God Uses the Unlikely

Why God Picks the Unlikely

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If you were choosing heroes to save a nation, you would pick the strongest, the bravest and the most famous. God often picks the opposite.

God's way. “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:27).

A left-handed man. God rescued Israel through “Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man” (Judges 3:15), from one of the smallest tribes.

A farm tool. After Ehud came Shamgar, “who killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad” (Judges 3:31). An ox goad was a long stick for poking oxen.

A prophetess and a nervous soldier. “Deborah, a prophetess… was judging Israel at that time” (Judges 4:4). When God called Barak to lead the army, he said, “If you will go with me, then I will go” (Judges 4:8).

The least son. When God called Gideon a “mighty man of valor,” Gideon answered, “My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house” (Judges 6:12, 15).

God's answer. The Lord said to Gideon, “Surely I will be with you” (Judges 6:16). God's presence mattered more than Gideon's size.

Too many soldiers. God told Gideon his army was too big, “lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me” (Judges 7:2). He won with three hundred men (Judges 7:7).

The youngest son. When Samuel looked for a king, God said, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). God chose David, the youngest.

Why God does it. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Earthen vessels are clay jars.

His Spirit, not our strength. “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).

Weak made strong. Hebrews says people of faith “out of weakness were made strong” (Hebrews 11:34).

God remembers them. “For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah” (Hebrews 11:32). God honors people who trusted Him, even when their faith started small.

What we learn. God picks unlikely people so that everyone can see that the power and the glory belong to Him.

What to do. The next time you feel too small for something God wants you to do, remember Ehud, Shamgar, Barak and Gideon. Then ask God for help and take the first step.

God's habit of choosing the unlikely runs from Genesis to Revelation. Judges shows it again and again, so that no one can mistake who the real Deliverer is.

The principle (1 Corinthians 1:27). God chooses “the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” Two verses earlier Paul says, “the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25).

Ehud (Judges 3:15). A left-handed Benjamite, restricted in his right hand, from the tribe whose name means son of the right hand. God turned what looked like a weakness into the key to the rescue.

Shamgar (Judges 3:31). His weapon was an ox goad, a farmer's prod with a pointed end. “And he also delivered Israel.” God does not need the right equipment.

Deborah and Barak (Judges 4). Deborah, “a prophetess,” was judging Israel (4:4). Barak would not go without her (4:8). Even so, Deborah told him, “Has not the Lord gone out before you?” (4:14), and Hebrews 11:32 names Barak among the faithful.

Gideon (Judges 6). Found threshing wheat in a winepress “to hide it from the Midianites” (6:11), he was greeted as a “mighty man of valor” (6:12). God named him by what He would make him, not by what he felt.

The 300 (Judges 7). God reduced the army “lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me’” (7:2). Fewer soldiers meant clearer glory for God.

Jeremiah. He protested, “I cannot speak, for I am a youth,” and the Lord answered, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth’” (Jeremiah 1:6-7). Age is no barrier to God's call.

The heart (1 Samuel 16:7). “For the Lord does not see as man sees.” God measures by faith and the heart, not by height, age or reputation.

Clay jars (2 Corinthians 4:7). The treasure is in “earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” The plainness of the jar makes the treasure obvious.

Grace in weakness. God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Not an excuse. God's use of flawed people does not approve their sins. Gideon and Samson made serious mistakes. God's grace works through weak people; it does not make sin small.

Application. Name the weakness you think disqualifies you. Then read 2 Corinthians 12:9 and ask God to show His strength there.

The Most Unlikely Savior

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The most surprising choice God ever made was not a judge or a king. It was the way He sent His own Son.

A humble birth. Jesus, the King of kings, was born in the little town of Bethlehem and laid in a manger, a feeding box for animals (Luke 2:7).

A small town. Jesus grew up in Nazareth, a place so ordinary that people asked whether anything good could come from there (John 1:46).

Not what people expected. Isaiah said the Messiah would be “despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3).

Ordinary friends. Jesus chose fishermen and a tax collector as His closest followers. Later the leaders were amazed that such ordinary men spoke so boldly (Acts 4:13).

Time for children. When the disciples tried to send children away, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them” (Matthew 19:14).

The cross. Jesus “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). The cross looked like the weakest moment of all.

Weakness that saves. “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25). At the cross Jesus paid for our sins.

Risen in power. Three days later Jesus rose from the dead. The One who looked weakest is the Lord of all.

He uses you. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10). Workmanship means something God made with care.

Gifts for everyone. “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another” (1 Peter 4:10). Every believer has something to give.

Never too young. The Lord told young Jeremiah, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth’” (Jeremiah 1:7).

Strength in weakness. God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). When you feel weak, God's strength has room to shine.

What we learn. God saved the world through a Savior who looked weak, and He still loves to work through ordinary people who trust Him.

What to do. Ask Jesus to be your Savior if you have not yet. Then ask Him what good work He has for you this week, and do it with joy.

The judges were unlikely deliverers, but they point to the most unlikely Deliverer of all: the Son of God, who saved the world through weakness.

Born low (Luke 2:7). The eternal Son was laid in a manger because there was no room for His family. God's King arrived without a palace.

From Nazareth (John 1:46). Nathanael doubted that anything good could come out of Nazareth. Jesus' hometown gave no one a reason to expect a Messiah.

Despised (Isaiah 53:3). “He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” The Servant would not look like a conqueror.

Emptied and humbled (Philippians 2:8). He “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” The cross was the worst death Rome knew.

The wisdom of the cross. “The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25). What looked like defeat was the payment for sin.

Raised in power. The crucified One rose on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:4). The weakness was real, and so was the victory. The empty tomb shows that God's way of weakness is the way of life.

Unlikely followers. The council saw that Peter and John were ordinary, untrained men and realized they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). Their boldness came from Him.

The pattern continues. Paul writes that not many of the believers were wise, mighty or noble by human standards, so that no one would boast before God (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

Strength in weakness. “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul learned to boast in his weaknesses.

Made for good works. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

Young believers. Paul told young Timothy not to let anyone look down on him because of his age, but to be an example (1 Timothy 4:12).

Application. Trust the Savior who chose the cross. Then serve with whatever gift He has given you, “as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).

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Read each section and answer the questions correctly.