Manhood
A kingdom man understands that God never said life would be easy, He just said it would be worth it. He doesn’t only make an impact on his home and his church, but also on his community and his world.
One kingdom man whom you may not have heard about is found in the Old Testament book of Judges. If a poll was taken of most people in church today, probably not even a quarter would recognize his name. This man didn’t get much airtime as compared to the likes of Samson, David, or Joshua. Yet the principles found in the two verses about him hold the potential to not only transform lives, but our world. Because, as you will see, it only took one real man named Shamgar to save the entire nation of Israel.
First we read in Judges 5:6,
“In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,
In the days of Jael, the highways were deserted,
And travelers went by roundabout ways.”Judges 5:6
The reason why a nation resorts to traveling its back roads is because it has lost control of its front ones. So to be out in public was to put your life at risk. This was a day of terrorism and chaos when marauding bands of irresponsible men created havoc in the society.
But then we read in Judges 3:31,
“After him came Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad; and he also saved Israel.”Judges 3:31
Shamgar, whom we know today as the third minor judge in the history of Israel, probably came from very humble beginnings. In fact, he very likely started out as a farmer, becoming proficient at handling an oxgoad, or cattle prod, while living in an agrarian society. But what’s critical to learn from him is that he didn’t wait until he became great in order to do something great. He didn’t put off until next week what he needed to do that day.
Shamgar saved the entire nation of Israel, and he did it as a farmer! God used Shamgar because he exemplified two of the greatest principles of being a kingdom man:
- Start where you are
- Use what you have
Imagine what our homes, churches, communities, and nation would be like today if our men would take a lesson from the life of kingdom men like Shamgar. When a kingdom man steps out his door each day, heaven, earth and hell ought to take notice.
A Kingdom Father
