Yes — God intentionally uses ordinary, weak, and lowly people so that His strength is displayed and no human being can glory in His sight.
Les Feldick shows this pattern throughout Scripture: if a man began in a high position, like Moses, God moved him to a low place. Paul also had a thorn in the flesh so he would not be exalted above measure, and God's grace was enough to sustain a commonplace servant.
1 Corinthians 1:26-27 — Paul directly answers the question by saying that not many wise, mighty, or noble are called, and that God chose the foolish and weak to confound them.
1 Corinthians 1:29 — This explains the purpose behind God's choice: so that no flesh should glory in His presence.
2 Corinthians 12:9 — Paul learned that God's strength is made perfect in weakness, showing why God keeps His servants in a weak place.
Scripture plainly states that God's calling does not run toward the world's powerful. Paul tells the Corinthians to look at their own calling: “not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” Instead, “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” — “that no flesh should glory in his presence.” Paul himself experienced the same principle. Because of the abundance of revelations given to him, a thorn in the flesh was given so he would not be exalted above measure, and the Lord told him, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Les Feldick says that all the way through Scripture, God chose the lowly, and when a man began in a high position, God moved him to a low spot. Moses is his prime example: second man in Egypt, learned in Egyptian wisdom, in charge of armies, road building, and bridges, yet God could not use him until He sent him to the backside of the desert to herd sheep for forty years. There Moses became an abomination in the eyes of the Egyptians and “nothing” in his own eyes — and that made him everything in God's eyes. Les applies the same pattern to King Saul, a proud and talented failure, and David the shepherd boy, and to Saul of Tarsus, who was a big man in Judaism until God stopped him. The reason, Les says, is that no flesh will ever glory in God's sight. If someone with all the right credentials is successful, the person is prone to say, “Look what I did.” Paul, too, was commonplace: he shook in his boots, his speech was not enticing, and he had nothing to brag about in the flesh. God uses the things the world scoffs at.
Moses had grown up as the second man in Egypt, the greatest nation in the then-known world. He was in charge of armies, roads, and bridges, and he thought he could lead Israel out. But as Les explains, God could not use Moses that way, so He providentially sent him to the backside of the desert to herd sheep. After forty years, Moses was a nobody in his own eyes and an abomination to the Egyptians, and his response to God's call was, “I can't. I'm a nobody. I can't talk.” That was exactly where God wanted him.
Paul had such an abundance of revelations that he wanted to brag, but God didn't permit it. A thorn in the flesh was given to him so he would not be exalted above measure. Paul's appearance was contemptible and repulsive, his speech was not enticing, and he shook in his boots like any ordinary person. Les uses this to show that God's servants are not dependent on human impressiveness.
God chooses the foolish things to confound the wise and the weak things to confound the mighty so that no flesh can glory in His presence. If God used people with great intelligence, wealth, and credentials, the successful person would be tempted to say, “Look what I did.” Therefore God will not use people with seemingly all the right credentials.
Paul's Thorn and His Refusal to Glory
God allowed Paul to have a thorn in the flesh and kept him from telling everything he saw and heard, so no one would think more of Paul than his outward condition showed; Paul himself described his appearance as contemptible and repulsive.
God's Pattern of Choosing the Lowly
Les says God has always chosen lowly men, and if they start in a high position, He takes them to a low spot — Moses, the second man in Egypt, is the example.
Moses' Power as an Obstacle
Moses had the education, power, and authority of Egypt at his disposal and thought he could lead Israel out, but God could not use him that way.
1 Corinthians 1 and Moses
Les connects Paul's statement that God chose the foolish and weak things to confound the wise and mighty with Moses: when Moses was mighty, God couldn't use him.
Moses the Sheepherder
Forty years herding sheep made Moses nothing in his own eyes, yet everything in God's eyes; Les says understanding 'in ourselves we are nothing' is the first requirement for any service.
Why God Refuses to Use People with the 'Right Credentials'
God will not let any human flesh glory in His sight, so He avoids people who appear to have the right credentials, because when they succeed they would say 'Look what I did.'
From Moses to Saul to David to Paul
Les traces the pattern through Israel's history: proud King Saul was useless, shepherd boy David was used, and Saul of Tarsus had to be stopped while he was a big man in Judaism.
Paul's Commonplace Weakness
Paul was not brave or polished; he shook in his boots and had no enticing words, and Les says God uses the people the world scoffs at.
1 Corinthians 1:26: For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
Paul tells the Corinthians to look at their own calling and see that God does not draw His servants from the world's powerful or noble.
1 Corinthians 1:27: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
This verse directly says God chooses foolish and weak things to overshadow the wise and mighty.
1 Corinthians 1:29: That no flesh should glory in his presence.
This gives the ultimate reason: God's choice of the weak keeps human beings from boasting before Him.
2 Corinthians 12:7: And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
Paul explains that his weakness was given to prevent pride from the abundance of revelations he received.
2 Corinthians 12:9: And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
This verse reveals why weakness is not a problem for God: His strength appears most clearly in a weak vessel.
Les Feldick says God sovereignly took Moses from being second in Egypt to the backside of the desert herding sheep so he would become nothing in his own eyes. Only then was Moses ready for God to send him back to Pharaoh; his response 'I can't talk' was exactly where God wanted him.
No. Les says God chooses the lowly and weak, and the first requirement is to understand that in ourselves we are nothing. A person can bring nothing of this world's education or talents, but the issue is whether that person is relying on his own flesh or on God.
Les Feldick explains that Paul was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, so he would not be exalted above measure because of the abundance of revelations. Although Paul wanted to brag about what he saw and heard, God kept him low, and Paul's outward appearance was contemptible and repulsive.
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