A True Prayer Warrior

They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him. While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites.

1 Samuel 7:8-10

As Israel gathers for repentance and revival, their enemies attack. The people of Israel have been fasting, not sharpening their swrords. They aren’t prepared for war, and they aren’t strong enough to defeat the Philistines. But look at what they do.

In verse 8 the Israelites say to Samuel “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” In other words, they say, “Samuel, you pray and we’ll fight.” And that’s what they did.

As the Philistines begin to march out against them, Samuel sacrifices a whole burnt offering to the Lord and he prays for the people. And as Israel goes out to meet their enemies, the Lord thunders from on high! The Philistines are thrown into such a panic by this thunder of God that they are routed and Israel wins a great victory over her enemy on that day.

Samuel delivered Israel with his prayers just as surely as Samson delivered them with his jawbone of a donkey or Gideon delivered them with his trumpets and torches. Samuel was a literal prayer warrior. He fought the battle that day from his knees. And he won! And in doing so, Samuel lived up to his name. You see, in Hebrew Samuel’s name sounds like the phrase “heard of God.”* Samuel was heard by God that day.

There are a number of applications here for us. First, don’t underestimate the power of prayer. A believer can win mighty victories from his knees. Second, as Christians we have an even better intercessor than Samuel. Scripture tells us that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven praying for you and me (Hebrews 7:24-25). It’s appropriate then for us to say to Jesus what the Israelites said to Samuel. “Don’t stop praying for me, Jesus, while I fight these battles." Third, we should also strive to be like Samuel for others in our lives. Do people seek out your prayers? When they are hurting, when they are facing a battle, are you the person they come to for prayer? Strive to be known as a person of prayer, a prayer warrior others can turn to when they need someone in their corner praying for them.

*John D. Barry, Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), 1 Sa 1:20.

God Came Down to Talk to Samuel

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

1 Samuel 3:10

This is a familiar passage of Scripture to many of us, but we often read it and miss how God condescended or lowered Himself to call Samuel. Think about this. Entire armies of angels, powerful spiritual beings, stand at God’s command in Heaven ready to be dispatched at a moment’s notice. All of creation knows His voice and bends to His command. Every human on earth is at His disposal. And yet, He chooses Samuel who may have only been 12 years old at this time [Geneva Bible: Notes, vol. 1 (Geneva: Rovland Hall, 1560), 122.] to deliver His message to Eli the priest.

God came down and called not once, not twice, not three times... but four times in 1 Samuel 3 God called to Samuel. God didn’t give up on Samuel when he couldn’t figure out who was calling him. (Samuel thought he was hearing Eli the priest call to him.) No, God waited patiently for Eli and Samuel to figure it out, so He could give His message to His newest prophet.

Let this be a reminder to us that God is patient with His servants and knows how to bring us along at a pace we can understand. And let it be a reminder also that God delights in using the weak, the small and the overlooked to do His will. He could have sent an angel. He could have delivered this message of judgment to Eli Himself. He chose to use Samuel... this young man... for His glory.

But why Samuel? Throughout the Bible, God regularly chooses those who are already serving faithfully where they are for bigger things. Joseph was a faithful and righteous servant in Potiphar’s house, before he was chosen to be second in charge of Pharaoh’s house. Joshua was a faithful soldier, a faithful spy and a faithful assistant to Moses before he became the leader of all Israel. And Samuel was a faithful nazirite and Levite before he became a prophet of God.

Serve faithfully where God has put you. Don’t worry about how much attention or prestige you receive. Don’t worry about credit. Just faithfully serve the Lord with all you have. And God will patiently bring you along and will likely use you in bigger and bigger ways for His glory just like He did with Samuel.

Finding a Way to Serve

But Samuel was ministering before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod.

1 Samuel 2:18

According to Old Testament law, as a Levite, Samuel wasn’t supposed to start serving the Lord until he was 25 yrs old and he was to be released from service at 50 (Numbers 8:24–25). But Samuel’s mother had given him over to the Lord to serve Him "for his whole life" (1 Samuel 1:28). That is why Samuel was "ministering before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod."

What service could Samuel possibly render at the tabernacle as a young boy? Did he sweep up? Did he sing or play an instrument in worship? Did he light the lamps or clean out the ashes or clean up the blood from the offerings? We don’t know. What we do know is that Samuel found some way he could serve even as a young boy, and he put his hand to the work faithfully.

In this way, Samuel reminds us that everyone can serve the Lord in some way. Everyone can do something. Have you found something that you can do at your church? Churches and ministires almost always need volunteers. Don’t wait for someone to ask you. If you want to serve, volunteer. I can almost gurantee that they will find something you can do. It may not be glamorous. It may notbe exactly what you wanted to do. But, it will be ministry.

Find your way to serve.

God is our Family

After he was weaned, she took the boy with her... [and] they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

1 Samuel 1:24–28

Samuel was likely around 3 years old when Hannah made good on her vow and took him to live at the temple. How difficult and heart-breaking that must have been for Hannah! And how difficult it must have been for Samuel. You can imagine his little cries when his mother walked away. We know that Hannah loved her son dearly and continued to visit him and take care of him because 1 Samuel 2:19 tells us that “each year [she] made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.”

But even though Hannah saw her son at least that one time a year, she didn’t see him every day. He had no mother there to care for him day in and day out. Samuel was alone. Hannah left him under the care of Eli the priest. And more specifically, Hannah gave Samuel over to the care of the LORD.

Hannah was able to do this impossible thing, giving up the child she had so longed for, because she trusted God to watch over Samuel. She trusted the Lord to provide for Samuel and care for Samuel and protect him. She didn’t abandon her son. She gave Him over to the Lord. And the Lord became mother and father and brother and sister to Samuel. God became Samuel’s family.

The same is true of every believer. When you became a Christian you were adopted as God’s child and He became your family. So, even if your earthly family lets you down, or if they are taken from you prematurely, or if you are off all on your own far away from them, know that you are never alone. You are not orphaned or widowed or abandoned in the true sense of the word, because God is with you. He is your family. He is a father to the fatherless, a husband to the widow, and a compassionate friend to those who have lost children.

And that doesn’t just go for yourself, it also goes for your children. It can be so difficult to let our children go… to send them off into the world. But if they are believers, then we have the added comfort of knowing that we are not the only family they have. Even if we cannot watch over them anymore, God is watching over them. And that brings us the same comfort that it brought Hannah.

God Sees You!

The Lord said to Samuel, "...I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

... [Jesse] sent for [David] and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.

I Samuel 16:1-13

The great prophet Samuel had come to town and invited Jesse and his sons to a sacrificial feast. David’s seven older brothers and his father went to meet this great man no doubt wearing their best clothes, while David was left behind in the fields to tend the family's sheep. David appears to have been a bit overlooked and even taken for granted by his family.

David was the youngest and the least physically impressive of Jesse's eight sons. His family appears to have had no great wealth or social standing. He lived in a small, unremarkable village on the fertile edge of a desert and spent his days tending sheep and playing music. No one looked out on that young man sitting in the fields and saw greatness. No one but God!

Maybe you know that feeling. No one ever seems to notice you. No one thinks you’re all that special. Maybe you even feel a bit taken for granted. You do everything you’re supposed to, but instead of appreciation, all you get is more work or worse, complaints. Whether it's your parents, spouse, kids, boyfriend/girlfriend, or even your boss; most of us know what it feels like to be taken for granted, forgotten, or overlooked in one way or another.

Sometimes it can be tempting to think, “What am I killing myself for? It isn’t worth it. I should do what everyone else does and do just enough to get by. Do the bare minimum” But in young David, we find encouragement to keep going. God saw David sitting out in those fields by himself, and God sees you!

Today if you feel ignored or forgotten, know that He sees you. He sees you working long hours at your desk. He sees you rising before dawn to work your land, tend your animals or make lunches for your kids. God sees you doing good, hard, honest work to provide your family

In this way, David reminds us of what Galatians 6:9 says. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Don’t grow weary in doing good. It’s not for nothing. God hasn’t forgotten you. Continue to be faithful in the little things and in due time God will reward you. It may be in this life, as it was for David, or it may be in the next. But make no mistake. God sees you. It matters. And you will be rewarded.

Ugly Thoughts About Scripture

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli... The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!”

I Samuel 3:1-4

I was reading Scripture just now. I opened my Bible to the story where God calls out to Samuel in the temple, but Samuel is just a boy and he thinks it is the old priest Eli calling him. Before I started reading, this thought flitted across my mind: "Oh, I already know this story. There's nothing new for me in this one." I'm ashamed to admit it but there are times when I come to one of the less exciting passages in Scripture and I even catch myself thinking "This passage really isn't very interesting. There really isn't much in it. I need to find a passage with something good in it if I am going to teach on it."

Now, I am a pastor. I've committed my life to God's Word, to reading it, interpreting it, and preaching and teaching it. So I was thinking, if I can underestimate God's word in this way, if someone who has committed their life to the Bible can take it for granted like this sometimes, then maybe you do too. The truth God is reminding me of today is that every single word of Scripture is here by His expressed desire. Every passage is a precious treasure that is there to encourage, challenge and teach us. We can open our Bibles to literally ANY section and with enough study, prayer, and help from the Holy Spirit mine out precious truths that will nourish our souls.

God reminded me of all that by showing me something in this passage I had missed. Samuel was sleeping in the tabernacle. If I understand the book of Leviticus rightly, then only certain Levites were even allowed in the tabernacle at all. Samuel was not one of these Levites, but by virtue of him being dedicated to the Lord from birth and being placed in the charge of the priest Eli, he had received this great privilege. As a young boy he slept in the presence of God! Not in the Holy of Holies, mind you, but in the tabernacle just a stone's throw away from God's presence. What a privilege! What a blessing!

But you know, this is a privilege all New Testament believers can enjoy. We ought not to "visit" God once a week in church but we ought to dwell with Him throughout the week. Stay in His presence young Christian! Pray, read Scripture, cultivate an awareness of Christ in you, learn to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit and to enjoy His presence. And when you lay down your head at night may you sense the Father's presence so strongly that you can almost hear Him singing over you (Zephaniah 3:17).

Born into Servitude

[Hannah] said... For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

I Samuel 1:26-28

 

 

Hannah was a childless woman in a culture that measured a woman's worth by the number of her children. Worse than that, her husband had two wives. Though he favored Hannah more, his other wife had many children, and taunted Hannah with that fact. In despair, Hannah turned to the Lord for help vowing that if He would give her a son, she would give him to God's service all the days of his life. In today's verses Hannah takes her son, Samuel, who has now been weaned off her breast, to the temple and gives him over to the Lord's service. Samuel must have been a very young boy, maybe only two or three years old. From that time on he lived in the temple and served the Lord there.

 

Normally a child being born into servitude would be a reason for us to weep, but this particular servant gives us an example to follow. Samuel must have seen himself as belonging to God. He was God's servant in a literal sense of the phrase. "As long as he lived, he was dedicated to the Lord."

 

How would your life be different if you viewed yourself the same way? Now, I doubt that your parents made a vow to God when they were trying to get pregnant, but in a very real sense you belong to God as well. You may choose to rebel against Him, but He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and He owns you and me as well. What if you accepted that fact and lived your life accordingly? What if you were dedicated to the Lord as long as you lived? What if you decided that you wouldn't live your life to make yourself happy, or be financially secure, or even change the world, but that you would live as God's servant doing always and only what He called you to do? Would your life look very different?

 

 

For further reading...

• Samuel's life points us to another man who did live like this. Normally we don't think of Samuel as pointing forward to Jesus in significant ways, but the writer of the gospel of Luke must see a parallel because he seems to allude to I Samuel 2:26 ("And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people") in Luke 2:52 as he summarizes Jesus' childhood ("And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man"). Indeed, as we look closer we see that Samuel reminds us of Jesus in several ways. Both entered this world through a miraculous birth. Both came after corrupt religious leaders and led the people of Israel back to true religion. Both were "faithful priests who did what was in God's heart and mind" (I Samuel 2:35). And both were servants of God from birth.
• Luke 17:7-10- Consider this high expectation Jesus places on His followers as servants.
• I Samuel 2:18-20 endearingly records that Hannah made Samuel a new robe each year and brought it to him when they made the yearly sacrifice. Though Samuel did not live with his mother, it is clear she loved him dearly.