Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1917-03-08

~ III luebe COuuks
lions were that
Israel was not to
s.1.EA-- associate with
them, 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 r recorded
IN this chapter; they did not drive out
their enemies, they took their daugh-
tiers to be their wives, they dwelt
among the Canaanites, they served
their gods, they forgot the Lord their
God, and he sold them into the hand
pf the enemy.
The book Of Judges Ia a sad, sad
story Of disloyalty, defeat and bond
|age. frightened now and then by Q
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
Tor this purpose no name shines on
more signally than that Of Shamgar,
LOT whom 1t Is said that he slew six
hundred men single-handed with an
0x goad. And that is all that we know
about him. To my mind this Is q strtk-
ling proof Of the inspiration of the
scriptures. II the Bible had been
made by man, he would surely have
devoted a whole chapter to such q re-
lmarkable achievement, but the Holy
spirit for reasons best known to him
self gives only 28 words to it. The In
SEPARATION Of the Scriptures Is proved
las c~onclusively by their silence as BY
what they say.
Shamgar is q good type Of the per-
sonal worker. We need many like him
to-day. WI have men enough to COM
plain and criticize, but not enough
lof those who are willing to grapple
with the problems Of life, and attempt
to solve them. II he had been like
some men he would have called a con-
ivention to discuss the state Of religion
in. Israel, passed resolutions, appointed
q committee to report and returned
home. Shamgar was not that kind
Of q man. He believed in personal
work, and 10 he took hold Of the mat
ter himself, and 10. the whole prob.
lem was solved.
Furthermore, he was not a trained
worker. In these days we have schools
to instruct workers in the best meth
DDS, but Shamgar had received no
training at all. He knew nothing about
war, and he had no weapons except
ian OK goad. It Is not likely that he
killed those Philistines just as scfen-
~Itifcally as some might have done 1t.
but he did 1t just as efectually for he
left them dead.
There is a 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
lof 1t he gets a certain training.
Where did Mr.. Moody get his train.
tngf Or Uncle John Vassar, Mel Trot.
tier or a host Of others who have been
lsignally successful in winning souls to
Christi
Shamgar had faith in God. He was
Familiar with his Bible, and he remem.
bered that God had promised Moses
land Joshua that one should chase
h,OO0 and two put 10000 to flight
Here were only 600 Philistines, and II
Gods promises were reliable, that war
m easy. job.
I suppose It came about In this way
The Phillstines had raided the country
DO oftcn that the people were intimidat
led. we read In Judges SIC that the
highways were unoccupied and the peo
ple travelled in the byways. In thu
spring Of, the year the frightened p
kaelites crept out into their fields and
sowed them. During the summer theil
enemies left them unmolested, but
when the crops began to ripen, theJ
raided them constantly and carried OF
the harvest.
one day q band OF Philistines scams
down upon Shamgar's field. Some mel
would have run away. but not y
Ishamear. He said: 'aThis thing hal
rome far enough. It issa disgrace I!
Dor nation and to Jehovah as well
hf no one else win resist them, ! must
and 1 may % well begin now AZ ever
Accordingly he attacked the 600 mel
with nothing but an Ok goad. God hon
cred his faith and gave him the vic
toEy. This put fresh courage into faint
NJ hearts. When they saw what Got
md q brave man could do, they RAJ
hisd q Q nation and soon threw q
tbs yoke Of the enemy. !.