Judges 3:31 INSIGNIFICANCE Shamgar (pilgrim, the stranger), was one of the six little men of the judges. There were thirteen judges. Thirteen is the number of rebellion. Seven were big men; six would be considered little men because little is said about them. With the exception of Shamgar, there was peace when the little men judged God's people. These were ordinary, self-effacing, quiet men. Often the big men in their own eyes or in the eyes of others bring trouble. They are sometimes men of self-importance, prominence, and worldly influence. Shamgar was a farm laborer, not a man of war, but "he also" delivered Israel as did Othniel and Ehud. One does not need to be great, clever or trained in divine things; just raised up of God.
Shamgar was the kind of man we can identify with who is normally overlooked in the assembly of God's people. When those Philistines came, he used what he had trusting the power of God to do what He alone could do. A normal ox goad would be a stick about eight feet long with a sharp point on one end and a flat piece of iron on the other used to clean off the plow share. A man plowing in a field could reach from the back of the plow to the ox with the goad and poke the animal so it would keep moving forward. We don't need to be a sophisticated, skilled, well trained person for God to use in His work, and especially when it comes to defending the people of God from attack by enemies. If we are sure as a Christian who we are, and use what we have to preserve the testimony of God against those who may seem a lot like us as believers except they trust in their own "convictions," and act in their own "spiritual" interests, God can use us. There are times when the outcome of a matter completely depends on us. We have to decide whether we will stand and fight, or cut and run. Others may not want to address the problem hoping it will go away on its own. The longer we wait, to deal with such a matter, the more it will escalate.
To face 600 men alone would be considered foolish, suicidal and a lost cause. But one man who in faith acts under divine authority, God can entrust a victory, and knows he will not for a moment claim he won the victory by his own skill and power. Such a person who God uses is humble enough to be used, and trustworthy enough to do the impossible. Without the normal procedure followed by warriors or the equipment soldiers use, this faithful man preserved God's people.
The enemy was the Philistines. They came originally from Egypt but had never been delivered form bondage as had the Israelites. They had no blood of the Passover in their history nor anything that could compare with that. They had no miraculous Red Sea experience. They started in the same place and finished in the same place as Israel. But they had never known the lash, burden nor bondage. There are those who have had no conviction of sin, no desire to be forgiven, no blood and think they need no new birth. They profess to be in God's land but are at home in the world. They are nice, refined, "Christianized," religious people. But they ambush the Lord's people on the roads, robbing them of freedom in Christ, paying a man to come between us and God.
God can choose to use completely different kinds of people, from different kinds of occupations, and very different personalities. Othniel was a man of proven ability, superior character, spiritual depth, fine background. Ehud had what was perhaps a serious limitation. He was prominent, courageous, capable and had a problem with his right had that could have been a serious defect, but he planned out what needed to be done and did what he was able to do. Shamgar was a plain man with an ox-goad who would've been overlooked apart from the fact that he was available for God to use.
The people God uses are seen by three great principles: [a] He uses different kinds of people [b]God uses people who draw their strength from Him (Isa.40:29-31). [c]] God uses people who trust Him and step out in faith. Hudson Taylor: "He (God) trains someone to be quiet enough and little enough, and then He uses him."