The third judge of Israel was Shamgar whom we know very little about. With an ox goad, he killed 600 Philistine men and delivered Israel from oppression. The Philistine nation was a frequent problem to God’s unfaithful people, but God mercifully gave the Israelites a deliverer to lead them out of their troubles.

     Once when the Canaanite nation began to oppress Israel, God sent a woman judge, Deborah, to deliver His people. Deborah called on a man named Barak to command the army of Israel in their march against the king of Canaan. Barak, however, refused to go unless Deborah went with him against the enemy! Deborah told him she would go with him. Nevertheless, there would be no glory for him because the Lord would sell the enemy into the hand of a woman.

     That day the Lord fought for Israel and upset the enemy on the battlefield. Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite army, jumped from his chariot and ran on foot until he came to the tent of a woman named Jael. Jael offered him a place to rest, and when he fell asleep, she killed him. Indeed, God brought deliverance from the enemy at the hand of a woman.

     When Israel sinned, God delivered them into the hands of their enemy. The nation of Midian prevailed against them during one of those times. When the Midianites and other countries destroyed Israel’s crops, the Israelites hid in caves, dens and mountain hideouts.

     God sent Gideon, an Israelite, to lead an army against the Midianites. Gideon felt unsure of himself. He asked for a sign from the Lord that He would surely be with him in that mission. Gideon said, “I will put a fleece of wool on the floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” The next morning, it was so – Gideon wrung a bowl full of water from the fleece.

     Then Gideon asked the Lord not to be impatient with him if he asked for just one more sign with the fleece: “Let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.” That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry, but there was dew on all the ground.

     Then God helped Gideon reduce his army from a multitude of 32,000 soldiers to 300 handpicked men. God told Gideon to send all the frightened men of the 32,000 home. Twenty-two thousand left. God said 10,000 are too many. He brought them down to a place of water and told them to drink. All but 300 got down on their knees to drink water. God chose the 300 men who lapped water by putting their hands to their mouths.