The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1916-12-21

| .<2fhs. sessSl lSlNcl WIS not 10
associate wi ith
,hem, nor bow down to their gods. nor
even mention the name of their gods.
But Israel did not obey, and the
steps Of their downfall are recorded
in this chapter; they did not drive out
their enemies, they took their dnugh.
ters to be their wives, they dwell
among the Canaantes they served
their gods, they forgot the Lord their
God, and he sold them into the hand
Of the enemy.
TIE book OF Judges is a sad, sad
story Of disloyalty, defeat and bond
age, frightened now and then by u
description of some noble man or
woman whom God raised up to defend
his honor, and to deliver Israel from
her sad condition.
Among the heroes whom God used
for this purpose no name shines out
more signally than that of Shamgar,
Of whom 1t Is said that he slew six
hundred men single-handed with an
OK goad. And that Is all that we know
about him. TO my mind this is n strlk-
ing proof of the inspiration of The
Scriptures. If the Bible had been
made by man, he would surely have
devoted whole chapter to such re-
markable achievement, but the Holy
Spirit for reasons best known to him
self gives only 2G words to 1t. The in
spration of the Scriptures is proved
as conclusiyely by their silence as by
what they say.
Shamgar is a good type of the per
sonal worker. We need many like him
today. We have men enough to com
plain and criticize, but not enough
of those who are willing to grupple
with the problems of life, and attempt
TO solve them. If he had been like
some men he would have called con
ventlOn TO discuss the state of religion
in Israel, PASSED resolutions, appointed
Il committee to report and returned
home. Shamgar was not that kind
Of man. lie believed In personal
work, and so he took hold of the mat
ter himself, and 10, the whole prob
lem was solved.
Furthermore, he was not trained
worker. In these days we have schools
to instruct workers in the best meth
ods, but Shamgar had received no
training ut all. He knew nothing about
war, and he had no weapons except
TN OK goad. 1t Is not likely that he
killed those Phllistines just as scien-
tiiically as some might have done 1t.
but he did it just as efGectually for he
left them dead.
There is large place for unframed
workers in our day. There is always
something that anyone can do, who
really wishes to help, and in the doing
Of il he gets certain training.
Where did Mr.. Moody get his train
ing? Or Uncle John Vassar, Mel TrOt.
ter or q host of others who have been
signally successful in winning souls TO
Christ?
Shamgar had faith In God. He was
familiar with his Bible, and he remem-
bered that God had promised Moses
and Joshua that one should chase
1000, and two put 10000 to flight
Here were only 600 Philistines, and il
Gods promises were reliable, that was
an easy job.
suppose 1t came about in this way:
The Phillstines had ralded the country
so often that the people were intimidat
ed. We read in Judges SO that tn,
highways were unoccupied and the peo
pie Travelled in the byways. In tn
spring of the year the frightened Is
raelltes crept out into their fields ant
sowed them. During the summer thel
enemies left them unmolested, bu
when the crops began to ripen, the
raided them constantly and carried o,
the harvest.
One day a band of Phillstines cam,
down upon Shamgar's field. Some mel
would have run away, but not 81
Shamgar. He said: "This thing ha
gone far enough. 1t is disgrace I,
our nation and to Jehovah as well
If no one else will resist them, | must
and l may as well begin now as ever.
Accordingly he attacked the GOO men
with nothing but an OK goad. God hon
ored his faith and gave him the vic
tory. This put fresh courage into faint
ing hearts. When they saw what Coo
and one brave man could do, they raj
lied as a nation and soon threw of
the yoke of the enemy.
Observe, too, that Shamgar was jeal
Gus for Gods honor. 1t was not Tn,
loss of his own crop or even his neigh
bors' crops which led him TO enter
such an unequal contest. He felt that
Gods honor was at stake and he could
not bear to have the Phlllstlnes desplse
Jehovah or his people. And so he was
willing to run some risk. If indeed
there was any risk. IN trusting Gods
promises.
Jonathan did the same thing, as we
read In | Sam. 146, and Nehemiah
also, and God honored their faith In a
similar way. God needs more Sham.
gars in our day--men who are willing
to work for him in a small way, and
work alone, and work with what they
have. viii you be 0nef