Shamgar and the Philistines

Have you ever felt too small? As if you had nothing special to offer? Today's lesson is about a man who also seemed to have nothing in his hands — just an old pole for driving oxen. And it was with that simple pole that God did something giant.

His name was Shamgar. He was not a soldier, he was not a king, and he did not have a shiny sword. But God looked at him and chose him — just as we saw in the study on how God chooses deliverers to save His people. Why? Because God does not choose people by what they have on the outside. He chooses the heart that says "yes".

A judge named Shamgar

After the judge Ehud delivered Israel, the people went through a hard time again. The ones in charge now were the Philistines, a strong people full of weapons. They made everything so dangerous that no one wanted to walk on the roads anymore. People were afraid. They preferred to take a long way around rather than pass along the main road.

That was when God raised up Shamgar, son of Anath. And there is a curious detail: even Shamgar's name was different; it did not sound like a name from the people of Israel. This teaches us something beautiful — God can use anyone who trusts in Him, no matter where they came from.

The tool that was in his hand

Shamgar was not a trained warrior. He was a simple man of the fields. He took care of the animals and the crops. Every day he used a tool called an oxgoad: a long pole with an iron tip, good for prodding the oxen and making them go in the right direction.

One day, God used Shamgar to face the Philistines. And guess with what? With that very same pole for driving oxen! It was not a sword; it was not a shield. It was just his work tool. Even so, the Spirit of God gave Shamgar courage and strength, and he defeated 600 Philistines — a story that older students study when seeing how God uses the unlikely. After that day, there was peace in Israel again.

🏛 Fun fact. At that time, the Philistines knew how to make iron weapons and did not let the people of Israel have swords. That is why Shamgar had no weapon of war at all — only the pole for driving oxen. God brought down an armed army with what looked like "nothing"!

You don't need someone else's armor

The Bible tells another very similar story. When young David went to face the giant Goliath, King Saul wanted to put heavy war armor on him. But that armor did not fit David! He took it all off, picked up only his sling and five small stones — the tools he already knew how to use — and God gave him the victory.

You do not need other people's tools to be used by God. Maybe you think you are too small, or too young. But God wants to use who you are and what you already have in your hands.

❤ For the child's heart. You do not need to be the strongest, the prettiest, or the smartest in the class. God sees far beyond what the eyes can see. In His hands, something very simple — that you already know how to do — can turn into something great.

Christ in the Lesson

Shamgar delivered the people for a time, and the roads became safe again. But that peace did not last forever. The people needed a greater Deliverer — Someone who would truly open the way, never to close again.

That Deliverer is Jesus. And look how amazing: God saved the whole world using something that also looked simple and weak — a wooden cross. The powerful people of that time laughed at the cross. But it was there that Jesus defeated sin and death and opened the way for us to reach God. Jesus Himself said that He is the way (John 14:6). Shamgar opened the roads of Israel; Jesus opened the road to Heaven.

Practical Application

Discover your "oxgoad". Everyone has something they already know how to do: drawing, singing, helping at home, being a friend to someone who is alone, telling others about Jesus. That is your pole for driving oxen. Place it in God's hands.

Do not wait until you are "big". Shamgar did not wait to become a soldier to serve God. Start today, with the little you already have.

Trust more in God than in the tool. The strength was not in the pole — it was in God, who guided Shamgar's hand. He is the One who makes all the difference.

Closing Prayer

Dear God, thank You because You use simple things to do great things. Thank You for Shamgar and his pole for driving oxen, and thank You, so much more, for Jesus and the cross. Help each child in this class to place into Your hands what they already know how to do, and to trust that the strength comes from You. In Jesus' name, amen.

Soli Deo Gloria — Scripture governs; everything else, on its knees.

Teacher's Guide

Essence of the class

God does great things with what is already in your hand — when you give it to Him.

Map of the class

Time	Stage
0–5 min	Opening (the object in hand)
5–13 min	Point 1 — Shamgar and the dangerous road
13–23 min	Point 2 — The pole for driving oxen defeats 600
23–30 min	Balloon activity
30–37 min	Christ in the Lesson + application
37–40 min	Wrap-up + challenge + prayer

Start like this

Arrive with a very simple object in your hand — a pencil, a wooden spoon, a ruler. Hold it up and ask: "Can you defeat a whole army with this right here?" Let the class laugh and answer. Most will say no. Hold the answer: "Today you are going to meet a man who defeated 600 enemies with something almost as simple as this."

Point 1 — Shamgar, the unlikely one

• In the quarterly: the story of Shamgar, son of Anath, who rose up after Ehud, when the Philistines ruled over Israel and the roads became dangerous.
• What to teach: the people were afraid and stopped using the main roads. God chose Shamgar — a simple man of the fields, with a name that did not even sound like it was from Israel — to deliver the people. God uses those who trust in Him.
• Anchor verse (BSB): "After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. And he too saved Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad." (Judges 3:31)
• Key question: "Have you ever felt too small to do something good?"
• Likely answers: "I'm the smallest in the room", "I don't know how to do anything right", "I'm too young". Go deeper: "And what if God wants to use you just the way you are?"
• If no one speaks: tell about a time when you felt small and God helped you anyway.

Point 2 — The tool in his hand

• In the quarterly: Shamgar used the oxgoad — a long pole with an iron tip, his work tool — and defeated 600 Philistines.
• What to teach: Shamgar had neither sword nor army. He offered God what was already in his hand, and the Spirit of God did the rest. The strength was not in the object; it was in God.
• Anchor verse (BSB): "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." (1 Corinthians 1:27)
• Key question: "What is the simple thing that YOU already know how to do?"
• Likely answers: drawing, singing, helping mom, being a friend. Go deeper: "That can become your 'oxgoad' in God's hands."
• If no one speaks: go around the room naming a simple gift of each child you know.

Class activity

• Goal: to show, through play, that God used simple things for great miracles.
• Materials: balloons and small slips of paper with the names of simple objects from the Bible (sling and stone — David; staff — Moses; piece of wood — Elisha; oxgoad — Shamgar).
• Step by step: put a slip of paper inside each balloon before inflating it. Divide the class into two teams. Each turn, a child pops a balloon, reads the object, and the class tries to remember which character and which story it is about. Everyone participates together, cheering — no one is left out or put on the spot.
• Wrap-up (back to the text): "In all these stories, God used a simple thing. Shamgar's oxgoad fits right into that list. That is how God is: He does great things with what is small."

If they ask you this

• Question: "Did Shamgar kill 600 Philistines all by himself?" Short answer: The Bible says that God empowered him. The strength came from God, not from the pole or from Shamgar's arm. It was God who gave the victory.
• Question: "Why did the Philistines harm the people?" Short answer: They were a people who did not serve God and wanted to rule over Israel. God raised up judges, like Shamgar, to deliver His people.

Wrap-up + challenge of the week

• Wrap-up: "God does not need you to be big to do something great. He only needs you to give Him what you already have in your hand. That is how it was with Shamgar and the ox-driving pole — and that is how it was with Jesus and the cross, the greatest victory in history."
• Challenge: this week, use your "oxgoad" once — something simple that you already know how to do — to help someone. On Sunday, come back with the story.

Teacher's kit

• Before: read Judges 3:31 and the topic in the quarterly; set aside the balloons and the slips of paper.
• Bring: a Bible, the simple object from the opening, the balloons for the class activity.
• Pray beforehand: ask God that each child would see themselves as someone He can use.

Homework

Your mission for the week

Discover your "oxgoad" — a simple thing you already know how to do (drawing, helping at home, inviting someone who is alone to play, telling others about Jesus) — and use it once this week to help a real person.

Why

Shamgar won with the simple tool that was already in his hand, because the strength came from God (Judges 3:31). What you already have can also serve God when you give it to Him.

How to know you did it

You can say the name of the person you helped and what you did for them.

On Sunday, come back with the story

The next class begins with those who share what happened. Do not stay out — bring your story (you can even draw it!) to show the class.