Shamgar Who?
Shamgar was a judge in Israel, after Ehud (the man who killed the fat Moabite King). He killed six hundred men with an ox goad, a stick used for prodding cattle. When you think about this, it is quite an accomplishment. Shades of Sampson, if I do say so myself.
Can you imagine killing six hundred people with a stick? What a feat of strength and courage!
We read about Shamgar in only one verse from Judges:
"After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad; and he also delivered Israel."
And that's it. What a mighty feat, and the average person has no idea who or what he accomplished.
Contrast this with Mary, the woman who washed Jesus' feet with the precious oil. After being ridiculed that the oil could have been sold and the money given to the poor, Jesus responds,
"Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me ... She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."
And that is exactly what happened. You cannot go to a country or people group today who have heard the gospel without hearing about this woman. Everybody knows who she was and what she did.
Not so, Shamgar. Almost nobody remembers him and what he did, even though in the eyes of men, his accomplishment was far greater.
At the end of the day, having your name in the Bible isn't a necessity for salvation. As one of the countless millions of people not in the Bible, I am very thankful for this.
Having your name in the Bible may not be necessary, but there is another book that you must be mentioned in. It's called the Book of Life, and it belongs to Christ Himself. How do we get our names into this book?
"He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels."
Let us be overcomers. Let us love God as Mary did. Let us make certain that we are in that book.
Keep on praising God!
Joey
Can you imagine killing six hundred people with a stick? What a feat of strength and courage!
We read about Shamgar in only one verse from Judges:
"After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad; and he also delivered Israel."
And that's it. What a mighty feat, and the average person has no idea who or what he accomplished.
Contrast this with Mary, the woman who washed Jesus' feet with the precious oil. After being ridiculed that the oil could have been sold and the money given to the poor, Jesus responds,
"Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me ... She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."
And that is exactly what happened. You cannot go to a country or people group today who have heard the gospel without hearing about this woman. Everybody knows who she was and what she did.
Not so, Shamgar. Almost nobody remembers him and what he did, even though in the eyes of men, his accomplishment was far greater.
At the end of the day, having your name in the Bible isn't a necessity for salvation. As one of the countless millions of people not in the Bible, I am very thankful for this.
Having your name in the Bible may not be necessary, but there is another book that you must be mentioned in. It's called the Book of Life, and it belongs to Christ Himself. How do we get our names into this book?
"He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels."
Let us be overcomers. Let us love God as Mary did. Let us make certain that we are in that book.
Keep on praising God!
Joey