Why Should We Know about the Overlooked Judge Shamgar?
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Who Was Shamgar in the Bible?
Have you ever felt overlooked? Have you ever thought, no one will remember me? Why should I do “such and such? As believers, everything we do matters because it is all to be an act of obedience and worship to our great God (Colossians 3:23-24). Shamgar, son of Anath, is mentioned in just two verses in the Bible—Judges 3:31 and Judges 5:6—but we remember him because (1) he is named in the Scriptures and (2) he did mighty acts according to God’s command. Shamgar’s name means named a stranger, he is here a stranger. In addition, his name, Shamgar, is Hurrian (people who flourished across the Near East from the fourth to the first millennium BC.), but the Bible does not say; it may have been a cultural influence on his parents. Shamgar served as the third judge over Israel, after Othniel and Ehud. Under Ehud, Israel had rest for 80 years (Judges 3:30).
Judges 21:25 sums up the state of the nation of Israel at the time of the deliverers (judges) sent by God, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
After a period of obedience as recorded in Joshua, the nation turned insubordinate, rebellious, and idolatrous. A series of defeats at the hands of other nations caused them to repeatedly cry out to the Lord for a deliverer. Those were the nations they failed to drive out as the Lord commanded earlier. The book of Judges records seven periods of rebellion and abandonment against God’s rule. And He raised up twelve judges to bring salvation to the people (Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, and Samson).
What Did He Do during His Period as Judge of Israel?
Shamgar, as did the other judges, served as a deliverer (savior) for Israel. Judges 3:1, 2 reveals the extraordinary purpose of God during this period of the nation of Israel. “Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before” (italics added for emphasis). They failed.
The Bible does not record how many men Othniel killed, but Ehud is noted as killing “about 10,000 Moabites” (Judges 3:29). Shamgar, it is written, “killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel” (Judges 3:31). An oxgoad was a strong stick about eight to 10 feet long and six inches in diameter. A metal tip encased one end to nudge or direct oxen. A flat, curved blade covered the other end, and it was used to clean a plow.
By killing said number of Philistines, Shamgar did, in effect, save Israel in that they would no longer be under the idolatrous influence of the Philistines (Deuteronomy 7:1-4). It might seem callous to us that God would order the Israelites to wipe nations off the face of the earth, but only with God’s perfect character and in His economy can a mandate such as herem warfare be instituted. The judges were instruments of God’s perfect justice, and, while they acted as civil magistrates, God also used them as military defenders of the nation of Israel. The Hebrew word for judge, shaphat, means “to deliver” or “to rule.”
When God commanded them to conquer and wipe out the nations who inhabited Canaan, they did not completely obey Him when He told them to obliterate the foreigners. Instead, they left a remnant—a remnant who enticed the Israelites to worship Baal (in particular) and to take the other nations’ daughters in marriage, further cementing their disloyalty to the Lord (Judges 3:6).
Judges 6 contains the Song of Deborah (she was judge around the time of Shamgar). Verses 6-7 testify to the events as they transpired while Shamgar served as judge, “In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned, and travelers kept to the byways. The villagers ceased in Israel; they ceased until I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel.” Indeed, as far as what we see in the Word, Shamgar acted alone in his turn as the deliverer of Israel. (Deborah came alongside Barak and 10,000 men of Israel.) Shamgar also was an instrument in the fulfillment of Scripture (Leviticus 26:22, Isaiah 33:8).
The period of the judges came to an end when Israel went before Samuel and demanded a king (such as the other nations had). It is of note that Samuel (not God) named his two sons judges over Israel, and they “took bribes and perverted justice” (1 Samuel 8:1-3). Their unholy behavior caused Israel’s elders to come to Samuel and say, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5).
But the people were so intent on having their way, they ignored the admonitions of Samuel and chose instead to reject God (1 Samuel 8:10-22, especially verse 7).
Why Do We Often Overlook Him?
It’s easy to overlook someone who is listed just twice in Scripture, but God names each person for a reason. Shamgar is not as compelling a character as, say, Gideon, or even Jephthah. When we read about what Shamgar did, we recall the mighty acts of Samson and his ruinous relationship with women, especially Delilah, and his run-in with the Philistines because of his lust for her. Then we’re off and running to look up that account.
It’s good to linger on Shamgar though, for God used him to “save Israel” and continue the enaction of His plans to teach and have Israel learn about war. After reading the account of Ehud and the killing of about 10,000 Moabites, it is normal to see Shamgar and the Philistines he killed as simply part of a list of the accomplishments of a man of war. But Shamgar was one man, one man upon whom the Holy Spirit fell so he could accomplish God’s will for him (and for God’s people).
What Can We Learn from Shamgar?
As with each of the 12 judges and other people throughout Scripture, when we read about their exploits, we gain insight into ourselves. Their triumphs, losses, errors, and choices cause us to learn more about who we are at the core, and more about God and His infinite mercy and grace. Shamgar was just a man, but a man of faith empowered by God to do a great thing. By himself, he killed 600 men with one tool of destruction! The Bible does not say whether it was during a single rout or over the course of time, but it is a feat worthy of note. God uses whom He will, and there is worth and value in the actions one does for God.
Only four of the 12 judges are listed in what we call “the hall of faith” in Hebrews 11—Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah. Each of them acted in selfish and disobedient ways, yet it was their faith for which they are commended. We do not respect them for their follies, we respect them for their faith. It is important for us as Spirit-filled Christians to keep close accounts with God (1 John 1:9) and remember we have been set free from sin (Romans 6: 1-14).
God’s infinite justice and mercy are on display throughout the book of Judges. Ehud rid Israel from Eglon, king of Moab. Gideon subdued the Midianites with a small band of 300 men. For Shamgar, God kept him from death as he slew the 600 Philistines.
As chosen ones of God, He sometimes gives us abilities beyond our natural talents in service to Him (Exodus 31: 3-5). You’re never a mere mortal. As C.S. Lewis said in The Weight of Glory, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously—no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.”
In God’s Word, we are witness to a panorama of the many people He used for His divine and perfect purposes. Shamgar was one and, while we don’t know all the ways God is working in the lives of others, we do know He intends for His glory and believers’ good in the future. We also know He is good, for He is God.
Photo credit: Ryan Clark/Unsplash
This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. We have compiled these articles to help you study those whom God chose to set before us as examples in His Word. May their lives and walks with God strengthen your faith and encourage your soul.
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