Israel’s third judge receives one verse in the Bible. Shamgar is an intriguing judge. His lineage traces back to someone named after the Canaanite goddess Anath. She was a fierce warrior goddess and an ally of Baal.
After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel (Judges 3:31).
Shamgar follows Ehud, who defeated his enemy through trickery. It is possible that we are seeing a decline in the quality of judges for Israel.
He reminds us that God often uses the most unlikely people. Though he’s a foreigner with a questionable past, he also highlights the Israelites’ loss of courage. He isn’t an Israelite and acts alone without their support.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is to look at the margins of the church for leaders. Often, some of the best leaders aren’t the usual people we expect. God chooses individuals to glorify Himself, and sometimes the greatest glory comes from those we least expect.
Judge #4 – Deborah
The third judge of Israel is mentioned in just one verse in the Bible. In contrast, Deborah, the next judge, has her story detailed in an entire chapter.
The story starts in a familiar way for the Book of Judges. The Israelites did wrong in God’s eyes, so He allowed a warring nation to conquer and humble them. This time, the king and his army captain had 900 chariots to oppress the Israelites for 20 years.
Deborah had two roles. She was a judge and a prophet.
At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel.
She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment (Judges 4:4-5).
Deborah, as a prophet and judge, was qualified to resolve disputes between families in Israel.
As a prophet and judge, she instructed Barak, the commander of the army, to position himself to draw out the warring city-state. God had revealed this plan to her and she was following orders, just as she expected Barak to do.
Barak is scared to take on this mission alone. He tells Deborah that he’ll only go if she goes with him. She informs him that when he defeats the other general, the victory will not be his, but will go to a woman instead.
Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”
And she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh (Judges 4:8-9).
One of the best things about the Bible is how it portrays its heroes. As we study the judges of Israel, we see that even the most important Israelites had flaws. Barak had flaws, and other leaders had serious flaws too. Yet, God was still able to use them.
This shows us the uniqueness of the Bible among other pieces of ancient literature. It records a true story that we can count on.
It also comforts us by showing that we, despite our flaws, can be used by God.
Sisera Defeated by a Woman
Just as Deborah told Barak, God fought for them. The mighty chariots of the opposing army were thrown into confusion, allowing God’s people to win.
Sisera, the commander of the enemy army, fled to what he thought was a safe place. In the tent of his friend, he believed he could escape the battle and save his life.
He had no idea his friend’s wife had set a trap for him. After making him comfortable, Jael waited until he fell asleep. Then, she killed him by driving a tent peg through his temple.
When Barak arrived, she said: “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he went into her tent; and there was Sisera lying dead, with the tent peg in his temple (Judges 4:22).
Reflections
So far, we’ve studied four of the twelve judges. Among them, one is left-handed, another has questionable foreign roots, and the third is a woman.
When we consider Jesus’ disciples, we see a similar pattern. They were a diverse group with one thing in common: God called them to serve. Then, He gave them the abilities they needed for their work.
Let’s be encouraged. He might be calling us in the same way.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed these two judges of Israel today on YouTube.
Real Voices 