Man’s Last Choice Is Often God’s First Choice

ThanksLiving: 365 Days of Gratitude

If it seems like God has no big plans for you, don’t let your station in life fool you. God is no respecter of persons and he is not swayed by your less than desirable circumstances. He will accomplish his purposes—and that includes some very good things for you. Others may see you as the last choice for the team, but God may very well select you as the first choice for his starting lineup. Just be patient—and ready—and watch what God will do over the course of your life.

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Chronicles 2:13-15

Jesse’s first son was Eliab, his second was Abinadab, his third was Shimea, his fourth was Nethanel, his fifth was Raddai, his sixth was Ozem, and his seventh was David.

Welcome back to the genealogies! And just a heads up: we are going to be here for another six chapters. So promise me that you will hang in there and not skip over or read them with your mind in neutral, because I promise you, in between the lines of what seems likes endless lists of names are nuggets of eternal encouragements for you.

So what wonderful spiritual application is in this particular genealogical account of the tribe of Judah here in 1 Chronicles 2? Well, for starters, remember who comes from this tribe: King David, the most famous and loved king in Israel’s history. But even better, from this flawed line (yes, there is quite a bit of drama, and even sin, that produces some of the children born into Judah’s lineage) comes the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Jesus the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world.

Now in those two facts alone is enough encouraging material to keep us full of gratitude to God for days to come. Take David for instance. He was God’s choice to replace King Saul as the new monarch of Israel. Saul started with such promise, but quickly went off the rails by abandoning his singular trust in God to provide for his success. So God rejected Saul and selected David, of whom he later says, “I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” (Acts 13:32)

But David was not the people’s first choice to be king. We read in the selected text that he was the seventh son of Jesse, and basically his father’s afterthought for kingly consideration. You remember the story: the prophet Samuel came to Bethlehem under the Lord’s direction to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be the next king. And from the oldest to the youngest, six brothers were paraded in front of the grizzled old prophet, who one by one, exclaimed, “Nope, not that one! Next.”

In fact, David wasn’t even present for the line up. After all six brothers had been examined, and rejected, Samuel had to ask if there were any other sons. He knew that God had told him to anoint one of Jesse’s sons, but none of the six fit the prophet’s qualifications. That is when—reluctantly, it seems—the family admitted there was one other, but Samuel shouldn’t bother with that one. He was just a no account brother out shepherding the family flocks. Yet when he was finally brought in, the prophet jumped to his feet and shouted, “that is the one!”

What a reminder to you and me that what man discounts as no account is often what God counts as perfect for his plan. It doesn’t matter if you are the seventh choice—seven in scripture has a sense of finality, which in this case implies the last choice—God can make you his first choice. So as it relates to your life, keep your heart pure before God and your hope to play a grand purpose in his plan intact, because God will elevate you if and when he chooses. That is up to him, but just remember, your station in life has nothing to do with God’s willingness to use you.

One other thing about this lineage of Judah: While Jesus was born into it way down the road, don’t forget that it was a flawed heritage full of prostitution, adultery, intrigue and murder. So not only can God use the least likely of man’s choice, he can use people who come from highly disadvantaged and dysfunction backgrounds. And not just squeeze them into his divine lineup, God can makes them superstars on his team. From the flawed seed of Judah came many amazing kings and one Messiah of the world.

All that to say, if it seems like God has no big plans for you, don’t let your station in life fool you. God is no respecter of persons and he is not swayed by negative circumstances. He will accomplish his purposes—and that includes some very good things for you.

Going Deeper With God: If you are frustrated with who you are and where you are in life, take it to Jesus. Put your negative circumstances, your flawed heritage, and your limited personality in his hands, and as you patiently trust and obey him, watch what he will do over the course of your life.

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