Noah, of Genesis 6-9. This nutcase is an all-time example of perfect lunacy.
Imagine the news headline:
“‘Local man insists the earth is going to be destroyed in a flood!’
Noah, an upstanding citizen for the past 500 years, has finally cracked. He insists that a god told him to build an ark in order to save the animals and whomever wishes to join his family. Local reports state that construction of this gigantic ark is already underway.
Noah admits that he does not know exactly how or when this flood will happen. In his own words “It will rain from heaven, the earth and every living thing on it will be destroyed except for what has taken refuge in the ark.”
Rain? Noah frankly admits that he has no idea what rain is, but he speaks with conviction and continues to insist that the earth is going to be destroyed.
If you haven’t had the chance yet, get out and go view this mammoth creation of wood and tar that Noah declares will save the world.
Pack a picnic lunch and make a day trip of it! There is certainly no lack of entertainment to be had here.”
Crazy, huh? Absolute nutcase by human standards!
For a hundred years, Noah, and the progress of his ark was a conversation topic for miles around.
Abram, of Genesis 12.
Local Sensation:
“With an established household and an impeccable reputation, Abram wins the ‘Stupidest Decision of the Year’ award! He is uprooting his household, deserting his ailing father and relocating to… Well, he actually doesn’t even know! Abram states that ‘God told me to leave my country, my family and relatives, and move to a place that He will eventually show me.’
I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that only a crazy man would do something like this.
Abram has no idea how long he will be gone, or what exactly he is going to do in this ‘new land’.”
Irresponsible? Maybe. Certainly, a little crazy! Who even does stuff like this? Abram has everything going for him right now; Mesopotamia is the cradle of civilization, the leader in economy and commerce. Why uproot and relocate with absolutely zero plan for the future?
Definitely a kook.
Deborah, of Judges 4-5
For the first time ever, a woman becomes the leader of Israel.
Deborah, a judge, political leader, and at least on one occasion, the military leader of Israel.
Deborah did not allow societal norms to dictate who and what she could become. She was able and willing to step into the position of authority and influence that Israel so desperately needed at this time.
Have you ever paused to think about the gossip and/or slander that this surely created in some circles?
Power-grabbing, conniving wrench. She should know her place and stay in it!
This is only three examples of some of the really crazy people in history. The Bible (and our history books) are full of accounts of people who made risky choices: the Biblical prophets, Jesus and the Apostles, William Wilberforce, Abraham Lincoln, Dr. MLKJ, George Muller, Florence Nightingale – there are hundreds of them. People who were labeled foolish, insane, irresponsible, cracked-in-the-head, even dangerous revolutionaries on occasion. Yet they changed the course of history.
A quote from an unknown source describes human nature so well:
What we do not understand, we fear.
What we fear, we judge as evil.
What we judge as evil, we attempt to control.
And what we cannot control, we attack.
Check out what God says about these faithful risk-takers in Hebrews 11:
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see…
By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death… Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight… All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith.
Don’t be afraid to step into a really crazy thing if you know God is there. Throw caution, societal norms and expectations to the wind. If God has spoken, you’d better get to it! There is a world out there, perhaps waiting for what can only happen through your obedience to God.
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, then to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.
-Theodore Roosevelt