<TITLE>14. Par 44-46</TITLE>L-44 John stayed in the wilderness until he found out what God's program was. And then he was concerned. He knew his sign. Andrew stayed all night with Jesus, and then he was concerned about his brother. He went and got him. How many times could we call this which just haven't got much more time up there, but I--I want to say these few more words, if you'll bear with me about another ten minutes.
Jacob had a pulsation that he must go back home, but he knowed he had to face his enemy. He didn't know how he was going to do it. What did he do? First, he stayed there until he got a hold of God. And when he was convinced that he had had the blessing because God said so, then he was concerned.
First he must stay until he knowed something happened. He had a mark in his physical being that showed that God had placed it upon him. The great big, strong... Well, he was... He was Jacob on this side of the river, a great big, strong, healthy coward; and on the other side of the river he was a limping Israel. On this side of the river he was a strong man, a Jacob, a deceiver. And on the other side of the river he was a limping warrior, not afraid of nothing. He didn't even want anything Esau could give him. He was convinced that he had been touched by God. Every walk made it different.
When a man is so definitely... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] see the difference of the mark of the Holy Ghost in his life, then you're convinced, and you're concerned. When you see the next man, a big cowardly Jacob standing this way, "Well, bless God. I'm Dr. So-and-so from so-and-so," Oh, brother, get down and limp a little bit. Certainly.

L-45 Shamgar, many of you... He was one of the judges of Israel, one little... Many ministers never even see that in the Bible, but he was one of the judges of Israel, one little verse wrote about him. But I like him. He's a man after my heart.
You know, the Philistines, then, every man did what he wanted to do. So we find out that the Israelites had raised up a whole lot of crop, and the Philistines would set back over there, and gambled and let them slave for them. And here they'd walk right in (no unity among them), go right on in and say, "Well..." take their crops. Year after year they did that.
This little old fellow one day... He wasn't a warrior. He just had... Only thing he had was his crop. And I imagine him standing there after putting his crop in the barn. He looked at his little ragged kids, and his wife needed a dress. And he just got it all laid in nice. And he was standing there, leaning, saying, "Well, maybe we can eat this winter."

L-46 He heard something. He looked out the barn window, and here come a thousand Philistines, march, march, march, great big plates of armor over them, big, well-trained men, spears in their hands, marching right up to take what he had.
He looked down at his kids. He looked at his wife. He was concerned. But what was he? He was helpless. He's not a swordsman. Now, he didn't say, "Now, wait a minute. Maybe I better go to school and learn how to duel the creeds." If he'd have done that, that's all he'd knowed about. But here's one thing that he knowed. He happened to think. "By birth I'm an Israelite. And God promised Abraham my father, that his seed would possess the gate of his enemy." Amen. That's enough. Amen.
He was concerned of his family; he was convinced he was an Israelite. The first thing he had in his hand, he grabbed it. It was an ox goad, a stick, a little piece of brass on the end of it; knock the mud off the plow, push the goad along, or the--the--goad the ox as it went along.


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