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 William Cooper was one of the most famous poets of the 18th century in England.

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 He was also a hymn writer, but he spent most of his life fighting through severe bouts of depression.

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 He even spent a year in an insane asylum, if you know anything about his story.

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 After three failed attempts at suicide, he was committed to an institution for a year,

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 and he would continue to struggle with these bouts of depression really throughout his entire life until he died in 1800.

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 But he did eventually find some refuge at the conclusion of his institutionalization there at St. Albans in England,

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 and even beyond that, he eventually found some refuge in a fervent Christianity.

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 And despite his ups and downs even throughout his life from that moment until his death,

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 he was really a faithful Christian, and he was a faithful Christian in using the gifts that God had given him in poetry and in writing

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 for the glory of God and for the good of God's people.

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 Through a series of events after he was released from his hospitalization,

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 he met one couple that he began to live with that introduced him to a man named John Newton.

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 And John Newton, the famous writer of Amazing Grace and pastor in Olney, England,

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 became his pastor and close personal friend.

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 He would eventually begin to work alongside of John Newton, at least for a few years there in Olney,

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 and he would assist with pastoral duties that Newton had.

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 But primarily what he did was he assisted Newton with a collection of hymns,

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 and they compiled a hymn book.

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 They called it Olney hymns, and William Cooper contributed a number of his own poems to this particular hymn book.

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 And one of his most well-known of these poems was actually initially published under the heading

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 Light Shining Out of Darkness.

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 We know it by a different name.

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 We know it by God Moves in a Mysterious Way.

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 Perhaps you've sung the song before in a church service.

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 It was a reflection on the fact that God's work in us, God's work through us, God's work around us,

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 is often quite mysterious.

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 His ways are routinely difficult for us to comprehend and to understand,

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 or to even recognize that he's at work at all.

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 Here's what the first stanza of Cooper's hymn says.

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 God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform.

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 He plants his footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm.

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 Deep in unfathomable minds of never-failing skill,

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 he treasures up his bright designs and works his sovereign will.

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 Cooper understands that.

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 He understood God's absolute sovereignty over all the events of his life,

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 while also acknowledging that God's work is often a mystery to us.

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 It's mysterious, hard to understand.

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 Here was Cooper, who was committing his life and his talents and his gifts to the service of the Lord,

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 even after his conversion, and yet he was still suffering.

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 God moves in a mysterious way, is his response.

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 No matter how many times maybe he sat at home, unable to even attend a church service,

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 because of the deepness of his depression,

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 surely he wondered, is God even working at all?

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 God's work is often a mystery.

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 God doesn't fill us in on everything we'd like to know about what he's doing,

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 but he instead calls us to trust in his sovereign purposes.

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 Just crucial to the Christian life, isn't it?

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 It's not always clear why he uses certain people or certain circumstances in our lives,

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 yet his word shows us repeatedly that he's always working for his glory and for our good.

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 The story of Shamgar, as small as it may be and as obscure as it may be,

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 is shrouded in the mystery of sovereignty.

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 God is clearly in control of all the events that are taking place in Shamgar's life,

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 but we're told almost nothing about what happened and why it happened the way that it did.

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 It's a mystery.

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 But even the things that we do know as we read this one verse about Shamgar

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 is unusual to say the least.

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 When I was a kid, if you were like me, you liked the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

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 And anybody have a favorite Ninja Turtle?

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 You want to admit who your favorite Ninja Turtle was?

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 Let me tell you who my favorite Ninja Turtle was.

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 You'll never guess it.

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 Donatello.

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 That's weird, isn't it?

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 Donatello was a weird favorite Ninja Turtle because Donatello wasn't the cool one.

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 He was the smart one with glasses.

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 And here's what he carried.

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 Not a sword like Michelangelo.

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 Donatello, he carried a stick.

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 That's all he had.

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 He had a stick.

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 If Ahud is the James Bond of Judges that we learned last week,

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 Shamgar is the Donatello of Judges.

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 All he has is a stick, essentially.

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 And he carries out this tremendous victory under the power of God.

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 And we look back at that and we think,

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 why in the world does God do things like this?

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 Why does he do such strange things?

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 His way is mysterious.

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 Really, at the end of the day, the verse, it provokes more questions than it gives answers.

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 But we know that while not all Scripture is equally impactful, it is all profitable.

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 That's what Paul tells us.

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 It's all profitable for our faith.

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 It's profitable for our maturity in Christ.

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 And this little verse about Shamgar is no exception.

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 And if we will apply our hearts and our minds to wisdom this morning,

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 I think what we will find is that it provides some wonderfully edifying truths

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 about the nature of God's work and God's grace.

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 Okay?

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 Looking at the nature of God's work and God's grace.

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 Here's the first thing I want you to see.

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 I want you to see God's preserving grace.

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 God's preserving grace.

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 We can get into a lot of questions about this particular verse that we can't actually provide

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 answers for.

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 But the most pressing question of all is, why is this story here in the first place?

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 In fact, you could easily remove it and you wouldn't even recognize that anything was missing

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 in the text.

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 In fact, start reading with me at chapter 3 and verse 30.

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 And we're going to read to the first verse of chapter 4.

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 But we're going to skip over this verse about Shamgar.

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 Just notice this.

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 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel and the land had rest 80 years.

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 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ahud died.

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 You could literally skip Shamgar and wouldn't even know it.

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 So why is it here?

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 Well, the final phrase of the verse at least gives us the general purpose of it.

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 It says, he also saved Israel.

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 That tells us the general purpose, doesn't it?

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 Like every narrative in Judges, this little story is about how God delivers his people.

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 But that doesn't explain why the author found it so necessary to include this little obscure

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 story in the middle of a book that has much more dramatic stories about that same truth.

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 Every one of them.

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 We start with Othniel and Ahud and then Barak and Deborah.

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 And then we're going to eventually get to the big ones like Gideon and Jephthah and Samson.

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 They're all saying the same thing.

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 God is faithful to his covenant.

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 God delivers his people.

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 Right?

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 So why did he feel it so necessary to leave this verse in here?

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 Some have concluded that the verse was a later addition by a different author and really serves

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 no purpose at all.

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 But that's unhelpful conjecture.

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 It can neither be denied or validated.

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 Many have written that the author was really trying to include 12 different deliverers so

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 that he could match the number of tribes in Israel.

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 The fact is God probably raised up many more people than this that helped deliver Israel

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 at various times during this time frame.

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 And the suggestion is the author was just picking 12 of them, 12 of them.

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 And in doing that, he matches the number of the tribes of Israel.

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 And by matching the number of the tribes of Israel, he communicates that God's salvation

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 is complete.

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 That his salvation is full.

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 Nothing is left wanting.

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 And to be honest, there is some merit in that particular view.

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 But I still think it lacks a satisfying resolution to this particular question.

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 I want to suggest that the primary purpose of the Shamgar narrative is to highlight an often

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 neglected or maybe even completely ignored aspect of God's salvation.

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 His preserving grace.

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 And my conclusion is based on the timing of events.

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 Look at the first phrase of this verse.

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 After him was Shamgar.

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 Well, who is the him?

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 After who?

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 Ahud, right?

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 The timing of Shamgar's exploits overlaps with the leadership of Ahud,

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 which is who we studied last week.

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 That's the previous verses.

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 But Ahud's death isn't recorded for us until the first verse of chapter 4 in the Barak cycle.

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 So notice with me at the end of verse 30, we find that because of Ahud, the Lord gives the land of Israel's land rest for 80 years.

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 And then when we get to verse 4 and we find that Ahud has died and now the cycle starts all over again and Israel does evil in the sight of the Lord.

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 And then that rest is now taken away.

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 So since the land had rest for 80 years, and at the end of that rest, it's directly linked to Ahud's death,

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 we can deduce that what Shamgar was doing then had a unique purpose in the work that God was doing during the rest.

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 Okay?

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 Now, that might have been really confusing.

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 Let me try to simplify what I just said.

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 God provides 80 years of rest due to Ahud's victory.

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 Shamgar's actions take place during that time of rest.

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 Okay?

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 So what's happening with the Philistines is not, the rest isn't being brought to an end.

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 That doesn't happen until the Barak cycle.

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 So Shamgar is operating in between these two narratives, right?

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 So what's God doing?

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 Shamgar isn't delivering Israel from an oppressive government like the Moabites or Jabin, the king of Canaan that we'll study about next week.

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 What Shamgar is doing is preserving the rest that was initiated by Ahud.

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 Do you see that?

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 It's what he's doing.

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 This is what I'm calling God's preserving grace.

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 His preserving grace.

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 Now, it's possible that there were many people in Israel who were blissfully unaware of the fact that there was a new enemy forming in the northwest corner.

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 And while they were enjoying the blessings of peace,

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 they might not have even known that there was this farmer in the north land

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 who was fighting off this fierce enemy.

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 God had raised him up.

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 And the reason was God was preserving their peace.

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 He was delaying something catastrophic.

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 He was preserving the rest.

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 Something that maybe they weren't even aware of.

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 We mostly think of God's work in terms of crisis or in the moment of crisis, don't we?

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 We don't always think about what he may be doing to delay or prevent a crisis in our lives altogether.

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 In fact, it's often in retrospect that as Christians, we look back on particular moments of our lives and we see,

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 okay, I didn't understand it then, but this is what God was doing.

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 And you can clearly trace his hand through the events of your life.

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 But even then, we typically, in retrospect, relate those things to moments of crisis.

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 Have you ever stopped to consider a time of peace in your life and a time of comfort and joy in your life?

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 And just look to see, what was God doing in my life to preserve that peace and that joy and that comfort in that particular moment?

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 I think that's what God's doing with Shamgar.

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 It is a unique feature of God's grace that we don't often think about.

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 He's preserving something for his people.

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 Preserving something.

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 He had brought his people peace and was graciously preserving it,

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 even though they had probably already begun to slip into another cycle of idolatry.

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 That's what's even more amazing about it.

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 It's not that Ahud dies in verse 1 of chapter 4,

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 and then just all of a sudden, the next morning, everybody wakes up and decides,

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 okay, I guess we'll worship Bel again.

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 That's not what's happening.

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 And as we've said, week by week, the cries of Israel out for deliverance,

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 they weren't necessarily cries of repentance.

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 They were cries of distress.

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 Please help.

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 It wasn't returning.

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 It was please help.

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 And God took pity and compassion on them,

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 and he delivered them despite their sin.

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 So during this time of peace, we can understand that Israel was still doing what they should not have done.

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 There may have been some type of reform, but they were still in sin.

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 And yet God still does this amazing work.

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 Undoubtedly, God was giving his people more time,

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 more time to turn back and repent

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 before he unleashes another round of wrath.

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 They would eventually be able to look back and see that that's what he's doing, I think,

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 that God was patiently enduring their sin.

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 Perhaps you've been in a moment, or maybe you're in a moment in your life right now

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 that matches Israel's situation pretty clearly.

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 You've spent a lot of your life maybe in rejection of God,

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 or at least in rejection of really full commitment and surrender to God.

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 You've kind of toyed around with it.

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 You've done the Christian thing, but you've never really surrendered to Christ.

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 And you've enjoyed peace.

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 Your life really hasn't been all that bad.

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 You've had it fairly easily, perhaps.

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 Sure, we all have moments where things are tough and difficult,

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 but for the most part, your life has been pretty easy,

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 and you feel really comfortable in that ease.

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 And what you don't realize is that the peace that you feel

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 is the grace of God's kindness

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 that's actually meant to bring you to repentance.

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 He's withholding wrath for a season

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 in order to give you time to turn back to Him.

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 Isn't that not what it seems like He's doing with Israel here?

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 He raises up a man to help them

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 when they don't even know that they need help, perhaps.

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 And He does it in order to keep

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 from pouring out His own wrath so early.

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 Paul talks about this in the book of Romans.

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 Romans chapter 2, he says,

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 Do you presume on the riches of God's kindness

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 and forbearance and patience,

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 not knowing that God's kindness

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 is meant to lead you to repentance?

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 And when we don't use that time frame for repentance,

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 Paul goes on to say,

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 Because of your hard and impenitent heart,

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 you are storing up wrath for yourself

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 on the day of wrath

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 when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

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 The Shamgar narrative tells us

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 of God's steadfast love and grace.

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 He preserves rest for His people

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 and He preserves time for people to repent,

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 but that time to repent

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 will eventually come to an end.

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 That's Paul's point.

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 Don't you realize God's being kind to you right now?

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 He is giving you time to come back,

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 time to turn,

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 time to believe.

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 And as long as you continue

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 with a hard and impenitent heart,

00:16:56.339 --> 00:16:58.939
 you are storing up wrath.

00:16:59.779 --> 00:17:01.779
 It's like you've got a barn in your backyard

00:17:01.779 --> 00:17:04.139
 and it's designated for all of the terrible things

00:17:04.139 --> 00:17:05.700
 that God's going to judge your life for.

00:17:05.879 --> 00:17:08.139
 And you just keep adding to it with no hope.

00:17:08.299 --> 00:17:10.079
 And eventually the barn doors are going to open

00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:10.879
 and you're going to have to face

00:17:10.879 --> 00:17:12.519
 every bit of wrath that comes out of it.

00:17:12.519 --> 00:17:17.079
 Don't you realize God is gracious

00:17:17.079 --> 00:17:18.379
 to give you time to turn?

00:17:19.359 --> 00:17:22.019
 Don't you realize that we owe gratitude to God

00:17:22.019 --> 00:17:23.359
 for all the ways we don't see

00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:25.599
 that He is preserving peace for us right now?

00:17:27.180 --> 00:17:28.359
 That's the first thing we see.

00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:29.680
 God's preserving grace.

00:17:30.240 --> 00:17:32.900
 Number two, God's peculiar methods.

00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:35.240
 God's peculiar methods.

00:17:36.279 --> 00:17:38.039
 This is really no surprise to us, right?

00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:39.779
 We're used to God working in strange ways.

00:17:39.879 --> 00:17:41.779
 Look again at verse 31.

00:17:41.779 --> 00:17:45.000
 After him was Shamgar, the son of Anath.

00:17:45.779 --> 00:17:48.000
 Well, let's think about this man for just a moment.

00:17:48.119 --> 00:17:50.980
 The text is almost entirely silent about his identity,

00:17:51.339 --> 00:17:54.259
 but there are a couple of clues here that may help us,

00:17:54.519 --> 00:17:56.859
 particularly his name and designation.

00:17:57.779 --> 00:17:59.639
 And though they don't answer all of our questions,

00:18:00.139 --> 00:18:02.379
 they do reveal enough for us to see

00:18:02.379 --> 00:18:05.279
 something of God's peculiar work

00:18:05.279 --> 00:18:07.819
 in choosing Shamgar, okay?

00:18:08.240 --> 00:18:09.980
 Here's what's strange about it.

00:18:09.980 --> 00:18:13.039
 Shamgar is not a Hebrew name.

00:18:14.039 --> 00:18:15.740
 It's a Canaanite name.

00:18:16.819 --> 00:18:19.640
 He might not have even been an Israelite at all.

00:18:20.319 --> 00:18:24.120
 But even more is his designation, son of Anath.

00:18:24.200 --> 00:18:26.920
 This connects him to the Canaanite gods.

00:18:27.660 --> 00:18:29.480
 Now, it's not unusual for you to read your Bible

00:18:29.480 --> 00:18:31.960
 and find that somebody was identified

00:18:31.960 --> 00:18:36.400
 by being the son of a particular father, right?

00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:39.680
 When Jesus even came back to Nazareth

00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:40.720
 and he was preaching the gospel,

00:18:40.800 --> 00:18:41.720
 remember what the people say?

00:18:41.800 --> 00:18:44.320
 Is this not Joseph's son, right?

00:18:45.060 --> 00:18:46.720
 We see this all throughout the Bible.

00:18:47.040 --> 00:18:48.960
 What's unique about this particular name

00:18:48.960 --> 00:18:50.920
 is that this is not a man's name.

00:18:51.040 --> 00:18:52.700
 This is a woman's name,

00:18:52.700 --> 00:18:55.780
 which is not quite as usual in the Bible

00:18:55.780 --> 00:18:57.860
 for someone to be identified by their mother.

00:18:58.540 --> 00:19:00.259
 But then when we dig in just a little bit further,

00:19:00.259 --> 00:19:03.019
 we find not only is this a female name,

00:19:03.579 --> 00:19:08.099
 Anath was the name of an ancient Egyptian goddess of war.

00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:11.079
 And the Canaanites worshipped her

00:19:11.079 --> 00:19:13.779
 as one of Baal's consorts.

00:19:13.879 --> 00:19:15.400
 So Baal is their big god,

00:19:15.500 --> 00:19:18.480
 and then Baal has all of these female goddesses

00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:19.960
 that are like his queens.

00:19:20.140 --> 00:19:22.279
 And we've already talked about Ashtaroth that way.

00:19:22.500 --> 00:19:24.339
 Well, the Canaanites believed that Anath

00:19:24.339 --> 00:19:25.879
 was one such queen,

00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:28.160
 one of these consorts,

00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:30.500
 and they worshipped her as a false god.

00:19:31.380 --> 00:19:32.779
 Some have even suggested that

00:19:32.779 --> 00:19:34.519
 maybe Shamgar belonged to

00:19:34.519 --> 00:19:36.340
 an elite group of soldiers

00:19:36.340 --> 00:19:37.660
 that we know about historically

00:19:37.660 --> 00:19:40.460
 that were known as the troop of Anath,

00:19:40.500 --> 00:19:43.360
 and that this designation is connecting in there.

00:19:43.920 --> 00:19:45.100
 All of it makes us question,

00:19:45.100 --> 00:19:47.240
 is Shamgar even an Israelite at all?

00:19:47.500 --> 00:19:49.019
 And wouldn't it be somewhat strange,

00:19:49.120 --> 00:19:50.320
 at least in this book,

00:19:50.460 --> 00:19:52.560
 for God to choose someone to use

00:19:52.560 --> 00:19:55.019
 that doesn't even belong to his covenant people?

00:19:55.460 --> 00:19:57.320
 That would seem a little strange, doesn't it?

00:19:58.160 --> 00:20:00.080
 I think Shamgar's heritage

00:20:00.080 --> 00:20:01.800
 actually does something for us here.

00:20:02.500 --> 00:20:06.440
 It represents the general disobedience of Israel,

00:20:07.360 --> 00:20:10.180
 which in Judges is underscored

00:20:10.180 --> 00:20:12.600
 by their proclivity for intermarrying

00:20:12.600 --> 00:20:14.779
 with the Canaanites,

00:20:15.160 --> 00:20:18.279
 and then subsequently worshipping the Canaanite gods.

00:20:18.580 --> 00:20:19.840
 Hasn't that been the problem?

00:20:20.360 --> 00:20:21.440
 From the very beginning,

00:20:21.540 --> 00:20:24.200
 God said, don't marry them, extinguish them.

00:20:24.300 --> 00:20:25.680
 But what Israel did immediately

00:20:25.680 --> 00:20:26.720
 was they married them,

00:20:27.019 --> 00:20:29.299
 and they did exactly what God said would happen.

00:20:29.700 --> 00:20:31.680
 They intermarry with the people of the land,

00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:34.600
 and then they begin to worship the gods of the land.

00:20:34.860 --> 00:20:37.039
 And now we see this guy Shamgar come up,

00:20:37.100 --> 00:20:38.840
 and I think maybe he's a representative

00:20:38.840 --> 00:20:40.840
 of this particular sin.

00:20:41.519 --> 00:20:43.220
 It's possible he was a Canaanite,

00:20:43.620 --> 00:20:45.640
 but there is a pattern in Judges

00:20:45.640 --> 00:20:49.240
 of God raising up deliverers from Israel

00:20:49.240 --> 00:20:53.759
 who have less than ideal pedigrees.

00:20:54.500 --> 00:20:58.140
 Jephthah would be another noticeable part of that pattern.

00:20:58.700 --> 00:21:00.019
 Either way, here's the takeaway.

00:21:01.839 --> 00:21:07.019
 God is pleased to use broken, sinful people

00:21:07.019 --> 00:21:10.779
 for his glory and for the good of his people.

00:21:11.559 --> 00:21:12.299
 Isn't that interesting?

00:21:12.299 --> 00:21:15.980
 There's this problem going on in the north.

00:21:16.700 --> 00:21:17.539
 We would expect,

00:21:18.059 --> 00:21:19.539
 who's God gonna raise up to do something?

00:21:19.659 --> 00:21:22.559
 Well, surely it's gonna be like the golden boy Othniel, right,

00:21:22.639 --> 00:21:24.539
 who we have nothing negative about at all

00:21:24.539 --> 00:21:25.899
 in the book of Judges.

00:21:26.220 --> 00:21:28.259
 Surely it's gonna be somebody like Joshua,

00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:29.759
 somebody like Caleb,

00:21:29.879 --> 00:21:31.180
 who God is gonna use,

00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:32.319
 but it's not that at all.

00:21:33.019 --> 00:21:33.960
 It's Shamgar.

00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:37.500
 Shamgar, who if he's not a Canaanite himself,

00:21:37.500 --> 00:21:40.059
 is at least identified by name

00:21:40.059 --> 00:21:42.440
 as a Canaanite worshiper.

00:21:44.460 --> 00:21:47.480
 And yet God uses this man.

00:21:49.420 --> 00:21:53.299
 After all, who else is God gonna use?

00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:56.920
 Apart from the Lord Jesus,

00:21:57.059 --> 00:21:58.299
 there's no other kind of person.

00:21:59.640 --> 00:22:01.819
 Are you a broken, sinful human?

00:22:02.359 --> 00:22:02.940
 Guess what?

00:22:03.319 --> 00:22:04.039
 Be encouraged.

00:22:04.640 --> 00:22:06.559
 You're precisely the type of person

00:22:06.559 --> 00:22:09.559
 God wants to employ in his work of grace.

00:22:10.480 --> 00:22:12.980
 And just by a little bit of study on this man's name,

00:22:13.059 --> 00:22:15.319
 we find out something else about our God,

00:22:15.980 --> 00:22:19.139
 that he's not looking for perfection for use.

00:22:20.039 --> 00:22:21.079
 He'll use anybody.

00:22:22.319 --> 00:22:23.899
 But God's choice of Shamgar

00:22:23.899 --> 00:22:25.740
 is not the only peculiar thing

00:22:25.740 --> 00:22:27.139
 about God's methods in this verse.

00:22:27.379 --> 00:22:29.240
 Let's consider the way that God used him.

00:22:29.359 --> 00:22:30.200
 Look again at the verse.

00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:32.299
 After him was Shamgar, the son of Anath,

00:22:32.440 --> 00:22:36.379
 who killed 600 of the Philistines,

00:22:36.559 --> 00:22:37.879
 with an ox goad.

00:22:38.519 --> 00:22:41.379
 600 of the Philistines with an ox goad.

00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:42.059
 Now the Philistines,

00:22:42.159 --> 00:22:42.980
 this is the first time

00:22:42.980 --> 00:22:44.779
 we're really being introduced to them in this book.

00:22:45.220 --> 00:22:46.899
 We're not gonna hear from them again

00:22:46.899 --> 00:22:49.759
 until we get to the Samson cycle.

00:22:49.960 --> 00:22:50.519
 And then of course,

00:22:50.579 --> 00:22:52.220
 you're gonna read all about them

00:22:52.220 --> 00:22:55.019
 beyond that in the books of Samuel and Kings.

00:22:55.799 --> 00:22:57.859
 The Philistines were a seafaring people.

00:22:58.339 --> 00:23:00.399
 They originated from the island of Crete

00:23:00.399 --> 00:23:02.519
 or other places around the Aegean Sea.

00:23:02.519 --> 00:23:04.460
 And they arrived in Palestine

00:23:04.460 --> 00:23:06.519
 about the same time as Israel.

00:23:07.500 --> 00:23:10.440
 Israel was coming in in the southeast by land.

00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:14.480
 The Philistines were coming in in the northwest by sea.

00:23:15.279 --> 00:23:17.639
 And they began in the northern end,

00:23:18.019 --> 00:23:19.599
 which is probably where Shamgar

00:23:19.599 --> 00:23:21.000
 was fighting against them.

00:23:21.839 --> 00:23:23.460
 Eventually, they would move south

00:23:23.460 --> 00:23:25.019
 because they had no success in the north,

00:23:25.299 --> 00:23:26.579
 perhaps because of Shamgar.

00:23:26.579 --> 00:23:28.559
 So they move south

00:23:28.559 --> 00:23:29.839
 and they eventually settle

00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:31.759
 in the southwest region of Israel

00:23:31.759 --> 00:23:34.220
 with five city-states

00:23:34.220 --> 00:23:36.259
 that become confederate with one another.

00:23:36.699 --> 00:23:41.379
 And they become a complete pain in the neck

00:23:41.379 --> 00:23:44.519
 to King Saul and to King David later on.

00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:46.619
 You know exactly what they do.

00:23:46.679 --> 00:23:48.220
 They were trained warriors,

00:23:48.759 --> 00:23:50.480
 making Shamgar's success

00:23:50.480 --> 00:23:52.099
 that much more unbelievable.

00:23:52.980 --> 00:23:55.879
 So here we have a peculiar deliverer

00:23:55.880 --> 00:23:59.240
 facing a determined enemy.

00:23:59.820 --> 00:24:02.900
 But the most peculiar facet of the whole story

00:24:02.900 --> 00:24:04.360
 is Shamgar's weapon,

00:24:05.220 --> 00:24:06.180
 an ox code,

00:24:06.820 --> 00:24:10.220
 which was a crude farming instrument

00:24:10.220 --> 00:24:11.860
 used for prodding cattle.

00:24:12.860 --> 00:24:14.480
 It was a thick rod,

00:24:14.920 --> 00:24:16.320
 eight to ten feet in length.

00:24:16.380 --> 00:24:18.400
 And on the end of it would have maybe a nail

00:24:18.400 --> 00:24:20.920
 or some type of iron hook on the end.

00:24:20.960 --> 00:24:21.600
 And what they would do

00:24:21.600 --> 00:24:22.800
 is they were plowing their fields

00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:24.980
 in order to get and motivate

00:24:24.980 --> 00:24:27.200
 and provoke the oxen to move forward.

00:24:27.399 --> 00:24:28.299
 They would poke them

00:24:28.299 --> 00:24:30.119
 or they would smack them

00:24:30.119 --> 00:24:30.859
 or whatever it was.

00:24:30.960 --> 00:24:32.460
 And on the back end of that stick

00:24:32.460 --> 00:24:33.799
 would just be a flat edge

00:24:33.799 --> 00:24:35.940
 that they would use to clean out the plows.

00:24:36.079 --> 00:24:37.399
 This is not a weapon.

00:24:38.099 --> 00:24:39.019
 It's used as one,

00:24:39.240 --> 00:24:40.299
 but it's not what it is.

00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:43.119
 It's a crude farming tool.

00:24:44.700 --> 00:24:48.399
 Shamgar did not have a sufficient weapon for war.

00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:54.780
 And yet, God uses him to kill 600 of these Philistines.

00:24:55.060 --> 00:24:56.420
 Probably not all at once.

00:24:56.759 --> 00:24:58.800
 Probably in that guerrilla type warfare

00:24:58.800 --> 00:25:01.100
 that farmers and militia people are known for

00:25:01.100 --> 00:25:04.100
 in the United States from about 250 years ago.

00:25:06.420 --> 00:25:09.019
 Here's what Matthew Henry said about it.

00:25:10.180 --> 00:25:12.540
 It's no matter how weak the weapon is,

00:25:13.160 --> 00:25:15.480
 if God direct and strengthen the arm.

00:25:15.480 --> 00:25:18.900
 An ox goad, when God pleases,

00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:21.339
 shall do more than Goliath's sword.

00:25:22.120 --> 00:25:24.299
 And sometimes he chooses to work

00:25:24.299 --> 00:25:26.120
 by such unlikely means

00:25:26.120 --> 00:25:28.680
 that the excellency of the power

00:25:28.680 --> 00:25:31.240
 may appear to be of God.

00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:35.180
 Just as an ox goad

00:25:35.180 --> 00:25:38.120
 becomes a powerful weapon of war

00:25:38.120 --> 00:25:39.539
 in the hands of Shamgar,

00:25:39.920 --> 00:25:43.620
 so does Shamgar become a mighty weapon of war

00:25:43.619 --> 00:25:46.239
 in the hands of Almighty God.

00:25:46.959 --> 00:25:50.000
 You see, God loves using crude instruments

00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:51.479
 like us

00:25:51.479 --> 00:25:55.739
 to affect deliverance for his people.

00:25:56.639 --> 00:25:57.959
 Paul says it to the Corinthians

00:25:57.959 --> 00:25:59.500
 in 2 Corinthians 4-7,

00:25:59.500 --> 00:26:03.699
 but we have this treasure in jars of clay

00:26:03.699 --> 00:26:06.759
 to show that the surpassing power

00:26:06.759 --> 00:26:09.859
 belongs to God and not to us.

00:26:09.859 --> 00:26:12.419
 The treasure that Paul spoke of

00:26:12.419 --> 00:26:14.079
 is the gospel of Jesus.

00:26:14.819 --> 00:26:16.359
 And each of us, each believer,

00:26:17.139 --> 00:26:18.319
 we're a jar of clay,

00:26:18.559 --> 00:26:19.899
 a brittle pot.

00:26:20.419 --> 00:26:22.019
 There's nothing glamorous about it.

00:26:22.079 --> 00:26:25.439
 There's nothing particularly useful about it.

00:26:25.779 --> 00:26:27.699
 We're elaborate about it.

00:26:27.839 --> 00:26:29.740
 And yet God still uses us

00:26:29.740 --> 00:26:31.339
 to bring sinners

00:26:31.339 --> 00:26:33.579
 to a saving knowledge

00:26:33.579 --> 00:26:35.159
 of Jesus Christ.

00:26:35.160 --> 00:26:38.480
 Again, we may be broken,

00:26:39.519 --> 00:26:40.320
 sinful people,

00:26:40.779 --> 00:26:43.800
 but God is pleased to use us

00:26:43.800 --> 00:26:45.580
 for his glory,

00:26:46.140 --> 00:26:47.840
 for the good of his people.

00:26:49.300 --> 00:26:51.540
 Is that not a primary takeaway here?

00:26:52.380 --> 00:26:53.700
 Is that not something

00:26:53.700 --> 00:26:55.560
 that we often forsake in our lives?

00:26:56.980 --> 00:26:58.820
 We come up with every excuse in the world

00:26:58.820 --> 00:27:00.200
 for why God can't use us

00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:00.980
 or won't use us

00:27:00.980 --> 00:27:01.860
 or whatever it is,

00:27:01.859 --> 00:27:04.679
 and we drift off into oblivion

00:27:04.679 --> 00:27:06.379
 of Christian apathy.

00:27:07.899 --> 00:27:09.579
 And then we come to a passage like this

00:27:09.579 --> 00:27:10.019
 and we see,

00:27:10.479 --> 00:27:12.679
 you mean God was able to do this

00:27:12.679 --> 00:27:14.319
 with this guy

00:27:14.319 --> 00:27:16.099
 and with this thing?

00:27:18.099 --> 00:27:21.119
 We may not be flashy, polished instruments,

00:27:22.179 --> 00:27:24.059
 but God loves using the weak things

00:27:24.059 --> 00:27:24.719
 of the world

00:27:24.719 --> 00:27:25.939
 to confound the wise

00:27:25.939 --> 00:27:27.439
 and the strong.

00:27:27.440 --> 00:27:31.820
 Earlier this week,

00:27:32.840 --> 00:27:33.559
 Kara text,

00:27:34.160 --> 00:27:35.240
 Julie and I,

00:27:35.360 --> 00:27:36.420
 she had put together a,

00:27:36.539 --> 00:27:37.980
 I don't think she would mind me saying this,

00:27:38.000 --> 00:27:38.940
 she had put together a,

00:27:39.200 --> 00:27:40.279
 just like a little blurb

00:27:40.279 --> 00:27:41.680
 about her personal testimony

00:27:41.680 --> 00:27:42.279
 of conversion

00:27:42.279 --> 00:27:43.400
 that she wanted to include

00:27:43.400 --> 00:27:44.120
 either on a website

00:27:44.120 --> 00:27:46.039
 or in a gift package

00:27:46.039 --> 00:27:47.420
 for her business that she runs.

00:27:47.660 --> 00:27:49.180
 And she was asking

00:27:49.180 --> 00:27:50.640
 that we would read over it

00:27:50.640 --> 00:27:52.059
 for language.

00:27:52.380 --> 00:27:53.620
 And then she asked this question

00:27:53.620 --> 00:27:54.059
 and she said,

00:27:54.059 --> 00:27:54.700
 she said,

00:27:54.759 --> 00:27:55.379
 do you even think

00:27:55.379 --> 00:27:57.480
 that this is a useful way

00:27:57.480 --> 00:27:59.740
 to try to share the gospel

00:27:59.740 --> 00:28:00.379
 with somebody?

00:28:01.480 --> 00:28:02.259
 And you know my response

00:28:02.259 --> 00:28:03.339
 to that question is,

00:28:03.899 --> 00:28:05.379
 why not?

00:28:06.519 --> 00:28:07.339
 Why not?

00:28:08.339 --> 00:28:08.980
 You know what I think

00:28:08.980 --> 00:28:10.019
 God loves to use?

00:28:11.099 --> 00:28:13.319
 Little insignificant paragraphs

00:28:13.319 --> 00:28:14.720
 about our testimony

00:28:14.720 --> 00:28:15.379
 of conversion.

00:28:15.879 --> 00:28:16.960
 I think he's pleased

00:28:16.960 --> 00:28:18.019
 to use those things.

00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:19.059
 Why not?

00:28:20.059 --> 00:28:21.460
 I had two different conversations

00:28:21.460 --> 00:28:21.980
 this week.

00:28:22.039 --> 00:28:23.179
 One with Andy and Amy

00:28:23.180 --> 00:28:24.060
 and then one with Chris

00:28:24.060 --> 00:28:25.640
 about people that they know

00:28:25.640 --> 00:28:26.460
 that they've thought about

00:28:26.460 --> 00:28:27.600
 inviting to our friend day

00:28:27.600 --> 00:28:28.220
 in two weeks.

00:28:28.960 --> 00:28:29.779
 The problem is,

00:28:30.060 --> 00:28:31.960
 both situations involve somebody

00:28:31.960 --> 00:28:32.779
 whose first language

00:28:32.779 --> 00:28:33.400
 is in English.

00:28:34.560 --> 00:28:35.340
 And the question is,

00:28:35.440 --> 00:28:36.880
 is it even worth it

00:28:36.880 --> 00:28:38.019
 to really go so far

00:28:38.019 --> 00:28:39.299
 as to invite them

00:28:39.299 --> 00:28:40.080
 when they may not

00:28:40.080 --> 00:28:41.519
 get anything out of it?

00:28:41.560 --> 00:28:42.440
 And my response is,

00:28:42.740 --> 00:28:43.860
 why not?

00:28:44.880 --> 00:28:46.140
 If God doesn't use

00:28:46.140 --> 00:28:47.360
 the crude things of the world,

00:28:47.420 --> 00:28:48.180
 if he isn't using

00:28:48.180 --> 00:28:49.700
 the unusual circumstances

00:28:49.700 --> 00:28:50.340
 of the world,

00:28:50.500 --> 00:28:51.720
 what's he going to use?

00:28:51.720 --> 00:28:53.759
 I think he loves

00:28:53.759 --> 00:28:54.960
 to use things like that.

00:28:55.720 --> 00:28:56.779
 I think God loves

00:28:56.779 --> 00:28:58.120
 to use people to bring,

00:28:58.160 --> 00:28:59.120
 look at what God did

00:28:59.120 --> 00:28:59.700
 in the Bible.

00:29:01.120 --> 00:29:02.420
 He spoke truth

00:29:02.420 --> 00:29:03.420
 through a donkey

00:29:03.420 --> 00:29:04.380
 at one point.

00:29:05.059 --> 00:29:05.420
 You don't think

00:29:05.420 --> 00:29:06.600
 he could maybe use me

00:29:06.600 --> 00:29:07.680
 once?

00:29:09.420 --> 00:29:09.940
 You remember

00:29:09.940 --> 00:29:11.079
 the day of Pentecost?

00:29:11.940 --> 00:29:13.420
 These simple fishermen,

00:29:13.559 --> 00:29:14.279
 they stand out

00:29:14.279 --> 00:29:15.220
 in Acts chapter 2

00:29:15.220 --> 00:29:15.880
 in Jerusalem

00:29:15.880 --> 00:29:16.400
 and they begin

00:29:16.400 --> 00:29:16.860
 to proclaim

00:29:16.860 --> 00:29:17.759
 the gospel of God.

00:29:17.880 --> 00:29:19.120
 But all of these people,

00:29:19.319 --> 00:29:20.299
 they weren't hearing it

00:29:20.299 --> 00:29:20.859
 in Hebrew.

00:29:21.359 --> 00:29:22.240
 They were hearing it

00:29:22.240 --> 00:29:23.720
 in their own language.

00:29:23.960 --> 00:29:25.899
 God does weird things.

00:29:27.139 --> 00:29:28.980
 God does miraculous things.

00:29:29.740 --> 00:29:31.299
 God is limitless

00:29:31.299 --> 00:29:32.180
 in his power.

00:29:32.799 --> 00:29:34.619
 Who cares what it is?

00:29:34.839 --> 00:29:35.899
 Just put out

00:29:35.899 --> 00:29:36.759
 your ox code.

00:29:37.839 --> 00:29:38.619
 Just get it out

00:29:38.619 --> 00:29:39.279
 of the closet.

00:29:39.919 --> 00:29:40.940
 Start to wield it

00:29:40.940 --> 00:29:42.419
 and see what God might do.

00:29:42.700 --> 00:29:43.559
 Why not use

00:29:43.559 --> 00:29:46.440
 your seemingly weak method

00:29:46.440 --> 00:29:47.759
 to reach others for God?

00:29:47.759 --> 00:29:49.680
 If God can use

00:29:49.680 --> 00:29:50.200
 ShamGuard

00:29:50.200 --> 00:29:50.819
 and his ox code,

00:29:50.900 --> 00:29:52.160
 he can surely use us,

00:29:52.240 --> 00:29:52.460
 right?

00:29:53.740 --> 00:29:55.279
 I think God is pleased

00:29:55.279 --> 00:29:56.839
 to use little churches

00:29:56.839 --> 00:29:58.420
 that meet in elementary schools.

00:30:00.059 --> 00:30:01.400
 I think God is pleased

00:30:01.400 --> 00:30:03.059
 to use kids programs

00:30:03.059 --> 00:30:04.420
 that have six or seven kids

00:30:04.420 --> 00:30:05.339
 on a Sunday afternoon.

00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:07.480
 I think God is pleased

00:30:07.480 --> 00:30:08.720
 to use the coffee top

00:30:08.720 --> 00:30:09.500
 conversations

00:30:09.500 --> 00:30:10.039
 and of course,

00:30:10.140 --> 00:30:10.680
 God is pleased

00:30:10.680 --> 00:30:12.480
 to use the elaborate

00:30:12.480 --> 00:30:13.359
 ministries as well.

00:30:14.359 --> 00:30:15.319
 There is no limit

00:30:15.319 --> 00:30:16.319
 to what God can do.

00:30:17.759 --> 00:30:19.059
 And when are we going

00:30:19.059 --> 00:30:20.000
 to stop telling them

00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:21.019
 how limited he is?

00:30:23.039 --> 00:30:23.779
 When are we going

00:30:23.779 --> 00:30:24.799
 to stop telling God,

00:30:25.460 --> 00:30:27.339
 I'm not useful enough.

00:30:27.400 --> 00:30:28.279
 You can't do this.

00:30:28.299 --> 00:30:29.460
 You can't do this thing

00:30:29.460 --> 00:30:30.920
 or this would never work.

00:30:31.099 --> 00:30:32.940
 Why would we tell God

00:30:32.940 --> 00:30:33.819
 something like that?

00:30:34.460 --> 00:30:35.200
 ShamGuard killed

00:30:35.200 --> 00:30:36.299
 600 warriors

00:30:36.299 --> 00:30:38.019
 with a farming tool.

00:30:39.400 --> 00:30:40.500
 You're telling me

00:30:40.500 --> 00:30:42.559
 he can't use that

00:30:42.559 --> 00:30:43.220
 friend day card

00:30:43.220 --> 00:30:44.079
 that was on your chair

00:30:44.079 --> 00:30:45.640
 to bring one person

00:30:45.640 --> 00:30:46.359
 to a service

00:30:46.359 --> 00:30:47.419
 that might hear the gospel

00:30:47.419 --> 00:30:48.159
 and respond

00:30:48.159 --> 00:30:49.500
 in the grace of God?

00:30:52.099 --> 00:30:53.000
 Wasn't this

00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:54.699
 Cooper's point

00:30:54.699 --> 00:30:55.439
 in that hymn?

00:30:56.279 --> 00:30:57.959
 God moves in a mysterious way

00:30:57.959 --> 00:30:59.119
 his wonders to perform.

00:30:59.919 --> 00:31:02.599
 Deep and unfathomable minds

00:31:02.599 --> 00:31:05.639
 of his unfailing skill,

00:31:06.319 --> 00:31:07.599
 he works out

00:31:07.599 --> 00:31:08.539
 his sovereign will.

00:31:09.359 --> 00:31:10.339
 We don't have to know

00:31:10.339 --> 00:31:10.859
 what he's doing

00:31:10.859 --> 00:31:11.500
 or even think

00:31:11.500 --> 00:31:12.399
 that it's worth it.

00:31:12.839 --> 00:31:13.679
 You just have to do it.

00:31:13.680 --> 00:31:15.840
 God goes from there.

00:31:17.080 --> 00:31:18.380
 Third thing I'd like you to see

00:31:18.380 --> 00:31:20.220
 is God's power to save.

00:31:21.480 --> 00:31:22.580
 God's power to save.

00:31:23.600 --> 00:31:24.259
 Last phrase,

00:31:24.420 --> 00:31:26.740
 he also saved Israel.

00:31:27.200 --> 00:31:28.960
 He also saved Israel.

00:31:30.160 --> 00:31:31.640
 ShamGuard's an obscure

00:31:31.640 --> 00:31:32.920
 individual to us

00:31:32.920 --> 00:31:33.560
 for sure,

00:31:34.240 --> 00:31:35.039
 but we ought not

00:31:35.039 --> 00:31:36.600
 let that lead us

00:31:36.600 --> 00:31:37.539
 to think that he was

00:31:37.539 --> 00:31:39.140
 unknown during his own time.

00:31:39.860 --> 00:31:41.060
 He probably wasn't.

00:31:41.140 --> 00:31:41.440
 Eventually,

00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:43.299
 maybe not at the particular time

00:31:43.299 --> 00:31:44.220
 that he was doing these things,

00:31:44.320 --> 00:31:44.740
 but eventually

00:31:44.740 --> 00:31:45.880
 he became known in Israel.

00:31:46.299 --> 00:31:47.640
 Chapter 5 tells us that.

00:31:47.740 --> 00:31:49.500
 Just flip over to chapter 5

00:31:49.500 --> 00:31:50.940
 and verse 6.

00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:52.720
 This is the song

00:31:52.720 --> 00:31:54.880
 of Deborah and Barak,

00:31:55.120 --> 00:31:56.340
 and here's what they say

00:31:56.340 --> 00:31:57.120
 in verse 6.

00:31:57.960 --> 00:31:59.840
 In the days of Shamgar,

00:32:00.039 --> 00:32:00.820
 son of Anath,

00:32:01.240 --> 00:32:02.799
 in the days of Jael,

00:32:03.000 --> 00:32:04.160
 the highways were abandoned

00:32:04.160 --> 00:32:06.019
 and travelers kept

00:32:06.019 --> 00:32:07.519
 to the byways.

00:32:07.519 --> 00:32:08.680
 So,

00:32:08.799 --> 00:32:09.920
 they're even referencing

00:32:09.920 --> 00:32:10.819
 his time frame,

00:32:10.859 --> 00:32:11.740
 not only for what he did,

00:32:11.940 --> 00:32:13.579
 they're referencing an era

00:32:13.579 --> 00:32:16.240
 based on ShamGuard,

00:32:16.339 --> 00:32:17.079
 which tells us that

00:32:17.079 --> 00:32:17.759
 not only was this

00:32:17.759 --> 00:32:18.680
 an honorable thing

00:32:18.680 --> 00:32:19.740
 to ShamGuard and Jael

00:32:19.740 --> 00:32:20.160
 eventually,

00:32:20.400 --> 00:32:21.799
 but this was somebody

00:32:21.799 --> 00:32:23.480
 that became renowned

00:32:23.480 --> 00:32:24.599
 in Israel

00:32:24.599 --> 00:32:26.339
 for what he had done.

00:32:26.799 --> 00:32:29.000
 Not only was he familiar enough

00:32:29.000 --> 00:32:30.299
 to be included in the song,

00:32:30.440 --> 00:32:31.960
 but that particular era

00:32:31.960 --> 00:32:33.480
 is referenced by his

00:32:33.480 --> 00:32:35.759
 and Jael's work,

00:32:35.759 --> 00:32:37.579
 which is surely a sign

00:32:37.579 --> 00:32:37.980
 of honor,

00:32:38.079 --> 00:32:38.519
 as I said.

00:32:39.579 --> 00:32:42.819
 But despite his eventual fame

00:32:42.819 --> 00:32:44.400
 as a deliverer,

00:32:44.879 --> 00:32:47.079
 we can't miss the fact

00:32:47.079 --> 00:32:48.259
 that his success

00:32:48.259 --> 00:32:49.759
 was not due to his

00:32:49.759 --> 00:32:51.359
 personal abilities,

00:32:51.680 --> 00:32:52.259
 right?

00:32:54.440 --> 00:32:55.379
 ShamGuard's victories

00:32:55.379 --> 00:32:56.660
 against the Philistines

00:32:56.660 --> 00:32:58.220
 were miracles.

00:32:59.160 --> 00:33:00.379
 They were miracles

00:33:00.379 --> 00:33:02.099
 from the mighty hand of God.

00:33:02.859 --> 00:33:03.920
 And this verse may not

00:33:03.920 --> 00:33:05.339
 specifically articulate that,

00:33:05.339 --> 00:33:06.439
 but it does come later

00:33:06.439 --> 00:33:06.879
 in the book.

00:33:07.159 --> 00:33:08.500
 Flip over to chapter 10.

00:33:09.500 --> 00:33:10.259
 Chapter 10.

00:33:12.859 --> 00:33:13.859
 And look with me

00:33:13.859 --> 00:33:18.339
 at verse 10.

00:33:19.939 --> 00:33:21.179
 Chapter 10, verse 10.

00:33:22.779 --> 00:33:23.899
 And the people of Israel

00:33:23.899 --> 00:33:24.879
 cried out to the Lord,

00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:25.220
 saying,

00:33:25.559 --> 00:33:26.639
 We have sinned against you.

00:33:26.720 --> 00:33:27.939
 We have forsaken our God

00:33:27.939 --> 00:33:28.959
 and have served the bills.

00:33:29.459 --> 00:33:30.439
 And here's what the Lord said.

00:33:30.519 --> 00:33:31.259
 This is just before

00:33:31.259 --> 00:33:32.119
 the Jephthah cycle.

00:33:32.619 --> 00:33:33.399
 And the Lord said

00:33:33.399 --> 00:33:34.259
 to the people of Israel,

00:33:34.259 --> 00:33:36.240
 did I not save you

00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:37.079
 from the Egyptians

00:33:37.079 --> 00:33:39.019
 and from the Amorites,

00:33:39.200 --> 00:33:40.160
 from the Ammonites,

00:33:40.339 --> 00:33:41.079
 and from the,

00:33:41.160 --> 00:33:41.920
 who's that last group?

00:33:43.240 --> 00:33:44.319
 The Philistines.

00:33:45.220 --> 00:33:46.579
 Now, before this point

00:33:46.579 --> 00:33:47.539
 in the book of Judges,

00:33:48.019 --> 00:33:48.920
 the Philistines are only

00:33:48.920 --> 00:33:50.379
 mentioned one time.

00:33:51.539 --> 00:33:52.099
 ShamGar.

00:33:53.420 --> 00:33:54.339
 What's God saying

00:33:54.339 --> 00:33:55.579
 to Israel in chapter 10?

00:33:56.240 --> 00:33:58.259
 He is claiming victory

00:33:58.859 --> 00:34:00.359
 over the Philistines.

00:34:00.359 --> 00:34:02.979
 He himself claims responsibility

00:34:02.979 --> 00:34:04.779
 for having saved the nation

00:34:04.779 --> 00:34:07.899
 from this new enemy.

00:34:10.039 --> 00:34:12.259
 However unique ShamGar's abilities

00:34:12.259 --> 00:34:13.000
 might have been,

00:34:13.519 --> 00:34:14.839
 it was the Spirit of God

00:34:14.839 --> 00:34:15.759
 that empowered him

00:34:15.759 --> 00:34:16.440
 in this moment

00:34:16.440 --> 00:34:17.480
 to do what he did.

00:34:18.460 --> 00:34:19.480
 ShamGar was simply

00:34:19.480 --> 00:34:20.279
 an instrument

00:34:20.279 --> 00:34:21.819
 in the hands of God

00:34:21.819 --> 00:34:22.359
 who alone

00:34:23.019 --> 00:34:24.259
 has the power

00:34:24.259 --> 00:34:25.440
 to save his people.

00:34:26.159 --> 00:34:26.980
 And this fact

00:34:26.980 --> 00:34:28.019
 has never changed.

00:34:28.019 --> 00:34:31.440
 When we consider

00:34:31.440 --> 00:34:33.159
 our own deliverance

00:34:33.159 --> 00:34:34.099
 from sin and death,

00:34:34.219 --> 00:34:35.400
 we must never think

00:34:35.400 --> 00:34:36.099
 that it has come

00:34:36.099 --> 00:34:37.739
 through any power in us.

00:34:39.300 --> 00:34:40.719
 We need to be careful

00:34:40.719 --> 00:34:41.780
 not to glorify

00:34:41.780 --> 00:34:43.259
 God's instruments of grace

00:34:43.259 --> 00:34:45.519
 above God himself.

00:34:46.759 --> 00:34:48.820
 As grateful as we are

00:34:48.820 --> 00:34:49.440
 for the people

00:34:49.440 --> 00:34:50.199
 God has used

00:34:50.199 --> 00:34:52.019
 to guide us to Christ,

00:34:53.019 --> 00:34:55.099
 they are just instruments

00:34:55.099 --> 00:34:56.780
 in the hand of God

00:34:56.780 --> 00:34:58.500
 who alone

00:34:58.500 --> 00:35:00.640
 has power to save.

00:35:01.720 --> 00:35:02.380
 That's the point.

00:35:03.980 --> 00:35:06.080
 Salvation belongs to God.

00:35:07.000 --> 00:35:08.980
 He alone deserves glory

00:35:08.980 --> 00:35:10.160
 for what ShamGar did.

00:35:10.480 --> 00:35:12.080
 He alone deserves glory

00:35:12.080 --> 00:35:13.420
 for your conversion.

00:35:13.760 --> 00:35:15.040
 He alone deserves glory

00:35:15.040 --> 00:35:15.980
 for whatever he may

00:35:15.980 --> 00:35:17.040
 or may not do

00:35:17.040 --> 00:35:18.540
 in our church here.

00:35:19.400 --> 00:35:20.640
 And is this not the song

00:35:20.640 --> 00:35:21.800
 that we'll sing in eternity?

00:35:23.120 --> 00:35:24.160
 Revelation 7,

00:35:24.159 --> 00:35:25.859
 After this I looked

00:35:25.859 --> 00:35:27.219
 and behold a great multitude

00:35:27.219 --> 00:35:28.539
 that no one could number

00:35:28.539 --> 00:35:29.699
 from every nation,

00:35:30.039 --> 00:35:30.879
 from all tribes

00:35:30.879 --> 00:35:31.460
 and peoples

00:35:31.460 --> 00:35:32.099
 and languages,

00:35:32.639 --> 00:35:34.099
 standing before the throne

00:35:34.099 --> 00:35:35.039
 and before the Lamb,

00:35:35.440 --> 00:35:36.920
 clothed in white robes

00:35:36.920 --> 00:35:37.859
 with palm branches

00:35:37.859 --> 00:35:38.539
 in their hands.

00:35:38.799 --> 00:35:40.099
 Here's what they cried out

00:35:40.099 --> 00:35:41.299
 with a loud voice.

00:35:41.879 --> 00:35:43.219
 Salvation belongs

00:35:43.219 --> 00:35:44.259
 to our God

00:35:44.259 --> 00:35:45.859
 who sits on the throne

00:35:45.859 --> 00:35:46.980
 and to the Lamb.

00:35:47.859 --> 00:35:49.019
 It would be a mistake

00:35:49.019 --> 00:35:50.179
 to come to this text,

00:35:50.279 --> 00:35:51.199
 this little verse,

00:35:51.199 --> 00:35:51.599
 and say,

00:35:51.899 --> 00:35:53.480
 how awesome was ShamGar?

00:35:54.239 --> 00:35:54.679
 No.

00:35:55.139 --> 00:35:56.439
 We come to this little verse

00:35:56.439 --> 00:35:57.119
 the same way

00:35:57.119 --> 00:35:58.139
 we come to all the others

00:35:58.139 --> 00:35:58.539
 and judges

00:35:58.539 --> 00:35:59.139
 and we say,

00:35:59.579 --> 00:36:00.879
 what an amazing God

00:36:00.879 --> 00:36:02.819
 that he would use

00:36:02.819 --> 00:36:04.019
 such crude people

00:36:04.019 --> 00:36:05.239
 and such crude instruments

00:36:05.239 --> 00:36:06.879
 to deliver his people.

00:36:07.319 --> 00:36:09.359
 What an amazing God he is.

00:36:10.439 --> 00:36:11.779
 And we must reflect on that

00:36:11.779 --> 00:36:12.599
 in our own lives.

00:36:13.679 --> 00:36:14.919
 We think about our own conversion.

00:36:15.059 --> 00:36:15.399
 We don't say,

00:36:15.500 --> 00:36:16.559
 man, what a great preacher

00:36:16.559 --> 00:36:17.439
 this guy was

00:36:17.439 --> 00:36:18.619
 that I came to faith.

00:36:18.639 --> 00:36:19.139
 He might have been

00:36:19.139 --> 00:36:19.799
 a great preacher.

00:36:19.800 --> 00:36:21.519
 We say,

00:36:21.680 --> 00:36:22.480
 what a great God

00:36:22.480 --> 00:36:23.900
 that he would open

00:36:23.900 --> 00:36:24.820
 my heart to believe.

00:36:25.840 --> 00:36:26.760
 What a great God

00:36:26.760 --> 00:36:28.660
 that he would go

00:36:28.660 --> 00:36:29.840
 to such great lengths

00:36:29.840 --> 00:36:31.680
 to rescue my soul

00:36:31.680 --> 00:36:34.120
 from sin and hell.

00:36:36.019 --> 00:36:36.940
 As impressive

00:36:36.940 --> 00:36:38.539
 as ShamGar's deliverance was,

00:36:38.620 --> 00:36:39.840
 it unfortunately

00:36:39.840 --> 00:36:41.640
 didn't last.

00:36:43.840 --> 00:36:44.860
 It wasn't long

00:36:44.860 --> 00:36:45.820
 before Israel

00:36:45.820 --> 00:36:47.100
 was in danger again

00:36:47.099 --> 00:36:48.940
 and as you know,

00:36:49.059 --> 00:36:49.960
 the Philistines

00:36:49.960 --> 00:36:52.079
 became a formidable foe

00:36:52.079 --> 00:36:52.819
 against Israel

00:36:52.819 --> 00:36:53.679
 for a long time.

00:36:55.360 --> 00:36:56.960
 But God's use of ShamGar

00:36:56.960 --> 00:36:58.679
 points us to a greater Savior,

00:36:58.819 --> 00:36:59.219
 doesn't it?

00:37:01.139 --> 00:37:03.179
 Jesus is the true

00:37:03.179 --> 00:37:04.380
 and better ShamGar

00:37:04.380 --> 00:37:06.779
 who did what ShamGar

00:37:06.779 --> 00:37:07.440
 could never do.

00:37:08.819 --> 00:37:10.119
 He brought us a victory

00:37:10.119 --> 00:37:11.719
 that will never fail.

00:37:11.839 --> 00:37:13.539
 It will never be taken away.

00:37:13.539 --> 00:37:14.259
 It will never come

00:37:14.259 --> 00:37:14.920
 to an end.

00:37:16.420 --> 00:37:17.619
 And his instrument

00:37:17.619 --> 00:37:18.259
 of deliverance

00:37:18.259 --> 00:37:19.539
 was also crude.

00:37:20.400 --> 00:37:21.920
 But it wasn't an ox goad.

00:37:22.719 --> 00:37:24.440
 It was a Roman cross.

00:37:26.480 --> 00:37:27.599
 Which reminds me

00:37:27.599 --> 00:37:28.679
 of another Cooper hymn.

00:37:30.840 --> 00:37:31.920
 Dear dying lamb,

00:37:32.039 --> 00:37:33.159
 thy precious blood

00:37:33.159 --> 00:37:35.579
 shall never lose its power

00:37:35.579 --> 00:37:38.420
 till all the ransomed church

00:37:38.420 --> 00:37:38.960
 of God

00:37:38.960 --> 00:37:41.279
 be saved to sin no more.

00:37:41.280 --> 00:37:42.500
 You know that one,

00:37:42.560 --> 00:37:42.820
 don't you?

00:37:43.340 --> 00:37:44.060
 There is a fountain

00:37:44.060 --> 00:37:44.820
 filled with blood.

00:37:48.800 --> 00:37:50.080
 ShamGar fights valiantly

00:37:50.080 --> 00:37:50.680
 for God.

00:37:50.960 --> 00:37:51.940
 God empowers him.

00:37:52.660 --> 00:37:54.720
 He kills 600 enemy soldiers

00:37:54.720 --> 00:37:56.320
 and he preserves peace

00:37:56.320 --> 00:37:56.840
 for Israel.

00:37:57.440 --> 00:37:58.260
 But the peace

00:37:58.260 --> 00:37:59.200
 eventually goes away.

00:38:01.840 --> 00:38:02.280
 Jesus,

00:38:02.440 --> 00:38:03.060
 the Son of God,

00:38:03.140 --> 00:38:03.960
 comes and he dies

00:38:03.960 --> 00:38:05.200
 on a cruel Roman cross

00:38:05.200 --> 00:38:06.400
 and he raises from the dead

00:38:06.400 --> 00:38:07.560
 and he establishes a peace

00:38:07.560 --> 00:38:09.260
 that will never go away.

00:38:09.980 --> 00:38:10.380
 Never.

00:38:11.280 --> 00:38:13.960
 He does what ShamGar

00:38:13.960 --> 00:38:14.480
 couldn't do.

00:38:16.160 --> 00:38:17.100
 He alone

00:38:17.100 --> 00:38:19.580
 is worthy of our praise.

00:38:20.360 --> 00:38:20.840
 He alone

00:38:20.840 --> 00:38:21.940
 is worthy of our faith.

00:38:24.400 --> 00:38:25.480
 And because of Jesus'

00:38:25.740 --> 00:38:26.620
 death and resurrection,

00:38:27.019 --> 00:38:28.600
 we cling to this hope,

00:38:28.700 --> 00:38:29.019
 don't we,

00:38:29.060 --> 00:38:31.660
 of eternal peace.

00:38:32.940 --> 00:38:34.160
 Listen to this promise

00:38:34.160 --> 00:38:35.660
 from Micah chapter 3.

00:38:36.660 --> 00:38:38.519
 He, speaking of the coming Messiah,

00:38:38.519 --> 00:38:41.159
 shall judge between many peoples,

00:38:41.679 --> 00:38:43.300
 shall decide disputes

00:38:43.300 --> 00:38:45.139
 for strong nations far away.

00:38:45.840 --> 00:38:47.699
 They shall beat their swords

00:38:47.699 --> 00:38:48.900
 into plowshares

00:38:48.900 --> 00:38:50.480
 and their spears

00:38:50.480 --> 00:38:51.619
 into pruning hooks.

00:38:52.380 --> 00:38:53.800
 Nations shall not lift up

00:38:53.800 --> 00:38:54.840
 sword against nation.

00:38:55.199 --> 00:38:56.400
 Neither shall they learn war

00:38:56.400 --> 00:38:56.920
 anymore.

00:38:57.920 --> 00:38:59.059
 But they shall sit,

00:38:59.199 --> 00:38:59.679
 every man,

00:38:59.739 --> 00:39:00.480
 under his vine,

00:39:01.320 --> 00:39:02.280
 under his fig tree.

00:39:02.280 --> 00:39:04.600
 No one shall make them afraid.

00:39:05.220 --> 00:39:06.840
 For the mouth of the Lord of hosts

00:39:06.840 --> 00:39:07.860
 has spoken.

00:39:08.660 --> 00:39:09.900
 That's a wonderful promise,

00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:10.300
 isn't it?

00:39:10.600 --> 00:39:12.120
 It's a promise that has not yet

00:39:12.120 --> 00:39:12.760
 been realized.

00:39:13.900 --> 00:39:14.440
 You see,

00:39:14.480 --> 00:39:15.320
 we live in that

00:39:15.320 --> 00:39:16.760
 already but not yet

00:39:16.760 --> 00:39:17.260
 time frame,

00:39:17.320 --> 00:39:17.640
 don't we?

00:39:18.320 --> 00:39:19.060
 Christ has come

00:39:19.060 --> 00:39:20.120
 and he has brought salvation,

00:39:20.320 --> 00:39:21.560
 but he has not yet come

00:39:21.560 --> 00:39:23.740
 to deliver this particular peace.

00:39:23.820 --> 00:39:24.640
 But one day he will.

00:39:25.500 --> 00:39:26.240
 One day he will.

00:39:26.239 --> 00:39:30.059
 One day Jesus is going to bring

00:39:30.059 --> 00:39:31.119
 a complete reversal

00:39:31.119 --> 00:39:32.659
 to the predicament

00:39:32.659 --> 00:39:34.199
 that Israel was in in Judges.

00:39:35.219 --> 00:39:36.719
 Where swords will no longer

00:39:36.719 --> 00:39:37.679
 be used as swords,

00:39:37.819 --> 00:39:38.699
 but as Micah says,

00:39:38.779 --> 00:39:39.459
 they will be beaten

00:39:39.459 --> 00:39:40.459
 into plowshares.

00:39:40.939 --> 00:39:42.239
 Spears will no longer be

00:39:42.239 --> 00:39:43.859
 instruments for murder,

00:39:44.000 --> 00:39:44.859
 but they will be turned

00:39:44.859 --> 00:39:45.879
 into pruning hooks

00:39:45.879 --> 00:39:46.519
 for farming.

00:39:47.239 --> 00:39:48.019
 In that day,

00:39:48.479 --> 00:39:49.199
 an ox goad

00:39:49.199 --> 00:39:50.239
 will just be

00:39:50.239 --> 00:39:51.479
 an ox goad.

00:39:52.419 --> 00:39:53.819
 For the peace of Christ

00:39:53.819 --> 00:39:54.479
 will reign

00:39:54.479 --> 00:39:56.099
 over the whole world.

00:39:56.239 --> 00:39:58.319
 And that's where

00:39:58.319 --> 00:39:58.919
 we would say

00:39:58.919 --> 00:39:59.959
 with John the Apostle

00:39:59.959 --> 00:40:01.139
 at the end of God's book,

00:40:02.219 --> 00:40:03.459
 even so come

00:40:03.459 --> 00:40:04.719
 Lord Jesus.

00:40:05.759 --> 00:40:07.199
 Is that not our prayer now?

00:40:08.399 --> 00:40:09.359
 Jesus has done

00:40:09.359 --> 00:40:10.299
 what Shamgar couldn't

00:40:10.299 --> 00:40:11.459
 and Jesus will do

00:40:11.459 --> 00:40:13.000
 what no one else can.

00:40:13.959 --> 00:40:14.939
 He will eventually

00:40:14.939 --> 00:40:15.919
 bring this peace.

00:40:17.059 --> 00:40:17.659
 Trust him.

00:40:18.459 --> 00:40:19.199
 Follow him.

00:40:20.099 --> 00:40:20.939
 Glorify him.

00:40:22.399 --> 00:40:24.099
 God indeed does work

00:40:24.099 --> 00:40:25.059
 in mysterious ways.

00:40:25.059 --> 00:40:26.559
 this story is mysterious

00:40:26.559 --> 00:40:27.719
 and a lot of stories

00:40:27.719 --> 00:40:28.239
 in the Bible

00:40:28.239 --> 00:40:29.460
 actually are.

00:40:31.099 --> 00:40:32.179
 And you may think

00:40:32.179 --> 00:40:33.179
 it would be

00:40:33.179 --> 00:40:35.239
 quite a mysterious thing

00:40:35.239 --> 00:40:36.579
 if God were to use

00:40:36.579 --> 00:40:37.400
 my life as well.

00:40:38.739 --> 00:40:39.960
 I think that's a mystery

00:40:39.960 --> 00:40:41.119
 that God is willing

00:40:41.119 --> 00:40:41.639
 to write.

00:40:43.159 --> 00:40:44.400
 And I think we just need

00:40:44.400 --> 00:40:45.019
 to be sympathetic

00:40:45.019 --> 00:40:45.980
 to his cause.

00:40:47.039 --> 00:40:47.840
 Live our lives

00:40:47.840 --> 00:40:48.480
 for his glory.

00:40:48.480 --> 00:40:49.130
 Maryynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynynyn