I have a confession to make: I love listening to other people’s conversations. Sitting in a coffee shop and listening to the conversations around me is fun. Any time I need a break from reading or writing, I’ll sit there and allow my focus to gravitate toward the loudest conversation in the room. It’s definitely nosy of me (and I might be terrible for it) but listening to the conversation of strangers and figuring out things about them is like a fun puzzle. I love listening to people interact in settings like that and figuring out who they are, what they value, and what their relationship is with one another. Once I get back to work, my brain typically forgets everything that I just heard, but I find it interesting in the moment.
In a very similar way, interactions between God and man in the OT have always interested me. God’s method of appearing before man, man’s approach to God, and the words being exchanged are all fascinating. One can learn a great deal about God and His relationship with man from these interactions. Further, when studying these interactions, one will begin to see similarities in certain people based on the person’s personality and God’s purpose in approaching them. Two people in the OT who are not typically compared, yet have surprisingly similar interactions with God are Gideon (Judg. 6:11–27, 36–40) and Saul (1 Sam. 9:15–24; 10:1–13). While there are differences in the details of where they were found and their God-given purpose, these interactions still possess weak men who are initially unwilling to do God’s will because it appears to be too great for them. Because of this, God provides signs to them both to prove to them that He is with them. Gideon asks for signs, but God provides signs to Saul without asking.
There are many ways that I could compare these two interactions. However, one theme found throughout the entire Bible — especially in these two interactions — is God’s selection of the poor and weak to do His will in amazing ways. Gideon was of Manasseh (the weakest tribe of his time), and Saul, though physically and financially blessed (1 Sam. 9:1–2), was of Benjamin (a tribe crippled by war in Judg. 20). Hannah conveys God’s willingness to do this after the birth of Samuel, stating, “He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap” (1 Sam. 2:8a). God has a purpose for you that is so much greater than your weaknesses because you are a citizen of a kingdom that is beyond this world. The calling that you are to fulfill is rooted in God’s greatness, not your own. Therefore, as we form spiritual goals and create plans in 2024, may we not limit God’s impact by our weakness, but instead allow God to raise us above our earthly circumstances to a purpose greater than ourselves. God has chosen you, regardless of your insecurities, weaknesses, or past, to fulfill His will on earth. What’s going to stop you?
Nate Kidwell
Dalraida church of Christ is a congregation of Christians that meet in the mid-town area of Montgomery, Alabama. Our goal and purpose is to seek and follow God and His Word in everything that we do in life.