I Samuel 9:21 And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Wherefore then speakest thou so to me.
Courage or Humility?
We think of Saul as the king who was insecure, insubordinate, angry, and arrogant. Yet there was a very different Saul in I Samuel 9. In fact, when God sent Samuel to anoint Saul as Israel’s king, Saul basically said, “Why are you talking to me? I’m nobody.” That is so utterly consistent with all the people I’ve been reading about whom God used in a great way.
For instance, you read about Gideon. Gideon said, “God, who am I?” God said, “Gideon, you are a mighty man of valor because the Lord is with you.” Samuel, the judge, was just a child, yet the Lord was with him and he did great things. Joshua was a man who was fearful as he began to assume the leadership of Israel. God said to him, “Be of good courage, the Lord is with you.” God said to Moses, “I will be with your mouth. I will be with you.”
How many people in the Bible were commissioned with a warning to be humble or modest? I would have to try hard to think of any whom God had warned about arrogance when He gave them their marching order.
How many people did God commission with a challenge to be courageous? The answer is “almost everyone.” God said, “Moses, I am with you. Joshua, I am with you. Samuel, I am with you. Gideon, I am with you. Saul, I will be with you.”
The overwhelming number of people in the Bible whom God commissioned needed courage, not humility. Now humility is a challenge for every one of us every day. I’m just saying that what most of these people needed most was courage, not modesty. Now God can supply both courage and humility, but I would rather have God encourage me, than to have God humble me.
When did people like Saul rise to greatness? They rose when they followed God in submission and dependence. When did they fall? These people never fell to overwhelming odds; they fell to pride. The reason is because God can give courage, but God uses humility.
Maybe you feel inadequate to do all that God wants you to do. That is not a bad place to be. If you will humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, He will lift you up. But if you feel smug, and say, “Look what God and I have done,” you are in a dangerous position. God gives courage, but God uses humility.