The Best and the Brightest?

God never takes the best and the brightest! He always uses those the world doesn’t consider, the foolish and downtrodden, to do great things. If you’re sitting there thinking God cannot do anything with you—look up, for you are just the kind of person God uses for his greatest acts!

I cannot count the number of times I’ve heard this or something similar while sitting in church. It certainly preaches well—the average person can place their hope in God using them, not just that smart person over there with a fancy degree, to do something great.

But we should always ask: is it true? Or, more to the point: What does the Biblical record say?

Before we start looking at this, however, we should make two points clear:

• “Doing some great thing” is not always what we think it might be. It might be a “great thing” just to raise a sane family in an insane world. It might be a “great thing” to simply not put up the “no Jews allowed” sign in your storefront. Sometimes, little things are, in themselves, great things.

• Whether we should even seek to do “great things” is questionable. We should do what God has set before us rather than whether those things are “great” or “not great.”[1]

These points made, let’s return to the question at hand: does God always choose those the world has rejected to do “great things?”

A Few Examples

Who might we consider “great” in the Scriptural record?

Abraham? We don’t know much about Abraham’s education or position until he listens to God. We know he was assertive and unafraid in many situations and knew how to manage his finances and family.

Moses? We know Moses was educated as one of Pharaoh’s sons, so it seems unlikely that Moses was “dumb” or “uneducated.” According to the Scriptures, he was humble, but his humility does not seem to fit any modern definition of humility. Who among you would consider yourself humble when you are arguing with God face-to-face?

Peter? We’re often told Peter was an “uneducated fisherman.” However, he was respected among the other fishermen and raised in a culture that prized knowledge and thinking ability. Peter must have memorized large sections of the Torah to pass his Bar Mitzvah at the age of thirteen. He had to know how to read the tide and weather to know where to lay down nets. He had to know how to negotiate a fair price for his catch. He had to know how to care for his family financially and in other ways.

Matthew? As a tax collector, Matthew would know how to read, write, and do at least basic math. As a Jew, Matthew would also have memorized large parts of the Torah to pass through his Bar Mitzvah. It’s hard to see how we can call Matthew “below average” or even “dumb.”

Luke? A physician. Can we really believe Luke was “below average?”

Paul? It’s hard to see how one of the star pupils of Gamaliel, a “Pharisee among the Pharisees,” can be considered “average.”

There are, scattered throughout the Scriptures, examples of people from every walk of life, educational attainment, and every social standing. If there is anything common among all the people God chose to do “great things,” it is that we know very little about any of them. We only have records of their educational background in a few places and almost no indication of their social status.

What Does Greatness Mean?

Perhaps the strongest example of God choosing someone the world did not count as “great” is David.

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

David had so much lower esteem than his brothers that he was not even invited to the feast where the new king would be anointed. Instead, David was left out in the field, tending sheep. He was small, not standing taller than other men (unlike Saul).

But David was chosen because God looked on his heart rather than his physical stature.

None of this means, however, that David was not among “the best and the brightest.” It only means the world could not see his true worth.

David’s anointing also shows us that we should not confuse worldly respect with being among “the best and the brightest.” Millions of brilliant people have passed through their lives, having a huge impact on those around them, without being recognized by the world.

Millions more people who are clearly not among the “best and the brightest” are lionized by the world and even raised to high office. Eglon (Judges 3) seems like an apt example of someone who probably wasn’t among the “best and the brightest” yet rose to the office of king. Taking state visits on that “throne” seems a little less than highly intelligent and wise.

The Beginning is not the End

Why do the Scriptures provide very little background on most people God calls to do some “great thing?” Maybe this should alert us to a simple fact: God cares less about where we’ve been than who we are and where we are going.

God cared more about David’s heart than his musical skills or physical prowess. God cared more about Paul’s heart than his Rabbinical training.

Further, once you’ve given your life to God, he will never leave you where you are. Peter started as a fisherman and ended up making theological arguments before the Sanhedrin. David started as a shepherd and ended as a king. Moses started as an outcast shepherd and ended up shepherding God’s people.

The Bottom Line

Just because the world rejects someone doesn’t mean they are not among the best or brightest. Just because the world lauds someone doesn’t mean they are among the best or the brightest. God sometimes chooses those rejected by the world to do great things. God sometimes chooses those praised by the world to do great things.

Telling people that God never chooses the “best and the brightest” might make some people feel a bit better. It might also give them permission to stop striving to be better. It might even turn away some people who’ve fought their entire lives to be the best at what they do.

Does it matter, though, who God chooses? What matters is that God chooses, and then uses, each person’s raw abilities—their gifts from God, their determination, and their heart—to further his plan in ways we cannot know or see.

In God’s eyes, every person he chooses is among the “best and the brightest.”

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[1] This is a point I feel deeply. My gifts are clearly the ability to digest and simplify complex ideas and teaching. I have spent years learning to teach and training my mind through intentional learning, degree programs, etc. For whatever reason, however, God has never granted me a place to teach (outside the secular world). It is often hard to understand why, or even to know how to react to this in faith.