It's a joy to be with you tonight. I feel in a very exalted position here.
I hope I don't move around, I'll be falling off the stage.
After three great introductory sermons, and I took the time to listen to all three of them,
I have to say, very comprehensive, we come to the first of the judges tonight
that the Lord raised up to deliver his people.
So, if you have your Bible, we're in chapter 3, and we're reading from verse 7.
The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
They forgot the Lord their God, and they served the Baals and the Asharahs.
The anger of the Lord burned against Israel,
so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan Rishathayim, king of Aram Naharim,
to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years.
When they cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer,
Othniel, son of Canaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them.
The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, so that he became Israel's judge and went to war.
The Lord gave Cushan Rishathayim, king of Aram, into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him.
So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel, son of Canaz, died.
Once again, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord,
and because they did this evil, the Lord gave Eglon, king of Moab, power over Israel.
Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel,
and they took possession of the city of Pams.
The Israelites were subject to Eglon, king of Moab, for eighteen years.
Again, the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer, Ehud,
a left-handed man, the son of Gerah the Benjamite.
The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon, king of Moab.
Now, Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long,
which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing.
He presented the tribute to Eglon, king of Moab, who was a very fat man.
After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way the men who had carried it.
At the idols near Gilgal, he himself turned back and said,
I have a secret message for you, O king.
The king said, Quiet.
And all his attendants left him.
Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his summer palace,
and said, I have a message from God for you.
As the king rose from his seat, Ehud reached with his left hand,
drew the sword from his right thigh, plunged it into the king's belly.
Even the handle sank in after the blade which came out of his back.
Ehud did not pull the sword out,
and the fat closed in over it.
Then Ehud went out to the porch,
he shut the doors of the upper room behind him,
and he locked them.
After he had gone,
the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked.
They said,
He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the house.
They waited to the point of embarrassment,
but when he did not open the doors of the room,
they took a key and unlocked them.
There they saw their lord fallen to the floor,
dead.
While they waited,
Ehud got away.
He passed by the idols and escaped to Syrah.
When he arrived there,
he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim,
and the Israelites went down with him from the hills,
with him leading them.
Follow me, he ordered,
for the Lord has given Moab your enemy into your hands.
So they followed him down,
and taking possession of the fords of the Jordan
that led to Moab,
they allowed no one to cross over.
At that time they struck down about 10,000 Moabites,
all vigorous and strong.
Not a man escaped.
That day Moab was made subject to Israel,
and the land had peace for 80 years.
After Ehud came Shamgar,
son of Eanath,
who struck down 600 Philistines
with an ox god.
He too saved Israel.
And this is God's word.
Amen.
I was reminded recently
that in forming a worldview,
there are at least four specific questions
that need to be answered.
If you're wanting to see the world in a certain way,
you've got to answer four questions.
Question one,
where did everything come from?
The question of origins,
did everything come from nothing?
Or did everything come from something?
Or did everything come from someone?
To have a worldview,
you need to answer that question.
Second question,
what's happened to make us the way we are?
Something's wrong.
Why do people get sick?
Why do people die?
As the old hymn puts it,
change and decay
in all around I see.
Why?
These things and many other things
require an explanation
because things
are simply not as they are supposed to be.
And all of us deep down
know that to be true.
That's another question
that needs to be answered.
What's wrong?
The third question is,
is there any hope?
Can what is broken be fixed?
If so,
who or what can fix it?
And when and where and how
can it be fixed?
And then of course,
there's the fourth question.
What is the end of the story going to be?
We need to address the issue of destiny.
So, if you're making a worldview,
if you're wanting to have a worldview,
these are the questions
that need to be answered.
As far as the Christian worldview is concerned,
the first three questions
are answered in the first three chapters
of the book of Genesis.
The Bible begins,
In the beginning,
God created the heavens and the earth.
There's the first answer to the question,
as far as the Christian is concerned.
And we're told that everything God made
was very good.
Question one answered.
Then came the fall,
as our first parents rebelled
and disobeyed their Creator.
Death came into the picture,
as promised.
Everything was cursed.
Nature became raw in tooth and claw.
That answers the second question.
The problem is really
sin.
That answers question two.
No sooner had that happened,
and we have recorded
that wonderful promise of hope
in Genesis 3.15,
telling us that the seed of the woman
would come to bruise
the head of the serpent.
He, whoever he is,
when he came,
he would deal with the problem,
but he would deal with it
at great cost to himself.
And that points us, of course,
to the coming of the Lord Jesus
into the world
on his great rescue mission.
His name would be Jesus,
for he would save his people
from their sins.
That answers question three,
as far as the Christian is concerned.
And the rest of the Bible
moves us on
in expectation
and anticipation
of the day
when Jesus will come again
and usher in the new heavens
and the new earth.
And that
is the biblical answer
to question four.
How's it all going to end?
In a few sentences,
with a few broad brush strokes,
as it were,
there you have
the Christian's worldview.
However,
at every stage
in world history,
our problem
as the people of God
has been a failure
to live
in the light
of these great foundational
fundamental truths.
Always say we believe them,
but we've really failed
very often to live
in the light of them,
and never more so
than during the period
of the judges.
The problem
with the Israelites
in the time
of the judges
was that they fell
again and again
at this hurdle.
On the one hand,
they failed to take sin
seriously.
On the other hand,
they failed to fix their eyes
on the one
who is invisible.
Therefore,
they failed
to glorify God
in the midst
of a surrounding
godless culture.
God required of them
the most radical response,
in terms of
a biblical separation
from the world.
They were to be
in the world,
but not of the world,
not of the ways
of the world,
not of the wickedness
of the world.
The peoples of Canaan
were to be removed
from the scene
because their life
and their culture
had become incorrigible.
But Israel didn't do this
when they could have done it
and should have done it.
Instead,
again and again,
they deliberately
disobeyed the Lord.
They became idolaters.
They adopted a policy
of peaceful coexistence.
They compromised their faith
in such a way
that it led to their moral
and spiritual influence
being snuffed out.
They reached a point
where it was almost impossible
to distinguish them
from their neighbors.
They fell into the trap
old Matthew Henry,
the English Puritan,
wrote about
and warned God's people
in the 17th century
when he said,
men that have broken
the fence
wander endlessly.
They gave way
in one thing
and then another
until everyone
was doing what was right
in his own hands.
That's why the book of Judges
I think is so relevant.
That's why I think
it's so contemporary.
If we put the world's view
of anything
before God's world view,
give it any room
to take root
in our hearts and minds,
we will find
that such compromise
will only lead
ultimately to catastrophe.
Joshua
saw this coming
one generation earlier.
He threw down
the gauntlet
to the people of God
towards the end
of his life.
He told them
about all that God
had done for them
in bringing them
into the promised land
and then he said
this to them
in Joshua 24
verses 14 and 15
in what was his
farewell address
to the nation.
I think it's been
quoted before
in one of the three
introductions.
Now fear the Lord,
he said.
He's an old man now.
Fear the Lord,
he said,
and serve him
with all faithfulness.
Throw away the God
your forefathers
worshipped beyond the river
and in Egypt
and serve the Lord.
But if serving the Lord
seems undesirable to you,
then choose for yourselves
this day
who you will serve.
Whether the gods
your forefathers
served beyond the river
or the gods of the Amorites
in whose land
you are living.
But as for me
and my household,
we will serve the Lord.
In other words,
listen,
I have made my choice.
You must make
your choice.
But remember this,
we will all become
the choices that we make.
And you remember
how the people
replied to that challenge?
Verses 16 and 18
of that chapter.
Far be it from us,
they said,
to forsake the Lord,
to serve other gods.
It was the Lord,
our God himself,
who brought us
and our fathers
up out of Egypt,
that land of slavery,
and performed those
great signs before our eyes.
He protected us
on our entire journey
and among all the nations
through which we traveled.
And the Lord drove out
before us
all the nations,
including the Amorites
who lived in the land.
We too will serve
the Lord
because he is
our God.
Sounds good.
Sounds plausible.
But old Joshua
wasn't blind.
Nor was he stupid.
Their words were not
matched by their deeds.
And he could see it
beginning to take place.
He saw the way
they were living
day in and day out.
He could see the signs.
He could read the trends.
He saw the writing
was on the wall.
He told them
that what they were saying
with their lips
was not being worked out
in their everyday lives.
The red lights of danger,
metaphorically speaking,
were flashing.
The alarm bells
were ringing.
The people
lacked a heart experience
of God.
A generation
was rising up
who knew about the Lord.
They probably have quoted
all the doctrines
that they'd been taught
as wee boys
and wee girls.
But a generation
was rising up
who knew about the Lord
but who didn't know
the Lord.
And it was second hand
to them.
They had forsaken the Lord.
They had done evil
in the eyes of the Lord.
When the days of Joshua
were over,
but he had seen it coming.
They entered into
what is now known
as the period
of the judges
with hearts
that were rebellious
and cold
towards
the God
who created them
and the God
who had entered
into a covenant
with them.
God delivered them
into the hands
of their enemies
again
and again
and again.
Enemies
who would eventually
move them
to cry out
to the Lord
for help
and when they did so
he would deliver them
again
and again
by raising up judges,
saviors,
deliverers,
military leaders,
call them what you will.
So what I want to do
is to look at
the first three judges
tonight.
That's what I've been
asked to do.
Othniel,
Ehud
and Shamgar.
I've called them
the three mister men
so that you might
remember it.
I did a series once
in Musselboro
on the mister men
for the boys and girls.
I was over
in Ireland
and I met a family there
and one of them
said to me
when I was a wee girl
I remember you did
a series on the mister men.
Three mister men.
Othniel.
What shall we call him?
Mister Unique.
God had delivered
the people
into the hands
of this man
called Cushan Rishathain
king of Aram
in verse 7
chapter 3
because of their sin
worshipping and serving
the Baals and the Ashtaroths.
The heat
of God's jealous love
will not allow
his people
to remain
cosy and comfortable
in their sin.
If they don't
obey his commands
they will have to
endure
his chastening.
It's the mark
of being
a real
genuine
child of God.
Cushan Rishathain
in the Hebrew language
I understand
literally means
Cushan of the
double wickedness.
God was angry
with his people
and that's why
he delivered them
into the hands
of this wicked
pagan king.
I like what
Ralph Davis
has to say on this.
he says Cushan
wasn't good news
or bad news.
He was good
bad news
in the sense
that God
is prepared
to inflict
misery on his
people
to waken them
up.
Only Davis
could put it
that way.
What God
was doing
would not
save his
people
but it would
at least be
the beginning
of them
feeling their
need.
Helping
them to see
what their
true condition
is.
Their true
position
is.
Israel was
subject to
this man
Cushan
Rishathain
for eight
years until
finally and
in sheer
desperation
and as a
last resort
they cried
out to God
to deliver
them.
Now it
doesn't say
they repented
of their
sins.
They may
have done
but on the
other hand
they may not
have done
when they
cried out
but they
cried out
for deliverance
and God
had compassion
on them.
He was
reacting
if not
to their
penitence
then to
their pain.
And we
read in
verse 9
when they
cried to
the Lord
he raised
up for
them a
deliverer
Othniel
son of
Canaz
Caleb's
younger
brother
who saved
them.
He's the
first judge.
The man
chosen by
God to
be their
deliverer
was called
Othniel.
I call
him Mr.
Unique
even
although
there's
nothing
really
very
outstanding
about
him.
He
has
been
described
as a
colourless
character
with no
flash or
dash and
yet he
was unique
in the
sense that
he was the
first of
the twelve
judges.
Now there's
a sense
we all know
in which
we're all
unique.
The
dictionary
meaning of
the word
unique is
to be
single and
kind having
no like
or equal.
When God
made each
and every
one of
us he
broke
the
mould we
often say
that.
We're all
unique in
that sense
but Othniel
was also
unique in
the sense
that he
had no
previous
examples
to follow
no role
model to
give him
his bearings
as a
judge.
There were
no guidelines
laid down
by those
who had
gone before
because nobody
had gone
before.
He was
the first.
pioneer
if you
like
in his
own
field
and that's
never an
easy slot
to fill
but he's
God's
man
God
raised them
up
he's
God's
man
for the
hour.
Not
everybody's
type of
ministry
but it's
got to be
somebody's
ministry
to be
the pioneer
to be
the trailblazer
as a new
need arises
and a new
ministry
emerges
as a new
day dawns
Othniel.
Surely a
privilege to
be the
first to
do whatever
it is
that needs
to be
done.
I think
it's
interesting
to read
that the
Jewish
rabbis
were so
impressed
by Othniel
that they
spoke of
him and
they wrote
of him
as the
first among
the judges
not only
in a
chronological
sense but
in a
spiritual
sense.
Apart
from his
own
God-given
abilities
I think
there are
a couple
of things
that
contributed
to his
ministry
being used
by God
and we
can pick
them up
from the
text.
The Puritans
would say
let the
text do
the talking.
What can
we pick
up from
the narrative
here?
Well one
thing we
can pick
up on
was his
previous
experience.
He had
already proved
himself to
be a suitable
material as
a judge,
as a
saviour
in Israel.
He wasn't
a saviour
who would
save people
from their
sins.
That unique
kind of
saviour
is still
to come.
But at
least
Othniel can
be of
great help
to the
people of
his day.
I cannot
stress how
important it
is for all
of us to
first of all
prove ourselves
before we
take on a
leadership role.
And that's
what this man
did.
When God
chooses to
use a man
at this
level,
it's because
he's already
proved his
worth to a
certain degree
at another
level.
That was
true of
Othniel.
How do
you know?
Well, Caleb,
the great
man of
faith,
a man who
wholly
followed the
Lord,
he had led
the attack
against the
heart of
Canaanite
power at
Hebron
earlier,
also known
as Kiriath-Yarba,
and God
had given
him a great
victory.
But there
was another
center of
Canaanite power
at a place
called Debir,
known as
Kiriath-sephir,
and Caleb
had issued a
challenge back
in Judges 1
and verse 12.
Caleb said,
I will give
my daughter
Aksa in
marriage to
the man who
attacks and
captures Kiriath-sephir.
Othniel,
son of
Canaan,
Caleb's younger
brother,
took it.
So Caleb gave
his daughter
Aksa to
him in
marriage.
Othniel
was Caleb's
nephew.
He had
earned his
spurs
sometime
earlier
on the
field of
battle.
I don't
know what
age he
would be
probably
in the
50s,
Caleb in
his 80s,
the prelude
to and the
preparation for
greater things.
It's an
elementary
principle,
isn't it?
But an
essential one
that needs
to be
observed.
If we're
not proving
ourselves in
the work of
God in
smaller things,
then we
mustn't expect
to be called
in later life
to do
greater things.
When it
comes to
leadership,
you don't
call people
to be
faithful,
you call
people who
are already
faithful.
And Othniel
was already
that kind of
man.
That was
his experience.
But of
course,
his previous
experience at
another level
was not in
and of
itself enough
for this
new venture.
there's also
his personal
empowering.
You can see
that in the
text.
So, no
matter what
the task
is, if
it's to
bring glory
to God
and not
ourselves,
if it's to
bring blessing
to others,
if it's to
thin the ranks
of the enemy
and result in
victory, it
will need to
be carried
out in the
power of
the Holy
Spirit.
And we
all need to
be reminded
of that,
although we
already know
it in our
heads.
I need to
be reminded
of it.
We did in
verse 10,
that the
Spirit of
the Lord
came upon
him, so
that he
became Israel's
judge and
he went to
war.
The Lord
gave
Cushan
Rishatham
king of
Aram into
the hands
of Othniel,
who overpowered
him, so the
land had
peace for
forty years,
until Othniel
son of
Canaz died.
It was that
touch from
God, that
rush of
the Spirit
coming upon
him, that
made all the
difference.
It was, call it
an anointing if
you like, it
was that
anointing that
made all the
difference.
It was the
empowering by
the Spirit that
brought transformation
not just on the
home front, but
in penetrating the
enemy's ranks.
I'm not saying
this is a second
blessing.
I'm simply
saying this man
went about his
God-given
ministry depending
on the Holy
Spirit.
Yes, he had
something in the
box of experience
he could draw on
from his earlier
days, but he
needed more than
that.
Every preacher,
every leader,
every child of
God engaged in
ministry of
any kind,
God.
No matter how
gifted and how
talented and
experienced they
may be, it
must always be not
by might, nor by
power, but by my
Spirit, says the
Lord.
The preaching of
orthodoxy, the
leading with great
skill, the
multiplication of
activities, absolutely
useless unless the
Holy Spirit sent
down from heaven
is our portion.
Now, I'm not
quoting John
Wimber here, I'm
quoting Professor
John Murray, who's
at the other end of
the theological
spectrum because this
lies at the heart of
historic reformed
theology.
We're back here to
the importance of the
place of prayer in our
lives and in the life
of the church, which
Al Martin once
referred to as the
conscious spreading
out of our
helplessness before
God.
You look at
Othniel.
Something in the
box of experience,
yes, but he needed
that anointing of
the Spirit.
Without him, we
can do nothing.
Therein lies the
strength of the
persecuted church in
so many parts of the
world tonight.
Therein lies the
strength of any
church worthy of
the name.
Therein lies the
strength of Othniel,
the first judge.
Mr.
Unique.
But alas, it would
only be temporary
because you read
that he died.
So time moves on.
Life moves on.
And along comes
Ehud.
How shall we
describe him?
Mr.
Unusual.
Gordon
Keddie in his
commentary on
Judges suggests
that the story of
Ehud is the
stuff of which
swashbuckling
Hollywood movies
are made of.
That's how he
puts it.
A man can
change his
generation if
he's a man
entirely at God's
disposal.
But that same
man cannot
guarantee the
spirituality of
the next
generation.
The spiritual
tide ebbs and
flows.
After 40 years
of peace under
Othniel's
leadership, the
cycle of sin
returns as the
Israelites become
prayerless and
careless following
his death and
they begin to do
evil again in the
eyes of the Lord.
And in verse 12
we read of how
God dealt with
them.
It's interesting
when you read it.
Because they did
this evil, the
Lord gave Eglon,
king of Moab,
power over Israel.
You have to read
that sentence
twice.
Because they did
this evil, the
Lord gave Eglon,
king of Moab,
power over
Israel.
Getting the
Ammonites and
the Amalekites to
join him, Eglon
came and attacked
Israel.
They took possession
of the city of
Palms, Jericho.
The Israelites were
subject to Eglon,
king of Moab, for
18 years.
Now you read that
and you immediately
come to the
conclusion that God's
in control.
He always is.
We read that it
was God who
handed Israel over
into the hands of
Eglon, king of
Moab.
It wasn't a fluke
incident.
It wasn't a freak
accident.
God raised up this
man, king of Moab,
actually strengthened
him so that he
would be in a
position of power
to actually inflict
damage on Israel,
his people.
And it took Israel
18 long years
before they
eventually came to
their senses and
cried out to the
Lord.
And needless to say,
God heard their
cry, raised up
another deliverer,
another man he
could use, but a
man completely
different from
Othniel.
His name was
Ehud.
The etymology of
the word Ehud or
Udea as it is for
short is unknown.
I called him Mr.
Unusual simply
because he was a
left-handed man.
No disrespect to
anybody here who
might be left-handed,
but he's unusual
because he's a
left-handed man and
he belongs to the
tribe of Benjamin,
which means son of
my right hand.
Now, for any of us
to be left-handed
may mean nothing
more than to be
slightly different
from most other
people in how we
handle things.
Perhaps a little
awkward, especially
if you're looking to
borrow somebody
else's golf clubs.
It's not a
handicap or something
that puts limitations
on anyone.
But the meaning of
the word in Hebrew
carries with it a
sense of being
bound or hindered
in some way.
I also read
somewhere that the
word in Latin
actually means
sinister.
Now, we also
know that in those
days it was thought
by some as being
a defect.
We're not going to
go down that road,
be that as it may.
It certainly made
Ehud because he was
a lefty.
It made him stand
out as being
markedly different
from others.
And that's why the
person who wrote
the narrative draws
our attention to it.
He never said when
he introduced
Othniel, he's a
right-handed man,
but when he's
introducing Ehud,
he tells us he's a
left-handed man, the
son of Gerard the
Benjamite.
He's a left-handed
man in a world of
right-handed people.
He comes from the
tribe of Benjamin,
as I've said, son of
my right hand.
And for that reason
alone, I call him
Mr. Unusual.
But God chose him.
And again, I would
like to mention just
a couple of things
from the text about
him.
When you read the
narrative, you come
to this conclusion,
Ehud was a faithful
man.
You read in the
book of Proverbs
20, verse 6,
many a man claims
to have unfailing
love, but a
faithful man, who
can find?
To be a faithful
man is to belong to
a rare breed,
especially when the
spiritual tide is
out.
Anybody in
Christian leadership
would tell you,
give me a dozen
faithful people.
Makes all the
difference.
And yet, this is
the quality that
God looks for,
isn't it?
More than anything
else in a human
being.
This is the quality
he'll reward more
than anything else
on the last day.
I mean, let me
throw it out.
Is there anyone
here who doesn't
want to hear the
Lord say to them
when we render
our account,
well done, good
and faithful servant?
Enter into the
joy of your Lord?
Of course we want
to hear that.
Ehud was faithful
because he was a
man who not only
trusted God, he was
a man who could be
trusted by God,
especially when it
came to money.
Don't miss that in
the passage.
Handling money.
No one in human
history has been
able to serve God
and money at one
and the same time.
It is absolutely
impossible to do
both.
I can say that
with confidence
because Jesus
said it.
It's got to be
the one or the
other.
Ehud was a man
who served God
in his day
and he was able
to handle money
wisely and
carefully.
We read in verse
15 that the
Israelites sent him
with tribute
to Edwin,
king of Moab.
He's entrusted
with the task
of paying the
tax that was
due to this
overweight,
blubbery,
20 stone plus
king.
Those who sent
him obviously
trusted him to
deliver the goods
without dipping
into the purse
as Judas did
in his day.
In that sense
he's similar
in caliber
to Othniel.
Clearly he's
proved his worth
to be given
such a task
in the first
place.
And as we look
into what
happened,
we need to be
careful.
We don't need
to allegorize
this.
We don't need
to typologize
it.
We don't need
to moralize
the story.
We don't need
to put any
spin on it.
The person
who wrote
this story,
he's not
embarrassed
in writing it.
If anything,
he enjoyed
writing it.
And it must
have been a
story often
told and
accompanied
with great
laughter
for years
to come
and many
in Israel
like home.
What happened
that day?
This man,
who was a
faithful man,
had a
pointed message.
He had a
pointed message
in more ways
than one.
You remember
when God
made Esther,
he made her
very beautiful
and it was
her beauty
that was
instrumental
in her
being in
the right
place at
the right
time.
when God's
people would
be in a
state of
crisis.
When God
made Ehud,
he made
him unusual,
if I can
allow you to
use that
term,
in terms of
being a
lefty in
a right
handed
world.
He chose
a left
handed man
to be the
man of
his right
hand and
it was
this that
won the
day.
It was
this unusual
feature
yielded to
God that
was instrumental
in defeating
the enemy
and in
delivering the
people of
God from
a tyrant.
Yes,
it took
courage for
Ehud to
do what
he did.
Yes,
he must
have thought
things through
carefully before
he did it,
but the
impact of
what he
did was
felt for
eighty
years.
Yes,
he was a
man of his
times and
we must
understand what
he did in
that context.
He was able
to salute the
king with
his right
hand without
making the
king sense
there was any
danger coming
from his
left hand.
Thus he
caught the
king off
guard when
he said,
I have a
secret message
for you,
O king.
And then
later when
he got the
king on
his own in
the upper
room of
his summer
palace,
I have a
message from
God for
you,
O king.
And it
was then he
delivered the
pointed message
in the form
of thrusting
what was
probably an
eighteen inch
dagger into
the king's
belly.
it says in
verse 22,
even the
handle sank
in after the
blade which
came out of
his back.
Ehud did
not pull the
sword out and
the fat closed
in over it.
And so he
walked out the
room, shut
the doors behind
him, locked
them, left
the king's
servants to
wonder for a
while as to
what was going
on while
Ehud made
his getaway.
Now,
brothers and
sisters,
it's a long
time ago.
But there
are principles
here.
There are
bits and
pieces in
all of our
lives that
make you
and me
tonight unique.
And perhaps
some of it is
even unusual.
Sometimes we
lament over
these things,
we forget that
this is the
way God
has put us
together in
our mother's
womb for
his eternal
glory.
We excuse
ourselves
sometimes from
being useful
and usable
instead of
offering ourselves
just as we
are to the
Lord, making
our mark on
the sands of
time before
it is forever
too late.
Even in dark
days when
everyone was
doing what
was right in
their own
eyes, God
was at work
during the
period of the
judges.
I said there
were three
Mr.
Men in
chapter 3,
Mr.
Unique,
Mr.
Unusual,
and finally
Mr.
Unknown,
Shamgar.
I wonder
if you were
the preacher
tonight,
what would
you say
in Shamgar?
He appears
at the end
of the
chapter in
one verse.
He comes
in between
Ehud and
Deborah in
the next
chapter,
as someone
has said,
just like an
advert in
television,
between two
interesting and
exciting
programs.
The story of
Ehud,
that's exciting.
The story of
Deborah,
wow, that's
exciting too.
But Shamgar?
He's only
referred to
in this one
verse,
chapter 3,
verse 31,
but what a
significant
mention.
Even though
some commentators
have little
or nothing
to say about
him,
they pass
him by.
It says,
after Ehud
came Shamgar,
son of Anath,
who struck
down 600
Philistines
with an ox
goat,
he too
saved Israel.
Not bad
for a one
line-up.
He's also
mentioned later
in the Song
of Deborah,
chapter 5,
verse 6,
where we read,
in the days
of Shamgar,
son of Anath,
in the days
of Jael,
the roads
were abandoned,
travelers took
to winding
paths.
Now,
you take
those two
little snippets
of truth,
and you come
out with the
conclusion that
life was
difficult and
life was
dangerous in
those days.
And Shamgar,
he doesn't
come onto the
stage of
Israelite history
with a fanfare
of trumpets.
We know
very little
about him.
Paul,
Saint Paul,
Augustine,
Saint Augustine,
Columba,
Saint Columba,
Shamgar,
Saint Shamgar,
he's an unknown
quantity.
His life is
summed up in
the briefest of
comments.
But he was a
legend in his
day.
Some time ago,
I read a book
called The
Elect Lady.
It was on
Selina,
the Countess of
Huntington.
Some of you may
have read it.
She was an
aristocrat.
She was able
to support men
like George
Whitfield and
John Charles
Wesley.
In their day,
other great
evangelical preachers
in the 18th
century,
Howe Harris
in Wales.
She moved
in high
society as
an aristocratic
ambassador for
the Lord Jesus.
In Paul's
letter to the
Corinthians,
remember what
he said?
He said,
brothers,
think of what
you were
when you
were called.
Not many
of you were
wise by
human standards.
Not many
were influential.
Not many
were of
noble birth,
but God
chose the
foolish things
of the world
to shame
the wise.
God chose
what's weak
in the world
to shame
the strong.
God chose
what's low
and despised
in the world,
even things
that are not
to bring
to nothing
things that
are.
Selina,
the elect lady
of the
Countess of
Huntingdon,
she used to
say she was
grateful for
the letter
M in the
word many
in that
passage.
if it had
said not
any,
not any
wise,
not any
influential,
she would
have been
left out.
She was
an aristocrat.
I don't
know that
there are
any aristocrats
here.
Most of us
are very
ordinary
creatures.
Came from
a background
of relative
obscurity in
the world.
My father
was a coal
miner.
His father
was a coal
miner.
And his
father before
him was a
coal miner.
I come
from a wee
village in
the west
of Scotland,
New York
Hill.
It's a dump.
Forgive me
for saying
it.
There's
nothing in
it.
I think
Shamgar was
a wee bit
like that.
Nothing
exceptional in
his breeding,
but God
used him
mightily.
He slew
600
Philistines
with an
ox goad.
Now we're
not told if
he did it
all on his
own or was
it as a
leader with
the help
of others.
You know
it says
sometimes in
the Bible
David slew
the Philistines
but it
was David
with the
army behind
him.
Well was
it here
that Shamgar
had men
behind him
when he
did this?
I don't
know.
I don't
know.
All I
know is
a
ox goad
was a
wooden
stick that
could be
as long
as eight
feet long
with a
sharp metal
point at
one end
for driving
the ox
and a
blade at
the other
end for
cleaning
the plough
and yet
he put
to death
all these
Philistines.
That was
all he
had.
Just a
couple of
things about
him.
It would
appear that
this man
came out
of paganism.
It's easy
to miss that
point but
Shamgar is
probably not a
Hebrew name
at all.
You check the
commentators.
It is in all
probability a
Canaanite name
just as his
father
Anath
is the name
of a
Canaanite god
of sex
and war.
Now that's a
guess
although it
may go down
as an
educated
guess
we have a
problem in
that from a
family lineage
perspective
we don't
know if he
ever had any
Israelite roots
this man.
God seems
to have
dug him
out of the
pit of
raw paganism
to enlist him
into his
royal service.
The name
Shamgar
unknown in
Israel until
this moment
in history.
He comes
out it
probably is
true he
comes out
out of
paganism but
and he also
stands out as
being a
peasant.
His weapon
tells us he's
something of a
country yokel
and yet he
saved Israel
from their
enemies.
Shamgar was
later written
into the
annals of
their history
as a hero
his name
being mentioned
in the lyrics
of a song
by those who
came later.
Shamgar
what else
can I say
I don't
know what
else to
say about
these things.
Let me
just say
this we're
all unique
in some
respects.
Tonight we're
all unusual
in many
ways and
we are all
without exception
in the category
of being
known as
unknown as
far as this
world is
concerned.
But do not
forget tonight
that God
knows you.
He loves
you.
Look what
He's done
for you
in Christ
and what
He's been
doing for
you, many
of you,
for decades.
When I was
in Burma,
Myanmar as
it's called
today, with
Martin
Dudgeon from
Asia Link,
we had a
couple of
hours free
when we were
in Rangoon,
Yangon, the
capital city,
and we
decided to
visit the
cemetery on
the outskirts
of the city
where we
knew that
hundreds and
hundreds of
British soldiers
had been
laid to rest,
men who
fell in the
Burmese
War.
Most of
them were in
their late
teens or
their early
twenties.
It was quite
something just
to grave
after grave,
headstone
after headstone,
19 years of
age, 21
years of age,
18 years of
age, 22
years of age,
right along
the line,
line after
line.
We walked
up and
down, row
after row
of graves.
The headstone
would tell us
what regiment
they fought
with, how
old they
were, but
we came to
a grave
where it
just simply
said,
unknown
soldier.
And Martin
turned to
me, and
he said to
me, he
said,
John, he
says,
there are
many unknown
soldiers in
the Lord's
army.
Very few
people, if
any, know
who they
are.
beyond the
place where
they live,
but God
knows who
they are.
I just
want to say
to you
tonight,
whatever age
you're at,
whatever stage
you're at,
I just want
to say to
you, if
you are
one of
his unknown
children,
God can
take you
up and
use you
for his
glory.
If you'll
but place
at his
disposal all
that you
are and
all that
you have,
no matter
how little
it may
be.
I speak
to those
of you
who are
my age,
mid-70s,
you think
it's all
over?
No, it's
not.
You've got
to go on
until you
breast the
tape.
You've got
to be
faithful unto
death,
and he
will give
you the
crown of
life.
It's not
about how
much we
have,
it's what
we do
with what
we have
that counts,
no matter
how little
it may be.
And that's
the challenge
of this
chapter, I
think, and
in particular,
the man at
the end of
the chapter,
but the other
two as
well.
Put them
all together.
You know,
it was D.L.
Moody who
once said,
the world
has yet to
see what
God can
do with
one man
fully yielded
to him,
and by the
grace of
God, I
intend to
be that
man.
Now, God
doesn't want
you to be
Othniel,
and he
doesn't want
you to be
a lefty
like Ehud,
and he
doesn't want
you to be
Shamgar,
he wants
you to be
you,
in your
generation,
me and
my generation,
living for
his glory.
Mr.
Unique,
Mr.
Unusual,
Mr.
Unknown,
but God
has got his
hand on you,
and he
wants to
use you
with every
breath you've
got in your
body,
until he
calls you
home.
Father in
heaven,
we thank
you for
your word,
we thank
you for
these men
who lived
so long
ago,
in a
completely
different
world from
the world
we live
in,
we thank
you that
you raised
them up,
you shaped
them,
you equipped
them,
and you
used them
for the
extension of
your kingdom,
for the
blessing of
your people,
for the
glory of
your great
name.
Help us
to feel
tonight,
to know
tonight,
that in
some small
way,
we can be
in the
same train
that they
are in.
and we
pray this
in Jesus'
name.
Amen.
OK.
Thank you.