Let me tell you a secret about the Bible. The people God uses to save the day rarely look like superheroes.
You will not find many flawless warriors or perfect saints marching through the pages of scripture. Instead, you find ordinary, flawed, and sometimes completely unexpected people stepping up to the plate.
I love looking at these stories because they show us that God works through anyone. Get ready for a little shock, because some of these stories are wild. Here are seven unlikely heroes of the Old Testament who will make you rethink what it takes to do great things.
1. Rahab: The Insider Threat
Rahab lived in Jericho, a city marked for destruction by the Israelites. She also made her living as a prostitute. If you were picking a spiritual leader, she probably would not make your shortlist.
But when Israelite spies snuck into her city, Rahab took a massive risk. She hid them on her roof and lied to her own king to keep them safe.
She recognized God’s power when no one else in her city did. Because of her bravery, she saved her family and earned a place in the lineage of Jesus.
>> From Harlot to Heroine: The Amazing Story of Rahab In the Bible
2. Ehud: The Left-Handed Assassin
I warn you, this story gets a little graphic. Talk about morbid and sadistic, but also incredibly effective. The Israelites were under the thumb of a very overweight king named Eglon.
God raised up Ehud, a left-handed man from the tribe of Benjamin. Back then, being left-handed was seen as a major disadvantage. Ehud strapped a short sword to his right thigh, where guards never thought to check.
He got a private audience with the king and assassinated him, setting off a revolution that freed his people. His supposed weakness became his greatest weapon.
The Bible and Its Story Taught by One Thousand Picture Lessons, vol. 3. edited by Charles F. Horne and Julius A. Bewer. 1908
>> Judge Ehud in the Bible: Lessons and Facts
3. Gideon: The Fearful Farmer
We often picture leaders as brave and bold. Gideon was neither. When an angel found him, he was hiding in a winepress to thresh wheat so the Midianites would not steal it.
He belonged to the weakest clan, and he was the least in his family. God told him to lead an army against thousands of enemies. Gideon needed a lot of convincing, even asking God for multiple signs.
Yet, he trusted God enough to whittle his army down to just 300 men armed with trumpets and jars. God used a frightened farmer to deliver a total victory.
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4. Jael: The Woman with a Tent Peg
This is another intense one. The Israelites were at war with a cruel general named Sisera. After a brutal battle, Sisera fled on foot and hid in the tent of a woman named Jael.
He asked for water, and she gave him milk to make him sleepy. Once he passed out, Jael took a tent peg and a hammer and drove it right through his skull.
It is a brutal scene, but Jael stopped a vicious tyrant in his tracks. God used a lone woman in a tent to fulfill a prophecy and save Israel.
5. Ruth: The Loyal Outsider
Ruth was a Moabite, which meant she belonged to an enemy nation of Israel. When her Israelite husband died, she had every reason to stay in her home country and start over.
Instead, she chose to stay with her bitter, grieving mother-in-law, Naomi. She left everything she knew to travel to a foreign land where people looked down on her. Through her sheer loyalty and hard work in the grain fields, she caught the eye of Boaz.
Ruth went from a destitute foreign widow to the great-grandmother of King David.
>> 7 Inspiring Characteristics of Ruth in the Bible
6. David: The Overlooked Shepherd
Before he was a mighty king, David was just the kid brother. When the prophet Samuel came to anoint the next king,
David’s father did not even bother to call him in from the sheep pastures. He was too young and too small. Later, when the giant Goliath taunted the entire Israelite army, grown men shook in their armor.
David showed up with some food for his brothers, saw the giant, and decided to fight him with a sling and five smooth stones. God used a teenager who smelled like sheep to bring down a giant.
>> How David Encouraged Himself In The Lord And How You Can Too!
7. Esther: The Orphan Queen
Esther was a young Jewish orphan living in exile. She ended up in a royal beauty pageant and became the Queen of Persia. It sounds like a fairy tale until a high-ranking official plots to wipe out all the Jews.
Esther faced a terrifying choice. Approaching the king without an invitation meant the death penalty, even for the queen.
She had to risk her life to speak up for her people. She fasted, gathered her courage, and stepped into the throne room. An orphaned girl saved an entire nation from destruction.
>> 4 Inspiring Characteristics of Esther in the Bible
I think these stories are beautiful. They remind us that we do not need a perfect background to make a difference.
You might feel too young, too scared, or too unqualified. You might feel like a total outsider. The truth is, God loves to use unexpected people to write His story. When we look at Rahab, Gideon, or Esther, we see that willingness matters far more than a flawless resume.
You have a part to play, and your unique struggles might just be the exact tools God uses to do something incredible in your community.
Melissa is a passionate minister, speaker and an ongoing learner of the Bible. She has been involved in church and vocational ministry for over 18 years. And is the founder of Think About Such Things. She has the heart to equip the saints by helping them get into the Word of God and fall more in love with Jesus. She also enjoys family, cooking, and reading.
She has spoken in churches in California, Oregon, Texas, and Mexico and has been featured in Guidepost Magazine and All Recipes Magazine. Read More…