From 14 pages of notes, I have gleaned the following lessons:
I. Have faith / trust in God
A. you could move a mountain, or at least make the sun stand still!
B. be as fearless as David, not as fearful as Saul
II. Be obedient; listen to God’s direction, often revealed by providential circumstances
A. “thy will,” not my will
B. when God says to build an ark, do it
C.
submit willingly to God’s command; e.g., in response to a seemingly
impossible pronouncement, Mary said, “be it done to me according to
your word.”
III. Be willing to be used to carry out God’s plan of redemption
A. when God’s kingdom and plan of salvation were in jeopardy, individuals were called to help save it; e.g., Noah, Esther, Jehu
B. Eli, on the other hand, put God’s kingdom in jeopardy by his self-centeredness
C. Obadiah, an ordinary butler, with Elijah, saved the worship of the true God from eradication by Jezebel!
D. the history of redemption didn’t stop with the resurrection! God is still redeeming his chosen people through your efforts
IV. It might cost you something
A. Abraham left everything behind
B. Moses abandoned his high position in Pharoah’s house and turned down the opportunity to become a great nation himself
C. Gideon could have been the first king of Israel
D.
David endured enormous adversity from his brothers, Saul, and Absalom,
not to mention more traditional enemies like the Philistines
E.
Jonathan recognized David's anointing as the next king, instead of
himself -- 1 Samuel 18:4 "Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and
gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and
his belt." -- an act of incredible selflessness, the basis for his
exemplary love for David
F. Elisha slaughtered his many oxen to feed his helpers and to end his current vocation
G. Ezekiel’s wife was killed as an object lesson for the Israelites
V. You may be sorely tempted to give up, but “be strong and courageous;” e.g., Joshua, Jeremiah and Paul
VI. A vocational calling is not an end in itself -- Biblical
characters were always “looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architest and builder is God.” Hebrews 11: 10
VII. Earthly success cannot be guaranteed; some Biblical characters
were blessed in every way, like Abraham and David, while others were
killed, e.g., most of the apostles; we are called to be faithful, not
necessarily successful
VIII. God will give the gifts necessary to carry out His call
A. Joseph’s gifts of organization and administration
B. Joshua’s gifts of leadership and military prowess
C. Samson’s gift of strength and weakness for women
D. Nehemiah’s conviction and temper
E. Daniel’s knowledge and intellect
F. Paul’s training and a “thorn in the flesh” to keep him humble
IX. God’s call may lead you on a very tortuous path, but “bloom where you are planted”
A. Joseph in Egypt
B. Naaman’s little unnamed slave girl in Assyria
C. Daniel and his three friends in Babylon
D. Hegai, from Aram, who got Esther to be queen, to save the Jews from extinction!
E. Parable of the talents (Matthew 25: 14-30; Luke 19: 11-27)
X. Be a servant-leader -- willing to sacrifice yourself for your God
A. like Moses, Deborah and Nehemiah
B. not like Eli and his sons, who were self-serving
XI. Your own strength doesn’t matter, for “God chose the weak things
of the world to shame the strong.” (I Cor. 1: 27), e.g., Moses and
Gideon
XII. God may test our faith and submission to Him before sending us to do his will, e.g., Gideon, Abraham
XIII. Even God’s chosen people have feet of clay, e.g., Gideon turned to idols, Samson liked the women
XIV. Family background is no excuse, e.g., Jephthah the judge was a prostitute’s son
XV. Other people may recognize your God-given gifts, e.g., Joseph and Daniel
XVI. Some are called at a young age, e.g., Samuel, others are called later
XVII. Your heart is more critical to your call than your physical attributes
A. Saul -- physically tall and handsome, but weak in his heart
B. David, the youngest in his family
XVIII. Be motivated by God’s Spirit (e.g., most of the judges), not
by human passions and desires (although God can use them, too, e.g.,
Samson)
XIX. Through faithlessness and disobedience, your call can be lost or revoked, e.g., Saul
XX. Wait for God to lead, don’t take things into your own hands
A. David waited over 20 years for his call to be fulfilled -- if he
was anointed at age 15 (?), he didn’t become king over all of Israel
until age 37
B. David might have gotten Bathsheba justly if he had waited ...
XXI. Even obeying your call is no guarantee of your personal
redemption, e.g., Michal was used by God to save David’s life (and his
kingdom), but cursed by God afterwards
XXII. God can use lies, subterfuge and human scheming to accomplish
his call; that doesn’t make it OK to lie, cheat, etc., but God can work
through such behavior
A. Solomon becoming king after David
B. Esther becoming queen
XXIII. Realizing the gravity of our sin and our just punishment;
appreciating the magnitude of the price paid for our atonement ought to
stimulate us to respond by giving our lives as “living sacrifices” in
thankfulness for all God has done for us, e.g., Isaiah
XXIV. Recognize God’s sovereignty over your life, like Jeremiah --
“I know, O LORD, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to
direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10: 23) -- he must have or else he would
certainly have quit prophesying
A. this understanding is fundamental to a Christian sense of calling
B.
but it is diametrically opposed to our culture’s emphasis on autonomy
and self-determination; e.g., “It’s your life, make it new!”
XXV. Give God the credit for the use of His gifts, e.g., Daniel
XXVI. You cannot escape from God’s will, e.g., Jonah
XXVII. Following God’s call is not always enjoyable
A. Jeremiah was imprisoned and/or threatened with death several times
B. Paul was beaten, imprisoned, and persecuted in numerous ways
XXVIII. Every call is significant in God’s kingdom
A. the powerful and famous, e.g., David, Joseph, Paul
B. the powerless and unknown
1. Ebed-Melech, an Ethiopian eunuch in king Zedekiah’s palace, saved Jeremiah’s life
2. Hegai, an Aramaic eunuch in king Ahasuerus’ palace, ensured Esther’s rise to queen
3. Jephthah, judged the Israelites righteously
4. Michal, David’s first wife, saved his life twice
5. Ish-Bosheth, the king between Saul and David
6. Hushai, David’s “double-agent” preserved his kingdom from Absalom
7. Obadiah (the butler, not the prophet), fed 100 prophets of God with food from Jezebel’s table
8. Naaman’s little slave girl saved his life so he could punish the Israelites
9. Amos, the hired hand, prophecied against Israel
