Ordinary Day 4 - The Call
“But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?”
—1 Samuel 9:21, NIV
In this passage, Samuel had just begun to reveal part of God’s plan for Saul’s life. Saul, a young man, was completely caught off guard. His immediate reaction was to question what Samuel told him: “Why me? I’m not qualified.”
The Benjamites were indeed the smallest tribe of Israel, and their reputation carried the weight of past failures. In the book of Judges, we read of the horrific crime committed in Gibeah—a city belonging to the tribe of Benjamin—where a Levite’s concubine was brutally murdered. When the rest of Israel demanded justice, the Benjamites refused to hand over the guilty men. As a result, the other tribes waged war against them, leaving only 600 surviving men. From that time forward, Benjamin was considered the weakest and least significant tribe.
So when Samuel told Saul that God had chosen him, Saul probably reflected on his tribe’s broken past and his own family’s insignificance. From his perspective, he lacked the qualifications to lead.
But when God chooses us, His call is always bigger than what we can imagine—and it never depends on our qualifications. He isn’t looking for our skills, experience, or pedigree; He’s looking for our yes. The problem is, we often assume it’s up to us to make His plans succeed, forgetting that the assignment was never our idea in the first place—it was His.
Remember Gideon, He said the same thing when he angel of the Lord approached him. “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
There’s another important truth here: we must be careful not to judge whom God selects. His choices rarely align with human expectations. Samuel gave Saul clear instructions about what would happen, and Scripture says:
“As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying. When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, ‘What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?’”
—1 Samuel 10:9–11
God always calls the unqualified and then qualifies them. His assignments are intentionally bigger than us because He is the one who accomplishes the work through us. Just as Moses could not lead Israel without God’s power, we cannot fulfill our assignments without Him.
Key Takeaways
Our past does not hinder God’s plans for our future.
God qualifies the unqualified.
Our job is simple: follow the Leader.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19; Isaiah 55:11
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