5 People You Should Compare Yourself to in the Bible

Do you remember when you first learned to write? You probably weren’t handed a blank sheet of paper and told, “get it done, kid.” Instead, you likely had a sheet of paper with big letters on them that you were supposed to trace. You had a model that you were supposed to follow until it gets into your muscle memory. Before long, you can just write the letter A without even thinking about it.

There’s a really cool word that Peter uses in 1 Peter 2:21 when he says that Christ left us an “example.” The Greek word, hypogrammos, is a word that could be used to describe a teacher drawing lines to guide children learning to write. It’s probably not exactly like we have it today (especially because they wouldn’t have written in English) but the concept is certainly there.

That’s one way that we can compare ourselves to other people whose faith we want to imitate. It’s why every little boy in my generation (90’s kid) stuck out their tongue when playing basketball. We all wanted to be like Mike.

But it’s more than just a childish thing. It’s true for anyone wanting to learn a trade. It would be strange to tell someone who wants to become a better writer, musician, teacher, or carpenter that they should never pay attention to people who are farther along. That’s the kind of comparison that Scripture encourages.

When we read about Abraham leaving everything to follow God, we admire that faith. We compare it to our own. When Hannah brings her grief to God and places herself fully in His hands, that’s something worth imitating. The same is true for Joseph’s faithfulness, Daniel’s courage, all those dudes and ladies we read about in Hebrews 11.

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If I’m standing before door #1, door #2, and door #3, and the twelve people who go before me picked door #2 and were eaten by a bear, I know which one I’m not picking. Sometimes the best way to learn is by watching somebody make the mistake before you do. If you see someone consistently blowing up their life, the wise person won’t just shake their head at them. They’ll take note.

The Bible gives us plenty of people like that. Paul says that Israel’s failures in the wilderness were written down as warnings for us (1 Corinthians 10:6, 11). Their stories aren’t there to make us feel superior, but rather to warn us that the same rebellion lies within us. We too can forget the goodness of God. He can provide for us again and again, and we can be goobers and panic the next time something goes wrong.

The same thing is true with Peter being all cocky and then denying Jesus moments later. And even of David who failed in massive ways. No, we might not have the same propensities as some of them. But we’re not immune from being consumed by desires that we feed instead of resist. And we too might have one sinful decision spiral into other ones.

That kind of comparison requires a little humility. We’re so accustomed to getting canceled these days that we have to pretend like we’re better than some of these. After all, we’ve been told “do better” time and time again. Surely, that means we will do better, right? Isn’t that how it works?

We know that it doesn’t. And we’re lying to ourselves if we think we’re going to be like the hero in every story. Apart from grace we’re going to be the cowardly Israelites, not David facing Goliath. We’re not going to be Daniel standing boldly before the king, we’re going to be Peter cowering before a servant girl.

Sometimes the person we most need to compare ourselves to is the one getting it wrong.

That’s not to beat ourselves up, just to be honest and try to see some of the remaining sin still dwelling within us. We have some of the same impulses still floating around in our hearts. If we’re honest, their failures can drive us to asking helpful questions of ourselves:

• Where am I becoming hard-hearted?
• Where am I forgetting what God has already done?
• Where am I more confident in myself than I should be?
• Where am I feeding something that needs to die?

The failures of people in Scripture can be gifts to us if we are willing to see ourselves in them.

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Not many little boys grow up dreaming of being the long snapper. If you’re not into football, that’s the big guy who is in for only a few plays per game. He hurls the ball between his legs so another guy can kick it. That’s it. That’s his job. Not many kids are in their backyard practicing that skill. Even if you’re really into football, I bet you can’t name but a handful of long snappers. But you can name most of the quarterbacks.

What I’m trying to say is that when you read the Bible, you notice Paul but miss Onesiphorus. You’ve heard of many of the disciples, but did you skip over the lady named Dorcas who was “always doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36)? Did you remember that Peter had a brother named Andrew?

It’s really easy to skip over these people, but we really ought to stop, look at them a little closer, and compare ourselves to their ordinary faithfulness. Most of our lives aren’t lived out on those big exciting Mt. Carmel moments. It’s more likely to spend a night covering a mountain of ice cream with caramel while making memories with a few kids. You might get a chance to call down fire from heaven, but you’re more likely to have to call the fire department because that brush pile got a little out of hand.

There are tons of those undramatic people all throughout the Scripture. But we don’t tend to do character studies on them. And I get it — it’s going to be tough to sell your three-paragraph book on “everything we know about Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz”. But these are the lives that are most like our own. Ordinary.

Am I going to be the guy who keeps showing up, keeps serving, and keeps believing, even if I end up being one of those no-named friends who brought their friend to Jesus like in Mark 2:1-12? Am I going to be faithful even if I’m overlooked?

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It’s interesting to look through the Gospels and find the people that Jesus actively praised. It may not be the people you’d readily think of.

They are not always the people everyone else would have noticed. Jesus praises a poor widow who gives two tiny coins. He marvels at the faith of a Roman centurion. He defends a woman who pours expensive perfume on Him while everyone else in the room is criticizing her. He points to a tax collector beating his chest and asking for mercy rather than the religious man who seems much more impressive on paper.

When Jesus says things like, “I haven’t found anyone in Israel with such great faith” we should stop and make a comparison. Could Jesus say that of me? What is it about this centurion that causes Jesus to say this? When he’s praising that widow for giving the two coins, what would he say of my giving?

This kind of comparison can expose how messed up some of our scorecards are. We’re usually measuring things by achievement, influence, knowledge, and visibility. But Jesus seems to notice different things. Am I the kind of person that would catch Jesus’ attention? Does my life look anything like that? Or am I closer to the Pharisees who seemed to catch His attention for all the wrong reasons?

But honestly … everything I’ve said so far could be horribly misapplied if we don’t catch this last one. This next one is what it’s really all about.

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Everyone of those comparisons has to eventually lead to Jesus.

That’s where comparison is both uncomfortable and helpful. If I compare myself to Abraham, I might have some moments where I feel good about myself. (After all, I haven’t tried to pimp out my wife.) But I may also have some where I don’t look so good. I’ve had times when I was really slow to follow God in making a life change. The same is true with every character in the Bible because they are complicated and yet fallen people, just like us.

But Jesus kind of ruins that whole game.

Compare your life to his and you aren’t ever going to come out on top. Even if you’re the most patient person on your block, compared to Jesus you don’t have the “patience of Job.” You have the patience of a toddler waiting for a snack. The same is true with compassion, trust, love, and anything that is praiseworthy. Jesus doesn’t just barely beat us out — he’s in an entirely different category.

But He is also different in another way. He isn’t just another example for us to imitate (true as that may also be). He is the One we need when the comparison exposes how woefully we fall short. He keeps this whole exercise from turning to despair or pride.

The people in Scripture can show us what faithfulness looks like. Their failures can warn us. And their obedience can provide little glimpses of what we’re supposed to imitate. But Jesus does something that none of them can do. He shows us perfectly what God requires, then He does it. And then He gives His life for people who never even come close to measuring up.

So, yeah…compare yourself to people in the Bible. But make sure the comparison eventually takes you to Christ.

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