Shamgar: The Unsung Hero

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people. Before the breaker of chains came, the Lord would send lesser heroes, fractured and broken images of the Deliverer to come. 00:00:13 Speaker 2: You all call me the Lord's man. You praised me for my courage, and you have responded to my call. Make no mistake, brothers, we are all the Lord's men. 00:00:25 Speaker 1: After forty years of protecting Israel alongside his family, Othneil finally returned home to be at peace. Other nations, lean and hungry circled the land as predators circled fattened sheep. 00:00:41 Speaker 3: Brothers, people of Israel, hear me, follow after me, for the Lord has given your enemies, the Mobites, into your head. 00:00:50 Speaker 1: Do not fear. A Hood led his people to victory, and for eighty years Israel knew peace. They would be imperfect vessels in God's hands, crafted to lead Israel out of itself inflicted destruction. 00:01:17 Speaker 4: Are we as brave all the time as we are when nobody's watching. Are we willing to stand for what's right even when nobody will remember us? 00:01:25 Speaker 5: Shell, Oh, my friends, from here in the Holy Land of Israel, i'm ya l Exstein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews and welcome to the Chosen People. Take a moment today to follow the podcast. If you're feeling extra grateful for these stories, we would love it if you left us a review. I read every single one of them, and if you're interested in hearing more about the prophetic, life saving work of the Fellowship, you can visit IFCJ dot Org. 00:01:55 Speaker 4: Let's begin. Sometimes the story's over before it even begins. In this short episode inspired by Judges three, we meet a man named Shamgar. It's a name we don't know, in a face we won't see again. He isn't a king, a prophet, or a warrior, just an ordinary man with ordinary tools in the hands of an extraordinary god. 00:02:21 Speaker 1: Shamgar leaned into the plow, helping drive it downward into the dirt. The oxen marched through the hard earth, churning up stone and roots. The heat of the day pressed down on his neck. Shamgar's muscles flexed and glistened in the hot eastern sun. The oxen continued forward. One of them was new to the job of plowing. He was a young bull, and Shamgar was training him to plow correctly. He kept his ox code in his hand, occasionally using it to direct the young ox back in line. The long and sturdy rod did the trick. It's pointed edge and hook at the end were just sharp enough to get the ox's attention without hurting it. The oxen were heavy and massive creatures. It was a wonder to Shamgar that such a small tool could be used to guide such a mighty and unruly creature. 00:03:17 Speaker 4: I suppose humble things can't accomplish great works. 00:03:21 Speaker 1: Shamgar was no philosopher, but he did allow his mind to ponder deep things. As he worked the fields. His gaze wandered briefly to his two sons. Their laughter was like music carried on the slight breeze that kissed the field. He wiped his brow, smearing the sweat and dust across his face, and called to them, you. 00:03:42 Speaker 3: See, whys a little sweat, little singing, and before you know it, an entire field is ready for the seed. 00:03:50 Speaker 1: Shamgar ruffled his son's hair and pointed to the well. 00:03:54 Speaker 3: We'll need a trench dug from the well to here in the center of the field. 00:03:58 Speaker 1: Who wants to break ground first? With a playful toss, Shamgar sent the sickles spinning into their hands. The boys scrambled and scuffled, tumbling in the dirt, until the younger one seized his prize and bolted toward the well. Shamgar laughed, the sound rich and unguarded. 00:04:16 Speaker 3: Don't break my tools, ha ha, or I'll have your working twice aside to morrow. 00:04:21 Speaker 1: They smiled and waved at him. His heart warmed at the sight of them. Shamgar released a satisfied sigh and turned a cheek to the sun. A soft breeze whispered in from the hills, giving Shamgar just enough respite from the heat. He watched his boys run, filled with innocence. He loved his plot of land away from the madness of the cities. He desperately wanted his family safe from the debased influence of the Canaanite dwellings. The rest of Israel had lost its integrity in recent years, especially since the death of Othniel and Aehud. Israel, the nation he loved, had lost its heart. They were self gratifying, lazy, and cowards. Shamgar didn't consider himself any of those things, although he didn't consider himself a hero either. He was a farmer. His greatest enemy was the hardened ground that needed plowing. So there he was with his head down, content to battle the earth so he could feed his family. Suddenly, Shamgar heard a loud crack of two stones breaking against each other. His sons had toppled over part of the well, and the sound echoed downward to the field. The two oxen were spooked by the sound and began to rage in place. The plow lurched, its blades, swinging wide, narrowly missing him. As the oxen panicked, Easy, you fools, Shamgar hissed. Gripping the ox go tightly. He struck at their legs, sharp and decisive, forcing them apart. Smacked one in the rear, redirecting it away from the other. He smacked the other on his front legs, causing him to recoil backward. Eventually, Shamgar was able to move them away from the newly plowed field. He led them to water and calmed them as they drank. 00:06:16 Speaker 3: M silly beasts, There's nothing to be afraid of here. 00:06:20 Speaker 1: But even as he spoke, the earth trembled beneath his feet. The ground was vibrating, and he could hear the faint, distant sound of men. Shamgar's eyes widened with panic, his heart seized as he climbed the hill to the well. His boys were paralyzed at the sight before them. Beyond the crest, he saw them a sea of Philistine warriors, six hundred strong, their weapons glinting like the teeth of wolves in the fading light. His breath caught. Shamgar turned back. The faint silhouette of the nearest Israelite city stood in the distance. Would show no mercy, not to the land, not to its people, and certainly not to his family. All that stood between God's people and the Philistine raiders was Shamgar's farm. Yet Shamgar's panic was for more than his nation. His wife and children wouldn't be spared from such blood. First, Shamgar knew he had no other choice but to fight. He grabbed his sons by the shoulders. 00:07:26 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, midle, go inside, your mother and sister. Move everything you can to reinforce the door. Don't answer for anyone, put me take the sickle with you. 00:07:36 Speaker 1: The boys hesitated, their eyes wide with fear. Shamgar knelt and gripped their shoulders, his voice softening but firm. 00:07:44 Speaker 2: He's strong, courageous. 00:07:46 Speaker 1: My sons made a divorce, yet no good. They fled, and Shamgar turned back to the approaching Horde. His farm was the last boundary between these invaders and the people of God. He looked down at the ox goad in his hands, a humble weapon for a humble man. He tore a strip from his tunic and bound the rod tightly to his hand. The fire in his belly rose fierce and unyielding. He would not let his family fall. He would not let his people perish. He rolled his neck back, drew in a deep breath, then charged toward the Philistines. Shamgar had no time to calculate. He refused to consider his own life as something worth preserving. He simply moved with the power and strength of God's spirit within him. His children needed protection. God's people needed protecting, and if there was no one else at the border to protect them, then he must Lord guide mid Shamgar's legs burst with intense strength. He sprinted with fire in his belly and passion in his bones. The six hundred Philistines ran with great speed, not even noticing Shamgar headed towards them. Shamgar bellowed at the top of his lungs. The Lord's shepherding heart was upon him, and he would not let the Philistine wolves near his sheep. He charged his voice a roar, a defiant prayer, hurled into the chaos. 00:09:21 Speaker 3: Have I not commending you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, Do not be disguised, For the Lord, your God will be worth you wherever you go. 00:09:42 Speaker 1: Shamgar leaped into the fray with his ox goad. He swung a stick at one of them, lodging the sharp end into his timber. He delivered another blow to the calf of another Philistine. It took a few moments for the Philistines to realize someone was fighting among them. Shamgar continued to slay each man one by one. With such a small and insignificant object, God was slaying an entire art. Shamgar wielded the gold like the sharpened blade of a warrior king. The Philistines finally caught on to what was happening. Shamgar struck one upwards in the jaw, leaving an opening for him to run into some empty space. The Philistines chased him down a ravine into the creek, jetting through the nearby forest. Shamgar needed them bottlenecked if he was going to prevail. As he crossed the creek, a Philistine was able to strike him in the shoulder with an arrow. He fell into the water, and immediately three philistines were on him. Shamgar pushed off one of them with his legs, crushed another shall with a stone, rolled backward, and poked another in the eyes. Shamgar backed into the forest, beckoning the remaining five hundred men onto uneven ground. The narrow path was host to jetting roots and low hanging branches. Ten men slashed their way through, but could not strike Shamgar before the tip of his gold met their necks. A dozen more broke through, but Shamgar struck them as well. The Philistines were monsters, but there is no beast more fierce than a father protecting his children. Shamgar no longer played defense. He slowly and confidently moved forward, wielding his gold like a painter does his brush. The forest was his canvas. The blood of his enemies was the paint by which he created his masterpiece of justice. Shamgar broke through the Philistine wall, swinging from side to side, slashing them down at every turn. He ran back to the creek, where he launched himself into the Philistine commander. He leaned his ringing into the man's neck, watching him drown under the water. Then all was silent save for the trickling of the stream. Shamgar rose and looked around. None were left alive. He surveyed the carnage, ears perked to any sound of an adversary. Silence. The birds had fled in fear. The only sounds remaining with the rustling of leaves in the breeze and Shamgar's labored breathing. Shamgar limped back to the valley where the descending son kissed the mountain range and painted his fields in a brilliant hue of amber. Blood soaked his body from head to toe. He fell to his knees in exhaustion. He prayed none had escaped to harm his family. None had. His wife and children ran out to him. He wept when he saw them, relieved that God had spared them their farm and the nation of Israel. He bellowed with tears of joy. Shanga was the judge nobody knew of until much later he was the chosen hero. None would remember like the others, yet his bravery was known by God. Great things can come from unexpected places. 00:13:57 Speaker 4: This story is so short, blink and you miss it. Shamgar just a name, a brief mention, and a single act of courage. No fanfare, no grand speeches, just one moment of unexpected strength, a quiet rescue that feels almost accidental. But in this kingdom of Israel, without a king, even the smallest victories are precious. Shamgar's story reminds us that God doesn't wait for perfect heroes. He doesn't need royal bloodlines or famous warriors. He works through the humble, the unnoticed, and the ones who might go unremembered if not for these brief glimpses in scripture, Shamgar is not a kind of hero that we would expect, not a prophet or a prince, just a man with an ox God a tool for farming, not war. Yet in God's hands it becomes a weapon of deliverance. This is the beauty and the mystery of how our God works. We see it again and again throughout the story of Israel. Moses with the simple staff, David with a shepherd's sling, and now Shamgar with an ox code. None of them look like heroes, but through them God delivers his chosen. People. Consider Abram a man of little significance, with no means to expand his legacy. But when he was called by God, he was given a promise. Do you remember it? In Genesis twelve, God visited Abram and gives him a calling. This is what it says, get out of your country, from your family, and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. In Hebrew, it's le lach me art mimi mala de teja leers ascher ar eka. It continues, I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make you a great name, and you shall be a blessing. The phrasing cure is significant. God did not choose Abram because he was great. He chose Abram and promised to make him great. Greatness is not a prerequisite for God to use us. Rather, when we choose to follow him, greatness follows Shemgar's story mirrors abrams, David's, and Israel's seemingly small and unremarkable on the outside, but capable of greatness in the hands of God. Now let's talk a little bit about Samghar. To be considered an important leader of the Chosen People in the Bible, the leader has to be successful on two fronts, the political and the military front, and the spiritual front. Here the Bible tells us that Shamgar quote struck down six hundred Philistines with an ox gode, he too saved Israel. So Shamgar was very successful militarily. But Jewish tradition also knows that this saving that Shamgar did when it says he too saved Israel was only physical, yes, who wiped out many of our enemies, the Philistines. But Jewish tradition aiants Shemgar was not able to stop the people of Israel from sinning, and so Shamgar is only mentioned in this one verse in the entire Book of Judges, as well as one other time when his name is only referenced. You see, all of the judges who were considered great also had a profound spiritual effect on the people, not just physical, but Shamgar did not. This presents an important model for our leaders today, for the Chosen People, and for people of spirituality around the world who believe in trust in God, their leader must be an example of godliness as well. A leader must be spiritually strong along with their political and military abilities. It's very interesting that, unlike the other judges, the Bible doesn't tell us how many years of tranquility Shemgar brought to the Holy Land and after his military victory, because for the Chosen people, tranquility doesn't just mean an absence of war, but it also means the absence of sin. Sheamgar is an unlikely hero, but his story isn't unique. The Bible is full of these moments, people and tools that the world would dismiss used by God for a greater purpose. Is a glimpse of God's character and his ability to take the ordinary and turn it into something extraordinary. Yet as inspiring as this is, there's a sadness here as well, isn't there? Because each brief moment of deliverance feels fleeting, doesn't it. Shemgar's courage saves Israel, yes, but only for a time. His story is over almost as soon as it begins, as Israel's heart remains unchanged. This cycle, the rescue, the drift, the return, is a symptom of a deeper need, a longing for someone who won't falter or fade, someone who is forever. My friends, are we looking for quick fixes, a string of temporary rescues. Are we leaning on brief moments of courage hoping to hold us steady? Or are we ready for something more? Because true peace and true deliverance don't come from the fleeting courage of flawed heroes. They come from God. So maybe it's time to stop searching for the next Shumgar, the next temporary fix, and start looking to God's steady presence instead. He doesn't just deliver us for a moment. He calls us to walk with him each and every day. He calls us to anchor ourselves in his enduring strength. In God's hands, even the most ordinary life, the strangest tools, the briefest acts of courage, like Shemghar's ox code, becomes part of his story. Shemgar's story is a reminder that even in the smallest moments, God is near. Let's not stop there. Let's seek his piece that doesn't flicker and fade, but holds us steady now and always in his promise of blessings. 00:20:16 Speaker 1: You can listen to The Chosen People with yle Eckstein ad free by downloading and subscribing to the Prey dot Com app today. This Prey dog comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabager and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, Edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltefianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvado, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan's written by Aaron Salvado, Bree Rosalie and Chris Baig. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin, Kayler Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. 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