Character of the week- SAMUEL
…As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord…. (1 Samuel 3:19-20 NLT)
We have little information about the early years of most of the Bible characters we have studied so far. Samuel presents an exception to this. He came as a result of God’s answer to Hannah’s fervent prayer for a child as shown in the name Samuel, which comes from the Hebrew, “heard of God”.
God shaped Samuel from the start. Like Moses, Samuel was called to fill many roles: judge, prophet, priest, counsellor, and God’s man at a turning point in the history of Israel. God worked through Samuel because Samuel was willing to be just one thing- God’s servant For every Christian, the primary desire of God is for us to know and to serve Him according to Luke 1:74-75.
Samuel’s life showed that those whom God finds faithful in small things will be trusted with greater things. He grew up assisting the high priest (Eli) in the Tabernacle until God directed him to other responsibilities. This is an important point for us to consider as we continue in our individual journeys of fulfilling our missions in life. Galatians 4:2 attests to this, that until the fullness of time appointed by God for us to step into the higher roles he has purposed us for, we must remain under tutors and governors. By submitting to them, we can avoid many pitfalls ahead. Notable characters in the Bible also subjected themselves to a period of learning, training or discipleship as the case may be. God was able to use Samuel because of his genuine dedication to God. Surely he must have seen what the sons of Eli did and how they transgressed the laws of God. But he was not enticed by their ways, rather, Samuel as a youth continued walking steadfastly in obedience to God under the tutelage of Eli.
Samuel moved ahead because he listened to God’s directions. Too often, we ask God to control our lives without making us to give up the goals for which we strive. We ask Him to help us get to where we want to go. The first step in correcting this tendency is to turn over both the control and destination of our lives to Him. The second step is to do what we already know God requires of us (Jn 13:17, Job 36:11).The third step is to listen for further direction from His Word, which is God’s map for life.
Stregths and Accomplishments
• Used by God to assist Israel’s transition from a loosely governed tribal people to a monarchy
• He anointed the first king in Israel
• He became the last in the long line of Israel’s judges
• His career as a judge began a great revival that Israel would experience for the next century.
• His obedience and dedication to God made him one of the greatest judges in Israel’s history.
• Although Samuel was not eligible to be the next high priest,(because he was not a direct descendant of Aaron), he acted as high priest by offering the important sacrifices throughout Israel
• He is listed in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11
Weakness and Mistake
There was only one weakness to be seen in Samuel. Sadly, he was unable to lead his sons into a close relationship with God.
As an old man, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel in his place. But they turned out to be corrupt, much like the sons of Eli.(1Sam 8:3)
We are not told why Samuel’s sons went wrong, but we do know that in Eli’s case, he was held responsible for his sons’ corruption (1 Sam 2:29-34)
Lessons from his life
• The significance of our accomplishments is directly related to our relationship with God.
• God confirmed Samuel as a true prophet through the Word of God which proved reliable and true. In return, the people believed him as being established as a Prophet of God. Brethren, this is noteworthy, for in our days, many self-appointed prophets are out there claiming to be shepherds but are actually ravenous wolves. Any prophet worthy of such a title must pass this critical test.
• Who we are, is more important than what we do
• Parenthood is an awesome responsibilty, nothing is more important than moulding and shaping our children’s lives. We must not abdicate this role under the guise of ministry