox-goad were likely to have been undertaken over a period of time as distinct from a single extraordinary action. Perhaps it was such guerilla-type tactics that unnerved those Philistine invaders. They did not suspect how or in what circumstances such killings were taking place. All they might have observed near the body of yet another random victim was the common scene of someone in a field overseeing his oxen with a stick in his hand.

God subsequently underlined the need to be wary of judging change only by way of the dramatic.

Clearly, however, at some point those Philistines decided that they’d had enough and withdrew. Perhaps this was a purely military decision arising from their inability to sustain those inexplicable losses which were mounting up, bit by bit. Perhaps it was also causing increasing unrest and fear among their troops as the source of those deaths simply could not be discovered and morale plummeted. The Biblical record simply recorded that Shamgar “too saved Israel.”

Small things

On any given day it may have seemed that nothing was happening. But the cumulative effect over a period of time was crucial to Israel being “saved”. God subsequently underlined the need to be wary of judging change only by way of the dramatic. “Who dares despise the day of small things?” was his probing question when the Jews were unimpressed by the reconstructed temple when compared with Solomon’s original structure (Zechariah 4:10). But as with Shamgar, when nothing seemed to be happening, God was working through the “small things” unnoticed by those around. What “small things” are God doing in your life that you need to notice?

Reflection

• Why are we likely to feel that nothing is happening in terms of spiritual change and growth?
• What steps can be taken to change that viewpoint and to be ready to see God working in ways that are “little by little”?
• With God’s help, how can we re-assess and realise the potential of the opportunities that we have to bring about spiritual change in small ways?