“After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an ox goad. He too saved Israel.”– Judges 3:31 NIV
This is all the press Shamgar gets in Scripture, but this one byline tells us a lot about him. One daring decision and one farm implement resulted in deliverance for the entire nation of Israel. It reminds me of Joshua Chamberlin whom I wrote about in my past article. I have said over the years that there is a fine line between faith and stupidity. If you overly thought about it, Shamgar could have been considered stupid. But, it turns out, that he is a model of courage that still speaks to us three millennia later!
Israel was in a state of spiritual anarchy and political tyranny. They did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD, and their punishment was enslavement to the Philistines, who ruled by unrighteousness. He decided he would disrupt the status quo, and he did it with an ox goad. An ox goad is a implement that was used for prodding animals. I have provided a picture of one below.
Shamgar had no army, no alliance, and no artillery. All he had was an ox goad!
He did not let what he could not do keep him from doing what he could do.
Far less dramatic then Shamgar’s conundrum, all of us have the opportunity to experience an “ox goad step of faith.”
Below are some of the examples of this kind of faith that you have shared with me:
- discerning who will be your spouse
- finding a new job
- overcoming a health challenge
- establishing new friends
- adjusting after an unexpected divorce, or death
- learning to speak into a child who has gone astray
- discerning whether or not to move to a new state
- living with the reality that old age is an issue
Being courageous is attacking the situation with whatever ox goad God has given you. It is more than having a heart for Christ, but choosing to be His hands and feet by righteously addressing the many challenges in our lives. It does not depend upon your skill, intelligence, or status. It does depend upon your availability or teachability! It depend on you moving forward in obedience, armed with Truth.
In God’s kingdom, His calling on your life trumps your credentials every time!
God doesn’t call the qualified…He qualifies the called. And the litmus test isn’t experience or expertise, but rather, availability and teachability. If you are willing to go when God opens the door, He will take you to places you deemed out of reach, and he will help you overcome obstacles you thought were impregnable. If you open your mouth and speak to another person about Christ, you will be amazed at what the Holy Spirit brings forth:
”When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” – Luke 12:11-12 NIV
Isn’t this exciting and challenging at the same time? Because we are “keeping in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25 NIV) there is no place for stagnation or boredom. How rewarding!
Three words will help us take the next step— “HERE AM I.”
What do all the biblical heroes below have in common?
Abraham (Genesis 22:11), Jacob (Genesis 31:13), Moses (Exodus 3:4), Samuel (1 Samuel 3:4), and Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8).
They all said, “Here am I.”
How ironic that we spend so much time and energy trying to figure out how to get where God wants us to go, when usually the best response is simply… “Here am I, Lord.”
In the spring of 1967, I participated in a leadership training week at Arrowhead Springs in San Bernadino, California. While there I was reading and musing over the majestic passage of Isaiah 6:1-10 that records Isaiah’s commission. God gave me an ox-goad revelation as I read.
“3 And they [the seraphs] were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” 9 He said, “Go and tell this people: ” ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’” – Isaiah 6:3-9
There is a difference between the two Greek words in the original language for “Word.” One is “logos,” which means the written word, and the other is “rhema,” which means the written word that is ignited by the Holy Spirit, and it jumps off the pages and positively smacks you in the face of your inner spirit! The Holy Spirit used the questions posed to Isaiah with the rhema of God, by asking me,
Dale, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for me?”
I responded with the words of affirmation, I said out loud,
“Here am I LORD, Send me!”
This was an ox goad experience that changed the trajectory of my life!
My expertise, intelligence, and status: My Ox Goad
• I was raised in a common, blue color hardworking middle-class family
• I was average and a little below average as a student
• I am in the medium range of dyslexia. Spelling and grammar have always been my difficulty.
• I was voted most typical in high school; I was tied with another guy… so what does that tell you?
My availability and teachability: Preparing me for many Ox Goad Experiences
• My hard-working qualities are off the charts in the positive. I thank my Dad and Mom for that.
• After the Spirit of God entered my life, I became available to be used by Him. He sent me and I followed Him.
• I rose to the challenge of defending the Faith after being confronted by my Marxist teachers at Oregon State. I was equally confrontative when they ridiculed Christ and Christianity.
• I learn best the second time around– I failed Greek the first time but aced it on round two.
• Throughout my walk with Christ, I have chosen to rigorously study the Word of God so as to be ready in season and out of season.
• I consistently share my faith attempting to bring people to Christ.
As Christians one of our greatest temptations is to only talk to ourselves.
I am not sure what your tool of choice is, however…
Do the best you can with what you have and where you are.
What to do now:
#1 If you only could have two lines of press about your life after you are lifted to Christ, what would you like those two lines to say?
Take a stab and write it out below
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#2 How will you attempt, or how are you currently “disrupting the status quo?”
#3 What are two or three next steps that could define your “ox goad” experience?
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#4 Jot down two or three insights from the section where I mention that “In God’s kingdom, His calling on your life trumps your credentials every time!
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#5 Talk about your last, “Here am I” experience. Communicate this with another person.
#6 Please read and reread the powerful passage in Isaiah. The Spirit of God still uses it to resonate within me. By the way, Isaiah 6:9-10 are the only two verses from the Old Testament that are repeated in all four gospels and in the book of Acts! What do you think God is trying to tell us? (See Matt. 13:13; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; John 12:40 and Acts 28:26-27). Enjoy the context also of each of these portions of Scripture.
#7 When was the last time the Lord spoke to you through the rhema of His Word? Describe it, as well as how you responded?
My intentions in listing my expertise, and my teachability was to illuminate the reality that we all have capabilities and weaknesses. It is important to be able to assess ourselves.
“Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”
– Romans 12:3 NLT
I think the Phillips paraphrase it says, “Have a sane estimate of your capabilities.” I love that!
Finally, from the three phrases below, which strikes you most? In what ways are you motivated to change as a result of these?
He did not let what he could not do keep him from doing what he could do.
As Christians one of our greatest temptations is to only talk to ourselves.
Do the best you can with what you have and where you are.
Hey gang, grasp your ox goad!
In Christ,
Dale