1 Samuel 15:17
ESVAnd Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel.
NIVSamuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel.
NASBSo Samuel said, ‘Is it not true, though you were insignificant in your own eyes, that you became the head of the tribes of Israel? For the Lord anointed you as king over Israel.
CSBSamuel continued, “Although you once considered yourself unimportant, have you not become the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel
NLTAnd Samuel told him, ‘Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord has anointed you king of Israel.
KJVAnd Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?
NKJVSo Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel?
In the Scripture, Saul was handpicked by God to be the first king of Israel. He played a crucial role in uniting the Israelites under one leadership toward the end of the period of “the Judges.” There was much to admire about Saul, the man God told the prophet Samuel to anoint as the king. The Scripture says that he was tall and handsome, gifted in leadership. But when it was time for Saul to be crowned king in front of the people, they couldn’t find him.
“But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. So they inquired further of the Lord, ‘Has the man come here yet?’ And the Lord said, ‘Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.’”
— 1 Samuel 10:22-23 (NIV)
Eventually, someone found him hiding among the bundles and boxes where the supplies were kept. Even though he had a powerful experience with God, and had already been anointed for the job, he hid from his calling because he didn’t see himself the same way God saw him. He was fearful to accept the challenge placed before him and he risked not becoming all God called him to be.
Ultimately, Saul did rise to the occasion and, years later, the prophet Samuel referred to that moment when He asked Saul, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel?” (1 Samuel 15:17). Saul was not the only person chosen and called by God for great things who chose to hide because they were “small in their own eyes.” Many of us have done the same thing for the same reason.
⚔️ “THE LORD IS WITH YOU, MIGHTY WARRIOR”
In Judges 6, we find God’s people, the Israelites, being continually raided, robbed, and oppressed by powerful tribes of desert nomads called the Midianites and Amalekites. During this turbulent period of the judges, with no formal government or army, the twelve tribes of Israel were basically powerless to stop the raiders from the wilderness who came “like swarms of locusts and whose numbers were impossible to count.” Because of the incessant raids on their fields and livestock, the Israelites lost their confidence that their God would fight their battles for them and were living their lives just hoping to avoid the thieves.
It’s no surprise then for us to find a future warrior, Gideon, safely steering clear of the raiders by holing up in a winepress, threshing wheat. That’s right: The story of a man we now know as one of the great, heroic military leaders of the Bible begins with him essentially hiding, hoping to protect himself, with no inkling of his destiny.
Certainly, the thought of being a hero to his people never occurred to him. But God had bigger and better plans for Gideon, and it started with helping him see himself as God saw him. When he was in the winepress threshing wheat, an angel of the Lord appeared and said:
“The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
— Judges 6:12 (NIV)
Those words must surely have changed the atmosphere in that winepress. It challenged Gideon’s attitude and perspective about two things: himself and his circumstances. But Gideon’s response was one of complete confusion. There was nothing about the angel’s greeting that made any sense to him at that moment.
Rather than pause and let God’s Word sink into his spirit, Gideon did what we often do. We hear our Heavenly Father greeting us with declarations in His Word of who we really are: “Victorious. Capable. Valuable. Strong. Masterpiece. Highly favored.” We question it. We think, “You can’t be talking about me.”
As we often do, Gideon questioned the good news. Upon hearing the angel’s greeting, he replied with a skeptical question. He basically asked the angel, “If that is the case, where is the God who worked wonders in the past, bringing the Israelites out of Egypt?” It’s clear that Gideon was not only fearful, but he was discouraged and bitter about the long, humiliating defeat his people labored under. He and his people had been mistreated and taken advantage of for so long that it looked hopeless. He was saying, “God, where have You been?”
🚀 Go in the Strength You Have
I love the Lord’s messenger’s response to Gideon. Rather than dwell on the past, he said, “Gideon, go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
“The Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?’”
— Judges 6:14 (NIV)
God was saying, “You go, Gideon. Go in the strength you have. Not the strength you wish you had. Not in the strength some other person who you think is more qualified has. I will be with you. Go confidently, knowing that I, the Almighty God, am sending you.”
God didn’t say, “Gideon, stay where you are until you get some leadership classes.” He didn’t say, “Don’t move until you understand it or feel totally equipped.” He didn’t say, “Wait until things change and are looking favorable.” No, God said, “Go! Go, and, as you get moving, I’ll give you more strength along with whatever else you need to have victory. I will be with you. I’ll give you grace to go and succeed.”
When you use what you have—no matter how little it seems—God will multiply it. Don’t wait until you feel like a mighty hero. God works in our circumstances when we have faith, even the smallest amount of it. God’s promises are motion-activated.
🤔 “But How Can I…?” The Excuse of Inadequacy
However, Gideon wasn’t convinced by God’s “Go.” He still had questions. “Pardon me, but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family” (Judges 6:15).
Gideon was saying: “You have the wrong guy, Lord. My family lacks in so many areas, and I surely don’t have what it takes. Obviously, You haven’t realized that we can never seem to get ahead.” He was certain he had a rock-solid excuse for why he was unqualified for this divine assignment.
It was interesting how God was not seeing him the way he saw himself. What a contrast in the two perspectives. While Gideon’s mind was focused only on the problems he was facing, and how he was going to survive, God had bigger and higher thoughts about him. He was looking at Gideon’s future, and what he could become.
Gideon saw himself as weak, not able, but God saw a fearless, courageous warrior. Gideon’s self-image was out of sync with God’s view.
🎨 Align Your View with God’s Masterpiece
Could it be that your self-image is also out of sync with God’s true vision of who you are? Unqualified, weak, or insignificant for what God is asking you to do and be?
We all have negative thoughts that push us back and try to talk us out of what is in our hearts, thoughts that may come from past failures or from voices from our pasts that told us we don’t have what it takes.
But God calls you His masterpiece.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
— Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
There is power in dwelling on this truth, letting it drop into your spirit, and repeating it to yourself over and over. You are a highly favored son or daughter of the Most High God, and it’s important to declare over yourself what He says about you. When you echo back God’s thoughts toward you, it will change the atmosphere in your winepress. It will set you up with the strength to do what God has destined you to do.
He’s saying, “I am with you. I am for you. I have an amazing destiny waiting for you. So… Go! Stop sitting in the winepress waiting until you have what you think is enough. Go in whatever strength and ability you currently have now. I will give you all the grace you will ever need.”
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