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Anonymous
By Scott Harrup | February 15, 2008
Presidents Day celebrates some great leaders in U.S. history. Think of George Washington guiding America into independence, or Abraham Lincoln restoring a divided nation to unity. But what about the countless men and women who assisted those presidents? Perhaps you’ve seen Emanuel Leutze’s famous painting of Washington crossing the Delaware River. What were the names of those guys rowing the boat?
Along with well-known personages such as David, Esther, Jeremiah, Mary, and John the Revelator, plenty of off-the-beaten-path Bible characters appear for a few verses, do something minor or even strange, then disappear. Some aren’t even named.
Here’s one example.
“When the Israelites cried to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I snatched you from the power of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors. I drove them from before you and gave you their land. I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.” But you have not listened to me’” (Judges 6:7-10, NIV).
In the absence of mass media, this unnamed prophet probably traveled throughout the nation repeatedly yelling out his proclamation in order to get the message across. Hard work. Most likely, lots of hiking in tough terrain. Perhaps the occasional hostile reception from a town or village where the “gods of the Amorites” were the religion du jour, thank you very much.
Move further into Judges 6 and you begin reading about Gideon, the hero in Israel who, with only 300 men, obeyed God and attacked and defeated a massive army from Midian. The prophet who isn’t even named delivered his message from heaven then stepped off the scene right before Gideon grabbed national attention.
Prophets like Elijah or Isaiah or Ezekiel cover massive tracts of Scripture real estate. Prophet John Doe? Almost nothing. But the placement of his tiny anecdote makes it clear everything in the chapters to follow is connected to what he said.
Our anonymous friend is in good company. Most of us will not generate in-depth coverage by future historians. What did Andy Warhol say about our “15 minutes of fame”? But every one of us can do and say things of significance if we make ourselves available to God. If our life story creates mere sentences in the public record, our obedience to our Heavenly Father lets us partner with Him to bring about divine purpose and ultimate blessing in countless lives.
When that happens, who cares if we’re anonymous?
Topics: History |