The Real Heroes

You and I probably would have chosen Eliab. His name doesn't ring a bell? Let me refresh your memory. Eliab was a tall, impressive-looking fellow, born and raised in a good family. When Jesse's sons paraded past Samuel, Eliab was the one who caught the prophet's eye. "Surely the Lord's anointed stands here," Samuel thought. But instead, God saw a king in a young shepherd with a servant's heart who skipped the parade because he was out in the field watching the family's sheep.

Who are the real heroes? Not just the ones who dazzle us with their skill and beauty. God does call some to serve in prominent positions (government leaders like Esther and Daniel, or people like Cornelius and Lydia who distinguish themselves through military or business success). I'm thankful for bold, high-profile Christian athletes, musicians, scholars, and CEOs.

Most heroes, though, don't appear on TV. Some of them wash dishes or change bedpans. Some of them bandage wounds or change diapers. Some of them scrub floors, drive tractors, grade papers, build houses, work on assembly lines, or crunch numbers for big companies. Some of them travel a lot, while others are bedridden and can't go anywhere at all. But true heroes have one thing in common: They have discovered that the secret of life isn't just what you do but who you are and Whom you serve.

Nehemiah chapter 3 tells how God's people rebuilt the fallen walls of Jerusalem. One laborer repaired a section near a place called the "House of the Heroes" (v. 16). That sounds like a pleasant place to work, but I'm not sure the job would feel particularly heroic during backbreaking days lifting heavy stones.

Many willing workers pitched in, though—even people used to less strenuous tasks, like goldsmiths, perfume-makers, and priests (vv. 1, 8, 28). A fellow named Shallum made the job a family project, repairing a section of the wall "with the help of his daughters" (v. 12). And a worker named Malkijah went down in biblical history as the guy who repaired the "Dung Gate" (v. 14). There were some exceptions, however. A group of nobles "would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors" (v. 5)—a pretty unheroic attitude for a group of so-called nobles!

The true heroes, you see, are those who live by faith and serve the Lord even when no one notices or applauds. They're willing to get their hands dirty and work outside their comfort zones. They build up God's church one backbreaking brick at a time even when they're working on . . . well, something as unimpressive as a Dung Gate.

The real heroes? They aren't always the ones our world calls "winners." By Heaven's measuring-rod, the real winners are the ones who count everything a "loss" for Jesus' sake: the meek, the poor in spirit, the behind-the-scenes difference makers. True heroes keep the faith even when everything seems to be falling apart. Dying to self, they trust in the one who conquered death. (True "heroes" know "he rose"!) They infuse a gloomy culture with "living hope" (1 Peter 1:3).

Let's make sure we don't overlook our higher calling and think we're too "noble" to do the dirty work of Christian service. And let's give honor where it's really due. Sometimes I wonder: Have we been so impressed by the Eliabs paraded before us that we've overlooked the Davids working in the pasture field?