Chosen Servants

We have received an inheritance for which we were predestined. While Saul of Tarsus was on the way to Damascus and still breath­ing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, he was surrounded by a radiant light from heaven. This light was so in­tense that he was blind for three days, and he neither ate nor drank. By a vision, God led Ananias to him to lay hands on him so that he could regain his sight. But before that happened, Ananias said: “‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to thy saints at Jerusalem; and here he has au­thority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon thy name.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Is­rael....’” Acts 9:13-15.

God knew Saul of Tarsus when he was still breathing threats against the saints, and in His foreknowledge He had already cho­sen him and made him the instrument that he was to be. But Saul, in his unbelief, approached things in quite the wrong way. God also knew that in Saul He had a man in whose spirit there was no guile, who was neither coward nor weakling. There were plenty of Christians around in those days, but only one of them was chosen for such a great and awe-inspiring work—Saul of Tarsus. He was truth-loving and faithful enough to carry out God’s Word. There­fore the Lord, who foreknew him, says, “I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” Acts 9:16.

God cannot choose just anyone to do great works; most people would only fail Him on the day He shows them how much they must suffer for Jesus’ name’s sake. No one has ever received light and wisdom from God except through trials and sufferings. Such tried people stand the test on the day of battle and are qualified to lead the way for the Lord’s people.

Concerning Jacob and Esau it is written: “Though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad, in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of His call, she was told, ‘The elder will serve the younger.’ As it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’” Romans 9:11-12.

God’s Spirit—the Spirit of Truth—never takes hold of a person by force; rather, the Spirit convicts and guides. It takes a real love of the truth to hear the Spirit’s gentle voice speaking deep down in our hearts. God knew ahead of time that Esau would resist God’s Spirit, that he would despise his birthright, and that’s why God hated him even before he was born. God knows and judges the secret counsels of our heart, even before we leave our mother’s womb. According to this same foreknowledge, we have been chosen to be to the praise of His glorious grace. Therefore, we ought now to confirm our calling and election. In this grace in which we stand, everything is up to us, and we can make great headway in the kingdom of God—if we really want to. We live according to the perfect law of liberty.

Joseph’s dreams about the sun, the moon, and the twelve stars that bowed down before him showed that God had chosen him for the salvation of Israel in a time of severe famine. David’s battles with the lion and the bear qualified him to take up the battle against Goliath. That is why he also says, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:37. God had cho­sen David from birth for His work, and He began to train his hands to wage war from his youth. That is why Hushai, in his old age, could say about David when giving counsel to Absalom: “You know that your father and his men are mighty men.... Besides, your father is expert in war; he will not spend the night with the people.” 2 Samuel 17:8.

The Lord said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5. “Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, ‘Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint for us a king to govern us like all the nations.’ But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to govern us.’ And Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.’” 1 Samuel 8:4-7.

People have always been the same. The Israelites wanted to have a king to rule over them, because all the nations around them had a king. They couldn’t bear the thought of being different from all the others. Indeed, they got a king, but not by the good and well-pleasing will of God. God chose for them Saul, a young and good-looking man, who embodied their idea of what a king should be like. “There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he; from his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.” 1 Samuel 9:2. But we know how it went with Saul: when standing was what counted, he fell. Israel provoked the Lord by wanting a king, so the Lord chose one for them who was just like themselves; they were disappointed with Saul in the long run. God chose Pharaoh in order to display His power through him; He chose Judas in order to demonstrate human guile. Every­thing takes place in order that, in the end, God may be glorified.

The inheritance, according to the wise counsel of God, is in the light—it is in the judgment. That is why God’s inheritance, the people of His own possession, will be formed and fashioned for their work of service by abiding in judgment.