Sometimes the craziest little stories have great subtle lessons in them. There is such a historical little story described in the book of Judges which is a section in the Bible (no matter what you believe about the Bible there is some really valuable ideas that anyone can benefit from so stick with me). The story is only 2 sentences long. 'Shamgar son of Anath...using an ox goad killed 600 Philistines single - handed. He too saved Israel.' (Judges 3:31) What a weird little story!?!?. However, with just a little bit of background this 2 sentence action movie has three really important lessons about adding value to any situation you might find yourself.
Background: There's a lot here, but I'll give you the bulk of it with three simple points. First, Israel (the country where Shamgar lived) was not in good shape. It was a dangerous place to live with little government oversight, a weakened military presence, and low national pride. It was Loserville. Second, the Philistines (Dave and Goliath ring a bell?) were a constant source of irritation to Israel often invading Israeli villages and towns to pillage and plunder Loserville. It was a miserable time to be a native of Israel (I'm really connecting with Browns fans, right now. I'm joking...kind of). Finally, an ox goad was a 4-6 foot sharpened stick used to prod cattle to keep moving. They'd get stubborn and stop walking and a shepherd would stab them in the backside with a sharp stick. A simple tool, but not exactly a weapon of war.
Somehow, someway, this guy Shamgar decides he's had enough of Loserville and of Phillistines, grabs the first tool he can find, and decides to fix some things. 600 fatalities later, national pride and protection had been temporarily restored.
Three lessons from a couple of thousand years ago that you can use today to add value...
First, start right where you are. Shamgar started in Loserville. He didn't wait until it turned into Title Town. He started when no one else felt the urge or saw the point.
Second, use what you have. Shamgar didn't have a sword, a bow and arrow, or even a sling like David (read this fun post about that here). Shamgar had a shepherds tool, the ox goad.
Third, do what you can. Historians believe that Shamgar did not go 1-vs-600. They believe he engage in hand-to-hand combat in 1v1 and 1v2 style quietly moving across the landscape. This likely took days or weeks. Shamgar did not have the number 600 in his mind. He had a purpose in his heart and just did only what he could and kept doing it until he had reached his goal...the benefit of his countrymen.
I'd encourage you this week to grab your ox goad and get to work (do NOT kill anyone. Thanks).
Background: There's a lot here, but I'll give you the bulk of it with three simple points. First, Israel (the country where Shamgar lived) was not in good shape. It was a dangerous place to live with little government oversight, a weakened military presence, and low national pride. It was Loserville. Second, the Philistines (Dave and Goliath ring a bell?) were a constant source of irritation to Israel often invading Israeli villages and towns to pillage and plunder Loserville. It was a miserable time to be a native of Israel (I'm really connecting with Browns fans, right now. I'm joking...kind of). Finally, an ox goad was a 4-6 foot sharpened stick used to prod cattle to keep moving. They'd get stubborn and stop walking and a shepherd would stab them in the backside with a sharp stick. A simple tool, but not exactly a weapon of war.
Somehow, someway, this guy Shamgar decides he's had enough of Loserville and of Phillistines, grabs the first tool he can find, and decides to fix some things. 600 fatalities later, national pride and protection had been temporarily restored.
Three lessons from a couple of thousand years ago that you can use today to add value...
First, start right where you are. Shamgar started in Loserville. He didn't wait until it turned into Title Town. He started when no one else felt the urge or saw the point.
Second, use what you have. Shamgar didn't have a sword, a bow and arrow, or even a sling like David (read this fun post about that here). Shamgar had a shepherds tool, the ox goad.
Third, do what you can. Historians believe that Shamgar did not go 1-vs-600. They believe he engage in hand-to-hand combat in 1v1 and 1v2 style quietly moving across the landscape. This likely took days or weeks. Shamgar did not have the number 600 in his mind. He had a purpose in his heart and just did only what he could and kept doing it until he had reached his goal...the benefit of his countrymen.
I'd encourage you this week to grab your ox goad and get to work (do NOT kill anyone. Thanks).
Keep on, keeping on, friends!
‘Bite Down and Don’t Let Go’ is a collection of writings on
being intentional about life in a way that produces great persistence. Read
about it more here.
Dr. Chris Hobbs is an educational leader and Director
of Athletics at The King’s Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida. He’s earned a few
degrees and won some awards. He’s happily married to his high school
sweetheart and they have three teen age children. Life is messy and complicated
most of the time. You can follow him on Twitter
for all sorts of inspirational thoughts and good laughs.
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