It seems God's plan for His people has always been reduced to the thinnest of hopes. Almost from the very first passage of scripture we see all of hell bent on destroying everything God so lovingly desired to raise up. This pattern seems to reinvent itself time and time again throughout the scriptures. And the hope to preserve something for Himself always seemingly reduced to what appears to be the most ridiculous of propositions.
You remember the stories. Some old man building a boat somewhere out there of preposterous, gargantuan dimensions with the intention of putting him and his family and all the animals of the earth on board to save a remnant from the soon destruction of the world. A 100 year old man and His 90 year old wife who's seed would preserve a people for God Himself as numerous as the stars in the sky. A young dreamer sold into slavery and imprisoned in Egypt waiting for his dreams to be fulfilled. An 80 year old man on the backside of Midian somewhere, tending a few sheep, told to load some things up on a donkey and go back to Egypt and demand to Pharaoh to let God's people go. And then there was Gideon the least of the least and the shepherd boy David and all the lonely prophets and finally one small tiny infant born in a small Judean town out in a barn somewhere. Well you get the picture.
David's humble beginnings are recounted in 1 Samuel 16. He was so well thought of his own father didn't even think to include him when Samuel invited Jesse and his sons to the sacrifice. He was left to tend the sheep while this important business was to take place. Even the great prophet Samuel looked upon Jesse's fine looking boys with admiration, in particular Eliab, who he said, "Surely this is the Lord's anointed." To which God reprimanded him. " Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance of things but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).
Perhaps the symbolism and the irony is not lost when one considers one of his first test after being anointed by Samuel was facing Goliath. On the one hand you have all the machinery of a man made system in full battle array out fighting with all they had the battles of God on behalf of His Kingdom. But yet for all their good intentions they are no match for this Giant that taunts them day by day who stands before them. But then you have this seemingly insignificant nobody with his little bag of rocks that takes note of what is happening and goes and stands in place the Lord has appointed him and takes one of these rocks and slings it at the giant and slays him. Perhaps there is a message in this story for our day?
It is not so much the outward appearance of things in which we stand dear believer or the seeming lack of quality weapons at our disposal. It is easy to get discouraged by such things. I have many times. The Lord often makes His anointed stand in places that appear to be nothing, foolish and downright reckless. But if we stand there with the Lord and in His Spirit it is enough. It is easy to lose heart and say, "who are we?" Who are we indeed. Who is anybody? Who is sufficient for these things? But if you remember nothing else, remember this. Remember the stories. Remember the boat, and Isaac, and the dreamer, and the old man with a stick riding on a donkey to Egypt, and remember a young infant crying in a barn on a Bethlehem starry night. Yes, throughout the history of the world, the Lord has often reduced it to the most insignificant, preposterous things. Is it really so unreasonable then to think He may be doing something just like that in the day in which we live? He has often hung His whole Kingdom on the very outcome of such things.
Be of good cheer! Let us go forward in the Lord!
You remember the stories. Some old man building a boat somewhere out there of preposterous, gargantuan dimensions with the intention of putting him and his family and all the animals of the earth on board to save a remnant from the soon destruction of the world. A 100 year old man and His 90 year old wife who's seed would preserve a people for God Himself as numerous as the stars in the sky. A young dreamer sold into slavery and imprisoned in Egypt waiting for his dreams to be fulfilled. An 80 year old man on the backside of Midian somewhere, tending a few sheep, told to load some things up on a donkey and go back to Egypt and demand to Pharaoh to let God's people go. And then there was Gideon the least of the least and the shepherd boy David and all the lonely prophets and finally one small tiny infant born in a small Judean town out in a barn somewhere. Well you get the picture.
David's humble beginnings are recounted in 1 Samuel 16. He was so well thought of his own father didn't even think to include him when Samuel invited Jesse and his sons to the sacrifice. He was left to tend the sheep while this important business was to take place. Even the great prophet Samuel looked upon Jesse's fine looking boys with admiration, in particular Eliab, who he said, "Surely this is the Lord's anointed." To which God reprimanded him. " Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance of things but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).
Perhaps the symbolism and the irony is not lost when one considers one of his first test after being anointed by Samuel was facing Goliath. On the one hand you have all the machinery of a man made system in full battle array out fighting with all they had the battles of God on behalf of His Kingdom. But yet for all their good intentions they are no match for this Giant that taunts them day by day who stands before them. But then you have this seemingly insignificant nobody with his little bag of rocks that takes note of what is happening and goes and stands in place the Lord has appointed him and takes one of these rocks and slings it at the giant and slays him. Perhaps there is a message in this story for our day?
It is not so much the outward appearance of things in which we stand dear believer or the seeming lack of quality weapons at our disposal. It is easy to get discouraged by such things. I have many times. The Lord often makes His anointed stand in places that appear to be nothing, foolish and downright reckless. But if we stand there with the Lord and in His Spirit it is enough. It is easy to lose heart and say, "who are we?" Who are we indeed. Who is anybody? Who is sufficient for these things? But if you remember nothing else, remember this. Remember the stories. Remember the boat, and Isaac, and the dreamer, and the old man with a stick riding on a donkey to Egypt, and remember a young infant crying in a barn on a Bethlehem starry night. Yes, throughout the history of the world, the Lord has often reduced it to the most insignificant, preposterous things. Is it really so unreasonable then to think He may be doing something just like that in the day in which we live? He has often hung His whole Kingdom on the very outcome of such things.
Be of good cheer! Let us go forward in the Lord!
