Fans of ball games across the country shout, “We’re Number One!” from the stands.

In reality, everyone can’t be number one. Someone has to be the second banana, play the second fiddle, act as the sidekick.

Many of us have the sad experience of not even being second. We were the last ones chosen for any kind of physical game.

One of the most dramatic battles for first place occurred between twins Jacob and Esau. In Old Testament times, the oldest son received the most inheritance, a blessing from his father, and the chosen leadership of the family.

Esau was the oldest. But God chose Jacob for a special blessing. Jacob would someday become Israel, head of the family through whom God blessed the world.

Did God choose Jacob to show a distinction, a way of saying “I am doing something different here” so it would stand out? Or did he choose the younger child because he knew the oldest was not fit to carry out His will? I don’t know—there may be a number of reasons.

However, instead of waiting and trusting God to work out His purposes, Jacob’s mother, Rebekah, felt they had to “help” orchestrate the circumstances by deceit, which did not work out well. Jacob got what he wanted, but he had to flee from Esau’s life-threatening anger. Esau seemed to have mellowed out a bit when Jacob returned twenty years later, but the Edomites, Esau’s descendants, were Israel’s enemies for centuries.

Jacob had twelve sons. Instead of learning from the tragedy of his family’s favoritism, he perpetuated it by having a favorite son: Joseph. Joseph’s brothers hated him and took the first opportunity to get rid of him.

There were other factors in both these cases besides the chosen status of a younger brother, factors which caused understandable anger. But they caused me to think of others in the Bible who found they were not the chosen ones.

Bad examples from the Bible

Cain was angry God accepted Abel’s offering and not his. Instead of repenting and adjusting his ways, he killed Abel.

Miriam and Aaron were jealous of Moses’ position. So were the sons of Korah. Each suffered God’s wrath.

King Saul had been chosen by God to be Israel’s first king. But his pride and disobedience led God to set Saul aside for David. Saul responded in anger, jealousy, and further sin.

Ahithophel was a counselor to David who deserted him when David’s son, Absalom, revolted against his father and staged a coup (2 Samuel 16-17). When Ahithophel’s counsel was not taken, he set his affairs in order and killed himself.

Absalom tried to take the throne by force. He was killed despite his father’s wishes.

The apostle John warned about Diotrephes, who “likes to put himself first” and did not respect the apostles’ authority.

Good examples from the Bible

Jonathan was Saul’s son, next in line to become king. But when Jonathan recognized God’s hand and calling on David, he readily acquiesced and helped David escape Saul’s wrath.

David planned to build a temple for God, but God said no. David’s son was to build the temple instead. David didn’t complain. He rejoiced that God blessed his house and did everything he could to aid Solomon.

Barnabas was instrumental in introducing Paul to other Christians when they were afraid of him. But he didn’t seem to resent when Paul became the leading spokesperson.

Andrew was Simon Peter’s brother. He faithfully served, often pointing people to Jesus. Though the disciples sometimes argued over who was the greatest, by and large they did not seem to mind that Peter was their leader.

John the Baptist was not offended when his followers left to follow Jesus. He pointed them to Him and said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Examples from history

Many people are familiar with D. L. Moody, a famous evangelist in the 1800s. What’s not as well-known is that Moody was led to the Lord by a faithful Sunday School teacher, Edward Kimball.

In fact, that visit set off a series of events. Under Moody’s preaching, a man named Wilbur Chapman was saved and became an evangelist. Under Chapman’s ministry, Billy Sunday was saved and also became an evangelist. Mordecai Ham was converted under Sunday’s influence. And Ham led Billy Graham to the Lord (sources here and here).

Many people know of Jim Elliot, one of five missionaries killed in 1956 when the tribe they were trying to reach speared them to death. The news went out across the globe. Jim’s wife, Elisabeth, told the men’s story in Through Gates of Splendor. Many books and articles have been written about the five men, their wives, and the tribespeople who eventually came to know the Lord. Many lives have been touched and surrendered to the Lord because of these events.

Jim had an older brother, Bert, who was a faithful missionary in Peru for some sixty years with his wife, Colleen. Bert told Randy Alcorn, “Jim and I both served Christ, but differently. Jim was a great meteor, streaking through the sky.” Randy described Bert as “a faint star that rose night after night, faithfully crossing the same path in the sky, to God’s glory.” Both were used by God, but He led them along different paths.

Sometimes God pushes people into the limelight who didn’t want to be there at first, like Moses and Gideon. He gives grace for that, but He also gives grace for the fainter stars, the lesser-known, who faithfully serve Him with the talents He has given.

Once when someone asked Edith Schaeffer, wife of Francis Schaeffer, founder of L’Abri, who the most influential Christian woman of the day was. Edith replied something like “Whoever she is, nobody knows her. She’ll be a woman whose calling is to be behind the scenes praying.” I’ve heard variations on this answer–another source quotes her as saying, “We don’t know her name. She is dying somewhere in a cancer ward or living in India.”

Whichever way Edith worded her answer, the principle is true: we don’t know who the most influential Christians are. That’s not our business. Our business is to keep our eyes on Him and serve Him with all our hearts.

No leader or CEO or head of anything can accomplish much without support staff. Christendom is the same: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:4-7).

Elisha was said to pour water on the hands of Elijah (2 Kings 3:11), a way of saying he ministered to Elijah’s needs. Elisha became the primary prophet after Elijah’s death, but he served just as well in whatever capacity he was called to at the time.

Imagine if one person in the chain between D. L. Moody and Billy Graham hadn’t done their part. There are unseen connections like that in all of our lives. We don’t know when a kind word, a shared verse, or a prayer might be part of a long series of steps leading a person to meet the Lord or know Him better.

May God give us grace to serve Him in whatever way He wants us to, ministering to others in large or small ways, whether seen or unseen.

“As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10, BSB).

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