"One Among a Thousand": Gospel Witness and the Sonship Connection
Written on 2025-04-02.
"One Among a Thousand": Gospel Witness and the Sonship Connection
The phrase "one among a thousand" appears twice in the King James Bible—in Job 33:23 and Ecclesiastes 7:28. While both verses indicate rarity, they are often misunderstood when divorced from the doctrine of salvation and biblical sonship. A careful comparison reveals that these two verses refer to the same kind of person: a saved individual who declares God's righteousness—a son of God and gospel witness.
Job 33: A Messenger and an Interpreter
> "If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness." — Job 33:23
In this verse, a man is at the brink of death. God desires to rescue him from the pit, and so sends a rare individual: a messenger, an interpreter, called "one among a thousand." This individual’s mission is not moral instruction or emotional comfort—but to show unto man His uprightness.
The uprightness here cannot be the man's own, for Scripture is clear:
- "There is none righteous, no, not one." (Romans 3:10)
- "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." (Isaiah 64:6)
Thus, the righteousness being declared is not human righteousness but God's—imputed righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. This is confirmed by the next verse:
> "Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom." — Job 33:24
Only a born-again believer—one who knows the gospel and has received this righteousness—can declare, "I have found a ransom." The messenger is not just rare; he is a saved soul, a son of God, bearing the truth of salvation.
Ecclesiastes 7: Solomon's Observation
> "One man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found." — Ecclesiastes 7:28
This verse is often interpreted as a reflection on moral character or wisdom. However, just eight verses earlier, Solomon said:
> "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." — Ecclesiastes 7:20
So how could he then claim to have found one righteous man? The answer lies in interpreting it the same way as Job: this one among a thousand is not morally perfect, but one who has received righteousness from God. He is a saved man, a son of God.
Solomon’s comment that he found no such woman is not a slight against women—it’s a theological reality. In the New Testament, we are told:
- "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:26)
- "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Romans 8:14)
- "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God..." (John 1:12)
Even saved women become sons of God—because sonship is positional, not biological. It speaks to inheritance and spiritual standing. In the Bible, no one is saved as a daughter of God. All are adopted as sons.
Therefore, Solomon’s observation fits with Job 33: the only "man" who is upright is the one who has been made righteous by God. And it is these sons of God who become the interpreters and messengers, entrusted with declaring the gospel.
The Doctrinal Thread: Righteousness, Sonship, and Witness
The Bible consistently affirms:
- No one is righteous by nature (Romans 3:10)
- Righteousness must be received as a gift through faith (Romans 4:5)
- All who believe become sons of God (Galatians 3:26)
- The role of gospel witness is given to these sons (2 Corinthians 5:20)
The one among a thousand is a saved person—a son of God—who declares the righteousness of God to the lost. This is not just rare. It is supernatural.
Why So Few?
Jesus said:
> "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few." (Matthew 9:37)
Not every believer witnesses. Not every saved person is faithful. But the one among a thousand is the rare son of God who does what most do not: clearly presents the gospel and points others to the ransom found in Christ.
Conclusion
The phrase "one among a thousand" is not poetic hyperbole or generic praise for rare wisdom. It is a precise doctrinal reference to the rare individual who is both a recipient and a communicator of God's righteousness—a saved believer, a son of God, and a gospel witness.
He is rare—not because salvation is rare, but because clear witnesses are.