The first question you may ask yourself when reading the title of this post is who is Shamgar and what secrets could he possibly know about success?
This is an excellent question to which I reply that he is man whose name is mentioned only twice in the Bible. Specifically he is mentioned in two verses in the book of Judges.
Judges 3:31 31And 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 5:6 6In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.
Now that you have seen the two verses one might have a few more questions. What is an ox goad? What is the significance of the highways being unoccupied? How did he deliver Israel? What were his secrets for success?
These are all great questions for which will be concisely answered in this blog post. The answer to the first question is an ox goad is a farming tool. The Wikipedia definition illustrates that it is a type of long stick with a pointed end. It may also be referred to as a cattle prod.
The second question may be answered by thinking of a lawless Israel. The book of Judges illustrates a time period where Israel was without a king. The last part of the verse indicates that travelers didn’t travel on the main roads. The main roads weren’t safe. This is likely due to barbarians, looters, or other horrific men.
The third question should be the simplest answer of all! Shamgar killed 600 Philistines and what was his weapon? It was a farming tool! This shows that Shamgar had an immense sense of faith in God. Shamgar was likely not a skilled soldier due to his tool of choice. This is a great segue into the final question. What does Shamgar know about success and what are his secrets?
As cited by the book, The Three Success Secrets of Shamgar, “That’s what this book is about: one person making a difference in the world through God’s power by following these three simple secrets:
- Start where you are.
- Use what you have.
- Do what you can.”
The answer is exceedingly simple yet profound. I prefer not to go in too much more depth about the specifics because then you wouldn’t need to buy the book. However, I would much rather talk about the application of these three steps in Web Devotional and our personal walk with Jesus Christ.
For the first point, Start where you are, Web Devotional is now live! This is a great thing because it shows that there is a Start! I believe that this website will add value to Christians. It was created out of the desire to see us pray more fervently, to read the Bible more often, and to have a deeper relationship with our LORD Jesus Christ.
For the second point, Use what you have, Web Devotional is hosted on the most popular website and blog publishing platform in the world! It is also hosted in the cloud via Digital Ocean a tremendous company. These details are minor. The most worthy mention is that as Christians we have Jesus Christ as our personal savior, we have the Holy Spirit to lead us, and we have the Bible as God’s Holy word.
For the third point, Do what you can, Web Devotional is a place where Christians come for encouragement to keep applying biblical principles to their lives through daily devotions. My dream is that it creates a community of believers who are able to learn and grow together.
In conclusion, I want you to personally think about these two verses and the application mentioned above. How may these three secrets of success be applied to your life? What ideas do you have about these simple yet profound nuggets of wisdom? Please feel free to share your thoughts with us through the use of the contact form.