Eli was basically an adoptive father to Samuel. Samuel had been devoted to the LORD by his mother Hannah, and “was serving the Lord under Eli” (1 Samuel 3:1 CEB). Samuel was an attentive boy. When he heard a voice calling his name, “Samuel” (1 Samuel 3:6), he immediately came to Eli’s aid. But Eli hadn’t called for him – “my son; lie down again” (1 Samuel 3:6). When Eli realizes that the voice Samuel is hearing is the voice of God, he instructs Samuel to respond to the voice in the posture of a servant. Samuel does so and comes to know the LORD personally. He becomes the conduit through which the word of the LORD is heard in Israel again. He serves the nation as a prophet, priest and judge, and is the one who ushers the kingdom into Israel.
The first king chosen by God for the people is Saul. How does a man from the small tribe of Benjamin find himself on the stage of world history? He is sent out by his father to search for donkeys who have run away. His point of view is very narrow – all he is thinking about is finding donkeys. And the donkeys are hard to find. Now he is worried his father will think he is lost. But his servant suggests a detour. He suggests they stop by Samuel’s town and ask Samuel if he can give them some direction in this matter. Saul agrees, and the divine narrator lets us in on a secret. God has chosen Saul as king and Samuel is told that he is to anoint Saul as king when he arrives (1 Samuel 9). A donkey search ends with Saul as king over all Israel. The lost donkeys were the means of connecting Saul with Samuel, with bringing the farm boy to the kingdom.
David was looking after sheep when word comes that he needs to come home quickly for a festival. The old man Samuel wishes to see him! To his surprise, the old man douses him in oil and proclaims him the new king of Israel (1 Samuel 16). But how do you get from leading sheep around the hills of Bethlehem to being the acknowledged leader of Israel? Again, by obeying your father. Jesse sent him to visit his brothers in battle against the Philistines and he arrives to Goliath’s taunts. He is outraged at the way Goliath belittles the God of Israel and immediately offers to be Goliath’s challenger (1 Samuel 17). His faith in God and victory over Goliath propels him into public consciousness and eventual leadership of the nation.
Interestingly, the recorded first words of each individual in these narratives seem to give insight into their respective characters. Samuel responds immediately to the call he hears with “Here I am!” (1 Samuel 3:4). When he specifically responds to the LORD, he acknowledges his willingness to be a servant (v.10). Samuel’s life is characterized by this availability and responsiveness to God. Saul’s first words are to his servant, “Come let us go back” (1 Samuel 9:5 ESV). The donkeys have not been found and Saul chooses a pragmatic outcome. Sadly, this is indicative of Saul’s leadership. He never sees the instructions of God via Samuel through in their entirety. He often stops partway and takes the pragmatic option. David arrives on the scene of Goliath’s taunts as a defender of God and Israel’s honour (1 Samuel 17:26). David proves to be “a man after [the LORD’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).
These vignettes should encourage us in our daily lives. Simple obedience to their earthly fathers put these men in the designs of providence. One can’t help but think of the Son’s first recorded words in Luke 2:49 as he indicates to his earthly parents the reality of a greater mission from His Father in heaven. Jesus was clear that everything he did was in accordance with the Father’s will and work. He was able to cap His earthly ministry with the declaration “It is finished!” (John 19:30), as he fulfilled its ultimate purpose in death on a cross. Obedience to our heavenly Father’s desires surely incorporates our seemingly mundane daily activities into His grand designs. Our postures as we intersect with the plan of God give indication to the tenor of our lives. It is clear what God is looking for. Servant-hearted people who are willing to stand for His honour. Those who are willing “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with [their] God” (Micah 6:8).
“Jesus bids us shine – you in your small corner and I in mine.”
