Judges 3:31-31
Shamgar Strikes the Philistines
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31After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. And he too saved Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath also saves Israel. The verse tells us that he strikes down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad, a tool used for driving oxen. An ordinary agricultural implement becomes a weapon in a remarkable deliverance.
We are given his name, his father's name, his opponents, and what he does. There is no account here of a commission, a battle plan, or the length of his leadership. Those limits need not make the notice disappointing. Alongside the longer accounts, Scripture preserves Shamgar's part in Israel's rescue.
The words “he too saved Israel” place him within the story of deliverance. We can acknowledge his service without inventing a biography or treating his weapon as a model for our own lives. A brief account still gives us something real to remember.
Questions
1 Who is Shamgar?
AnswerHe is the son of Anath, a man who saves Israel after Ehud. This verse gives no further family history.
2 Whom does he defeat, and what does he use?
AnswerHe strikes down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad, an agricultural tool used for driving oxen.
3 What does the verse say about the result of his action?
AnswerIt says that he too saves Israel. His brief notice belongs with the book’s other accounts of deliverance.
4 How can we acknowledge someone whose contribution is easy to overlook?
AnswerWe can name what they actually did and thank them for it. Appreciation does not need an exaggerated story to be sincere.
What This Means for Us
A person's contribution can be real even when we know little of their story. Practice thanking someone for a particular act of help without enlarging it into a grand claim about their character. Honest gratitude honors the service we have received and leaves room for what we do not know.
Prayer
Lord, make us attentive to help we might overlook. Teach us to give sincere thanks without exaggeration, and to serve willingly even when our part receives little notice. Amen.
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