Why God chooses His servants from such unexpected sources
Posted at Reformation Scotland:
No leader of the people of Israel is more respected than Moses for his vast labours in God’s service, yet his story begins in cruel oppression and a basket among the river reeds. Why does God so often choose the most unlikely people to make the greatest accomplishments in His service? The Covenanting minister Alexander Wedderburn considered this question in a sermon on the Lord’s short statement to Joshua, “Moses my servant is dead” (Joshua 1:2). Although he notes exceptions to this generalisation, in the following extract from his sermon Wedderburn draws our attention to the cases where God’s powerful grace is gloriously displayed in employing very unexpected people in His work and the motivation this gives us for hopeful prayer for more servants and greater service.These words contain Moses’ epitaph. They describe his origins, for his name “Moses” signifies “drawn out,” his life, “a servant”, and his end, “he is dead.” We observe that often, when God first finds His most eminent servants, He has to draw them out of some condition very unlike their following work.
Where God calls His people from
Obscure origins
Sometimes when God is about to employ servants, He has to draw them out of very low and obscure origins in the world. It is true that sometimes He has called those who are honourable in the world, such as Isaiah, who is supposed to be of the blood royal of the kings of Judah. But here He holds to the principle, “not many noble,” and He chooses “the things that are not.” Christ’s apostles were a company of poor fishermen — Amos, a herdsman — David, a sheep-herd. Erasmus was illegitimate, obscurely born in Rotterdam. The famous Gregory Nazianzen was often scorned by the Arians because he was the son of one who had once been a beggar.
Average giftedness
He often has to draw them out from a great deal of natural simplicity and weakness, in respect of skills and gifts. They may say, as Moses, “I am not eloquent.” It is true that some of them have been of excellent natural endowments, but often it is otherwise. That is why heathens used to draw the early Christians with the head of a donkey on their shoulders, denoting the simplicity they saw in many of them, and yet they were eminent servants of God. How ignorant, how timorous, and despondent the apostles were before the pouring out of the Spirit! How childish were a number of their questions to Christ, and frightened they were by such little things! And yet what excellent instruments they were for Christ afterwards!
Different pathways
God has drawn some out to service when they had been facing a different direction altogether, and their employments lying in a different way in the world. It is true that Jeremiah is supposed to have been a priest before he was called to be a prophet, and Ezekiel was the son of a priest. But frequently, God called them while they were working at the plough, like Elisha, or keeping sheep, like David, or the cattle, like Amos. When they were fishing, He drew them out, and made them fishers of men. The famous Ambrose was called from commanding armies to be bishop of Milan.
Active opposition
Some have been drawn out even when engaged in a great deal of opposition to God. Like Paul, they were persecuting Him, and were drawn out on the way to Damascus, and made chosen vessels to lift up His name. Famous Augustine was deeply committed to Manichaeism, a religious system whose principles tended towards denying the being of God, and overturning His law. Yet God took Him on and made him as eminent a light as any since the apostles’ times. Matthew the publican became the first writer of the New Testament, and Mary Magdalen, out of whom He cast seven devils, was the first preacher of the resurrection, and there are many other proofs of this.
Oppression and persecution
God has drawn some out from under very great oppression and persecution, and made them eminent servants. Daniel, a captive boy, outstripped all the Chaldeans in wisdom and the interpretation of hidden mysteries. What a great deal many of the worthy attendees at the Counsel of Nicaea suffered for Him! Some bore about in their bodies the marks of their tortures (such as Paphunitius, who lost one of his eyes in the persecution under Emperor Maximus). Multitudes of these instances could be given.
Sometimes when God is about to employ servants, He has to draw them out of very low and obscure origins in the world. It is true that sometimes He has called those who are honourable in the world, such as Isaiah, who is supposed to be of the blood royal of the kings of Judah. But here He holds to the principle, “not many noble,” and He chooses “the things that are not.” Christ’s apostles were a company of poor fishermen — Amos, a herdsman — David, a sheep-herd. Erasmus was illegitimate, obscurely born in Rotterdam. The famous Gregory Nazianzen was often scorned by the Arians because he was the son of one who had once been a beggar.
Average giftedness
He often has to draw them out from a great deal of natural simplicity and weakness, in respect of skills and gifts. They may say, as Moses, “I am not eloquent.” It is true that some of them have been of excellent natural endowments, but often it is otherwise. That is why heathens used to draw the early Christians with the head of a donkey on their shoulders, denoting the simplicity they saw in many of them, and yet they were eminent servants of God. How ignorant, how timorous, and despondent the apostles were before the pouring out of the Spirit! How childish were a number of their questions to Christ, and frightened they were by such little things! And yet what excellent instruments they were for Christ afterwards!
Different pathways
God has drawn some out to service when they had been facing a different direction altogether, and their employments lying in a different way in the world. It is true that Jeremiah is supposed to have been a priest before he was called to be a prophet, and Ezekiel was the son of a priest. But frequently, God called them while they were working at the plough, like Elisha, or keeping sheep, like David, or the cattle, like Amos. When they were fishing, He drew them out, and made them fishers of men. The famous Ambrose was called from commanding armies to be bishop of Milan.
Active opposition
Some have been drawn out even when engaged in a great deal of opposition to God. Like Paul, they were persecuting Him, and were drawn out on the way to Damascus, and made chosen vessels to lift up His name. Famous Augustine was deeply committed to Manichaeism, a religious system whose principles tended towards denying the being of God, and overturning His law. Yet God took Him on and made him as eminent a light as any since the apostles’ times. Matthew the publican became the first writer of the New Testament, and Mary Magdalen, out of whom He cast seven devils, was the first preacher of the resurrection, and there are many other proofs of this.
Oppression and persecution
God has drawn some out from under very great oppression and persecution, and made them eminent servants. Daniel, a captive boy, outstripped all the Chaldeans in wisdom and the interpretation of hidden mysteries. What a great deal many of the worthy attendees at the Counsel of Nicaea suffered for Him! Some bore about in their bodies the marks of their tortures (such as Paphunitius, who lost one of his eyes in the persecution under Emperor Maximus). Multitudes of these instances could be given.
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