11/12/16 Weekend Grif.Net - Shamgar
Robert Griffin
The biblical book of Judges gives detailed stories about men/women who were raised up to deliver their nation in times of great trouble. Some, like Gideon, Samson, Deborah have chapters devoted to their lives and work. Others have just a few paragraphs or verses recording their exploits.
But one of them – Shamgar – has just a single verse of reference, tucked at the end of a long chapter: "After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 men of the Philistines with an ox goad; and he also delivered Israel." (Judges 3:31) . He faced a challenge and God simply records that he succeeded.
I'm thinking of my new President as a “Shamgar”. Nothing is said about Shamgar’s faith. No record of his experience or background. We don’t even know for certain he was an Israeli; his name is not Hebrew, and ‘Anath’ is the name of a Canaanite goddess of war.
But . . . it was like the nation of Israel was in a challenging time and needed a shot in the arm, and God brought along a new leader who did exactly what needed doing. He was God’s man for a particular task and not another thing is said about him in the Bible.
So it is with Donald Trump. I have no confidence in his faith, his morality, or his sense of what needs to happen in the hearts of people to make America great again. But he is our new President and has a daunting task ahead. Our nation has been spiraling out of control. For the past eight years it has become clear that the left’s endgame has been to force their so-called progressive ideologies and programs down the throat of Americans, to reshape the nation into a country vastly different from our historic and Constitutional roots.
Six years ago, after the horrors of the Obama agenda were established, the people responded by giving conservatives the House of Representatives to try to slow down the destructive avalanche. Two years later, voters gave the Senate to the right as well. This Tuesday, God led a broad coalition of Americans to push back in a complete trifecta, adding a conservative President. Donald Trump is part of the new face of this complete mandate.
As Christians, we should recognize the sovereign hand of God allowing the evil of the past administration to drive us to the point crying out for a deliverer and now bring a “Shamgar” to do the hard task of redirecting America back to the light. All Americans should rise above petty politics, stop ringing hands in despair, and pray and work with this new government to return to our roots and values, and make our nation great again. And maybe together we can write a new paragraph in the chapter of the history of the United States: “And after him was a ‘Shamgar’ . . . who delivered America.”
[In a private email from my friend and college professor, Ronn Johnson shared his evaluation of the results of the election this week. We adapted/expanded his premise for our weekend grif net blog.]
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Dr Bob Griffin
"Jesus Knows Me, This I Love!"