Week 13 Judges
I decided to look at the Six Minor Judges.
Shamgar appeared first (chapter-three). The others don’t come until later – clustered in Judges 10:1-5 (Tola & Jair) and then in Judges 12:8-15 (Ibzan Elon & Abdon).
I listed them and filled-in whatever details I could find.
First: five of them had a geographic or tribal link (Issachar Gilead Bethlehem Zebulun Ephraim). Shamgar’s connection was uncertain.
Second: I can see how long five of them judged Israel (23 22 7 10 8 years). Shamgar is the odd-man-out.
Third: where were they buried? (Shamir Kamon Bethlehem Zebulun Pirathon). Where Shamgar was buried is anyone’s guess.
Fourth: the only official action that Tola Jair Ibzan Elon & Abdon took was to “judge” (whatever that involved). The exception is Shamgar who took the definite military action of killing 600 enemies.
Fifth: there’s no record of the opponents of Tola Jair Ibzan Elon & Abdon. Shamgar? It was the Philistines.
Sixth: one thing about all of them (Shamgar as well) is that none of them got any kind of specific direction or impetus from the Lord – at least none that was spelled out. (I took a quick look at Othniel Ehud Deborah-Barak Gideon & Samson. In one way or other each of them gets a definite prompt or boost or assist from the Lord.) Not getting a signal from the Lord doesn’t mean that the Six Minors didn’t. But it doesn’t say so.
I end up being not much father ahead. But I wonder why Shamgar is such a Mystery Man.