Least Shall Be Great Series

Isaiah 60:22 “Little one became a great”

Text: “A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time”

Greetings: Greetings to you on this pleasant hour. The Lord is good and his love endures forever.

Introduction to the theme:

Prophet Isaiah talks about the least shall be great, a simple turns into a mighty. God changes the course of lives of the simple people, He changes the living graph of the low esteemed. God has a greater plan, for everyone who comes to him, he never looks into their outward appearance. He looks into their inner strength , beauty and power, and their esteem, their honour and their blessings come from the Lord.

There are many stories in the Bible and in the history of the Christianity, and in the world history how God changed the lives of simple ones to be great and the least to become mighty nation. Bible has many incidents of how God has changed the lives of simple people into a great notable and appreciable. The same God is alive today and he can change our lives into a new history because he is a God of changes.

I would like to highlight three key verses from the Bible to interpret this verse 60:22. God blesses the least, God uses the least and God honours the least.

1. God blesses the least

Jacob: “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.” (KJV, Genesis 32:10).

When Jacob left his homeland, he owned nothing but his staff. And, he fled as a direct result of his own manipulations and schemes (Genesis 27:30–35; 27:41–45). Now he possesses enough property, servants, and livestock to fill two large camps. This is the prayer of gratitude with humility. He looks into himself, his ways and means, his plots and devices and confesses that he was unworthy of even the smallest things God has done out of his faithfulness to Jacob. Jacob realised that he had nothing therefore now nothing to loose. He was evil, wicked, cheater so he needs God’s favour.

‘Jacob was not worthy of the least mercy and favour that had been bestowed upon him; not even of any temporal mercy, and much less of any spiritual one, and therefore did not expect any from the hands of God, on account of any merit of his own. Jacob had had many mercies and favours bestowed upon him by the Lord, which he was sensible of, and thankful for’ (Bible study tools).

According Matthew Henry: ‘Jacob humbly acknowledges his own unworthiness to receive any favour from God. I am not worthy is an unusual plea.

Self-denial and self-abasement comes to us in all our addresses to the throne of grace. Jacob magnificently and honourably speaks of the mercies of God to him. The mercies mentioned in the plural, and inexhaustible spring, and innumerable streams. How meanly and humbly he speaks of himself, disclaiming all thought of his own merit.

Jacob was a considerable man, and, upon many accounts, very deserving, and, in treating with Laban, had justly insisted on his merits, but not before God. The best and greatest of men are utterly unworthy of the least favour from God, and just be ready to own it upon all occasions.’

According to Albert Barnes: Peniel - the face of God. Jacob had seen the face of God through his all night prayer. The reason of this name is assigned in the sentence, “I have seen God face to face.” He is at first called a man. Hosea terms him the angel (Hosea 12:4-5). And here Jacob names him God.

“A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time” it is an affirmation of our faith that God would bless every child at the right time. God would bless them abundantly, but he would do so at the right time. It is a reminder for every Christian to wait for God’s blessing and not worry about their status, situation, or background.

2. God uses the least-Least of all the saints:

“And Saul answered and said, [Am] not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?” (1 Samuel 9:21).

Gideon: (Judges 6:15 KJV): ‘And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.’