And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel. Judges 3:31
The worst time to learn crisis management is during the crisis, but sometimes you have no choice. Most of us are a long way from practicing proactive crisis management. Crisis will happen. How it turns out will strongly depend on how dedicated you are to the resolution.
Shamgar slew 600 Philistines with an oxgoad. Unlike Samson, there is no mention of any supernatural strength granted to achieve this feat. So one man killing 600 men doesn't quite add up. Even with a quadrotor machine gun, up against six hundred men, he's still no match. So how'd he do it? Two things: Study and Strategy.
First, Shamgar knew his weapon like he knew himself. Because he studied what he had available to him at the time he was able to turn a farm tool into a weapon of mass destruction and deliver Israel. He didn't wait until he had a bigger and better weapon. You simply have to make the most of what you have, where you are.
Secondly, Shamgar had a strategy. Yesterday we learned that no one was traveling the main highways in that time. The enemies were working like gang units intimidating travelers from every direction. The chaos of the times was the perfect cover for Shamgar's mission. He didn't attack all 600 at once. He went after a few here and a few there. He picked them off one by one and before he knew it he had amassed a body count of 600. How many times have you said, "I can't do all of it, so I won't do any of it"?
No one will force you to step up to the call; its your choice. But, if you would just take one step at a time, one project at a time, one sentence at a time, one day at a time, one prayer at a time, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish. So stop - take a moment and ask God how He wants you to use what you have to influence and impact the domain in which you live. Be great! (concluded)
Prayer:
Lord, Help me to do what I can, where I am with what I have to bring glory to Your Name, Amen.
Go Deeper?
Numbers 6:1–21; Judges 13:1-7; Psalm 144:1; Matthew 11:12; Ephesians 1:18; Ephesians 6:10-20; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Peter 2:9; 2 Peter 1:10
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