The Unlikely Man Chosen By God to do the Extraordinary

We often find ourselves in situations where "Life" poses extraordinary expectations on us, barging in, saying "Hey- you need to deal with this...." The challenge can be at home, on the job, in a friendship, or in defending our principles against the cultural grain. Often these are annoyances and we just "get on with it". However there are the noble challenges presented to us where something dear hangs in the balance: A life, a career, a marriage, a family, a soul. At times, we recognize that, for whatever reason, the extraordinary - maybe unenviable - lead role is ours to play. We may think "hey... don't look at me... or "I'm just not cut out to do that...." Others can see in us a metal we don't recognize in ourselves - they are the very voice of Christ exhorting us to action. In salvation history, God has not been subtle in calling for action and did not humor wilting violets. In God plan, ordinary and unlikely men have been called to extraordinary roles: Save a sinful city, free an enslaved nation, be King of a wayward nation, be the Rock of a new Church standing against the gates of Hell, be the Disciple to the Gentiles. None seemed suitable to their roles by human estimation, and some fought against it, but God prevailed upon their fears, denials, personal histories and rationalizations and through these unlikely men salvation history was made. Consider the men below.

Jonah the Reluctant Savior of a city (exerpted from Book of Jonah)

1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."

3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. ⁴ Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. ^{5 7} Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. ^{8 11}So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?" ¹² "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." ¹⁵ Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm... 2:1. The LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah; and Jonah remained in the fish's belly three days and three nights. 2:2. Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish. 2:11... The LORD commanded the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon dry land.

3:1.The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 3:2."Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it what I tell you." 3:3.Jonah went at once to Nineveh in accordance with the LORD'S command 3:4.Jonah started out and made his way into the city the distance of one day's walk, and proclaimed: "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" 3:5.The people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast, and great and small alike put on sackcloth. 3:6.When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 3:7.And he had the word cried through Nineveh: "By decree of the king and his nobles: No man or beast-of flock or herd-shall taste anything! They shall not graze, and they shall not drink water!3:8.They shall be covered with sackcloth-man and beast-and shall cry mightily to God. Let everyone turn back from his evil ways and from the injustice of which he is guilty.3:9.Who knows but that God may turn and relent? He may turn back from His wrath, so that we do not perish. 3:10. God saw what they did, how they were turning back from their evil ways. And God renounced the punishment He had planned to bring upon them, and did not carry it out.

Moses - The Reluctant Liberator of God's Chosen People (From Exodus 3 and 4)

Exodus 3 "And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. ¹⁰ so now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

Exodus 4 ¹⁰M oses said to the LORD, "Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." 11The LORD said to him, "Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD? ¹² Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." 13 But Moses said, "Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else." 14 Then the LORD'S anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. ¹⁶ He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. ¹⁷ .......

Samuel Instructed to Defy King Saul and Anoint a new King, David the Shepherd (Samuel 1:16)

The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king."

2 But Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me."

The LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate." ⁴ Samuel did what the LORD said.

When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?" ⁵ Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD." ⁷ But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either." ⁹Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, "Nor has the LORD chosen this one." ¹⁰Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The LORD has not chosen these." ¹¹So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?"

"There is still the youngest," Jesse answered. "He is tending the sheep."

Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives." 12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.

Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; this is the one." 13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David.

Peter the Fisherman Identified as Leader of Christ's Church (Matthew 13-20)

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock2 I will build my church, and the gates of hellsshall not prevail against it. 191 will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed£! in heaven."

Paul the Disciple to the Gentiles (Acts 9)

9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

5 "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. ⁶ "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered.

11 The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹² In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." ¹³ "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."

15 But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ 1 will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

Questions for discussion:

1. Have others approached you to handle a difficult situation on their behalf?

2. Have you yourself recognized a difficult situation needing intervention and realized it was you who was called to deal with it?

3. Have you reluctantly taken on a challenge and made a crucial difference in a life, a family, a soul?