Nameless Heroes

Do you sometimes feel like a number? Like nobody knows your name or even cares what it is? Do you feel forgettable and wish that someone would just notice you for your special uniqueness out of a sea of faces? Good news! Even though you may be treated like a number, forgotten, overlooked or unnoticed, you are still a hero to somebody! Somebody here depends on you, needs you, cherishes you or thinks about you often. And never forget that to God, you are not a nameless face! You are a one-of-a-kind jewel in His eyes no matter how small your purpose on earth is.

I got to thinking about those people mentioned in scripture only for what they did but whom remained nameless. Instead of being left out of the greatest book of all time, they were still included for their very important contribution to society, no matter how small. By faith they acted and great things happened! I imagine many of those people who were anonymously written about in scripture were probably quiet, humble and tended to blend in with the common man.

Maybe the writer did not even know their names or maybe they were inspired by the Holy Spirit to leave out the name for a very special reason. One of the things I glean from this is that it is not who you are (who society deems as a very important person) or what you know, but what you do to leave your mark that matters. Sometimes all it takes is a small act done in faith to stand out enough to be shared with the world. One day, those small acts, unseen or unnoticed by anyone, will be rewarded by our Heavenly Father, so do not give up doing them when you think nobody even notices or cares!

I did some research on nameless people in scriptures and one of the most interesting to me was the Woman of Thebez (2 Samuel 11:21, Judges 9:50-57), who defeated Abimelech, a wicked man who had a thirst for blood and power, who killed many of his rivals and even 70 of his own brothers, because he was determined to be King. When Abimelech went to attack the city of Thebez, the inhabitants fled to the strong tower of Thebez out of fear for their lives. His intent was to burn down the city as he had done just previously in Shechem (where 1000 people died).

Little did Abimelech know that a brave, unknown woman (“obscure daughter of Israel”) would become God’s instrument to defeat him in that spot. Just as God’s power was behind a little shepherd boy (David) to defeat a fearless giant (Goliath) with a mere slingshot and five smooth stones, so was his power behind a piece of millstone, which this unnamed woman of Thebez hurled down from the top of the tower onto the head of Abimelech and cracked his skull before he could destroy this city and kill all of its inhabitants.

Mortified, Abimelech, the evil, bloodthirsty and power-hungry king-wanna-be, ordered his armor-bearer to draw his sword and plunge it through him so that nobody would be able to say that a woman had killed him. In Biblical culture back in those days, I can imagine this would be one of the greatest insults for a man to endure, considering their cultural view on the worth (or lack of worth) of women.

By this brave woman’s one act, she delivered her people from a cruel person and made 45 years of national peace possible. By defeating Abimelech, she restored the God-given rulership of judges back to Israel. More accurately, she was the instrument of God to save her people from death. As we often see back then and even today, God uses the weakest to destroy the strong. The most unlikely person, in this case an unnamed woman, is used to fight an important battle…and win. Do not underestimate the power of God to use even you, though you may be weak, small or overlooked by society. The strongest people used to fight the most noble battles are usually not the one whose name is on everyone’s tongue (the most popular). In many cases, the ones who are always chosen in our churches to lead worship, teach classes, set up the “important” programs and rub shoulders with the pastor or the “in-group” within the church are not the type always used to do great things by God.

Do not be discouraged if your talents and passions are not being used in your church or even in your Christian “circles.” God may have something much bigger and better for you to do than that. Or, you may just be called to do the simple, little things that add up to help or encourage one person at a time. I am speaking to myself too when I say this. Even for the “nameless” person, over the course of many years, little becomes much in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. Loving others, touching one heart at a time in your sphere of influence and being obedient to what God called you to do on this earth are all that matter.

This will probably not require you to hurl a millstone on an evil guy’s head, but whatever that looks like for you, do it with the same passion and fervor as the nameless woman of Thebez.

 

Other nameless people in scripture (Not necessarily heroes but worth mentioning):

Noah’s wife, daughters-in-law

Ethiopian wife of Moses

Wife of Naaman, Maid of Naaman’s wife (2 Kings 5:1-19)

Potiphar’s wife

Adam and Eve’s other children (Besides Cain and Abel)

The Centurion & his servant (Matthew 8:5, 9)

The Leper (Matthew 8:2)

The Wise Steward (Luke 12:42)

The two thieves