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Articles
Unlikely Heroes
The door of a children’s classroom in our basement is decorated with names of famous Bible heroes, along with an admirable trait for each person. My eye happened to catch Gideon who was described as a “leader.” Those familiar with the story of Judges 7-8 understand Gideon’s effectiveness as a leader of God’s people in battle against the Midianites. That’s the Gideon who led a mere 300 men to fight against a enemy “as numerous as locusts” (Judges 7:12). That’s the Gideon we like to remember. However, that is not the Gideon we were introduced to in chapter 6. When we go back to remember how Gideon’s story began, it is apparent he is a rather unlikely hero. The Scriptures are full of such unlikely heroes.
In Judges 6:11, we’re introduced to Gideon while he is hiding from the Midianites in a wine press! When the angel first calls to him, Gideon is far from prepared to be the “valiant warrior” as the angel refers to him (Judges 6:12). He needs much reassurance from God (Judges 6:27-40) before working up the courage to be the leader God called him to be.
Joseph was another such unlikely hero. After coming into adulthood as a slave in a foreign land (Exodus 37:36), and later being imprisoned (Genesis 39:20), Joseph went on to become the most powerful man in Egypt after Pharaoh (Genesis 41:40-41)! Who could have seen that coming? God did (Genesis 50:20).
Moses’ life is another peculiar one. He was raised as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2:10) and enjoyed all the pleasures of “the treasures of Egypt” (Hebrews 11:24-26). After a lengthy stint as a shepherd (Exodus 2:16; 3:1), God calls Moses to lead the Hebrew people out of slavery (Exodus 3:10), delivering them from the most powerful kingdom on the planet. As with Gideon, Moses was not immediately convinced he was the right man for the job (Exodus 3:11).
David is also an unlikely hero. When Jesse presented his sons before Samuel for one to be anointed as the next king, David was the last one either of them expected the Lord to choose (I Samuel 16:10-11). When David showed up to the battle against the Philistines and requested the opportunity to face Goliath, he was berated by his oldest brother (I Samuel 17:28) and King Saul told him it was useless (I Samuel 17:33). Yet, David was the clear hero of the day.
Time and again in the Scriptures we see unlikely heroes emerge from the pages and stir our hearts with their faithfulness. As with Gideon, Joseph, Moses, David, and countless others, it is never about the individual accolades of the men and women of faith. They are not heroic because they possess some innate quality that gives them superhuman abilities. They are not remembered because of their singular ability to do what no other man or woman could do. Rather, their heroism is remembered because of their trust in God and God’s ability to work through the efforts of such ordinary men.
When you are called to demonstrate courageous faith, remember this great “cloud of witnesses” who have gone on before us (Hebrews 12:1). Their examples are powerful because they are repeatable. You have what it takes to courageously respond in faith. It is never about the people that God uses, it is about the God that uses people. No matter how unlikely it may seem, God can use you to become an example of faithfulness, too.
