From Shamgar to ShamWow
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ––Philippians 2:5-7
Remember the ShamWow Guy plugging the chamois towel that was (allegedly) used by Olympic divers to towel off? Back in 2007, the ShamWow took late-night infomercial audiences by storm, selling millions of units. For a while the ad seemed to run on every channel after 11pm. It was hard to avoid. But today you can’t just turn off your TV—similar schlocky offers stalk us on social media and wherever we go with our smart phones.
Everywhere you look there are new “miracle products” that will allegedly change your life. A master class that will help you earn $10K per month on Amazon without having to sell (or do) anything? Done! Bitcoin strategies that will turn you into a crypto-millionaire in a flash? Done!
But in reality, God’s not into hype. One obscure biblical character who received almost zero hype, despite his incredible deeds, was Shamgar. He’s only mentioned twice—and briefly—in the whole Bible. In Judges 3 there’s a list of rulers who led Israel through an 80-year period of prosperity: “After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down 600 Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel” (Judges 3:31). Wait, what? So, this guy single-handedly killed 600 enemies with a cattle prod (i.e., an ox goad is a long wooden pole with a sharp point on the end)? And then that’s it. No more mention of Shamgar.
In contrast, hype is so common in our culture that we barely notice it anymore. In the book world, it seems everyone is a “bestselling author,” while on TV, the “critics are raving” about every show. But what does Jesus model for us as God’s men? Paul says, “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8) Ditch the hype and press into the hope. More Shamgar, less ShamWow.
Father, don’t let me get pulled into the world’s hype, but instead guide me by Your hand and press me deeply into the mold of Jesus.