Thursday Devo
Scripture:
1 Samuel 2:18-21, 26
18 But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the Lord. He wore a linen garment like that of a priest. 19 Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice. 20 Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the Lord.” 21 And the Lord blessed Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
26 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew taller and grew in favor with the Lord and with the people.
18 But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the Lord. He wore a linen garment like that of a priest. 19 Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice. 20 Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the Lord.” 21 And the Lord blessed Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
26 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew taller and grew in favor with the Lord and with the people.
Commentary:
2:18–21 The story returns to another na‘ar (“young man, boy”), Samuel (cf. note on vv. 12–17, “young man”). Before, Samuel was ministering “in the presence of Eli the priest” (v. 11), but now he is ministering simply before the LORD, in the garment of a priest. The linen ephod was probably a simple tunic or apron worn by priests (22:18) or sometimes by others, as by David as he brought the ark to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:14).
2:26 Similar language is used in Luke 2:52 to describe the physical and spiritual growth of the boy Jesus.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 495.
2:26 Similar language is used in Luke 2:52 to describe the physical and spiritual growth of the boy Jesus.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 495.
Questions:
Samuel's faithfulness is intentionally placed next to the corruption of Eli's sons. While Hophni and Phinehas were abusing their position, Samuel served before the Lord and grew in favor with both God and people. He did not get to choose the spiritual environment around him, but he did grow in faithfulness within it. From the same sanctuary came men who did not know the Lord and a child who was growing in the Lord's favor.
Our circumstances and the environment we are in do not have to determine the direction of our hearts. So often we blame our spiritual condition on our family, our church background, our culture, our workplace, or the people around us. Those influences matter, but Scripture repeatedly calls us to personal faithfulness before God.
Samuel's life reminds us that faithfulness can look very ordinary: serving, listening, growing, and continuing to walk with God when no one is even noticing. We do not have to wait for the perfect circumstances to become the people God has called us to be. And ultimately, our hope is not that we can produce faithfulness through determination; it is that God's grace changes us and His Spirit enables us to follow Christ. We must take on the responsibility of becoming more faithful to Jesus within the world God has placed us in.
Our circumstances and the environment we are in do not have to determine the direction of our hearts. So often we blame our spiritual condition on our family, our church background, our culture, our workplace, or the people around us. Those influences matter, but Scripture repeatedly calls us to personal faithfulness before God.
Samuel's life reminds us that faithfulness can look very ordinary: serving, listening, growing, and continuing to walk with God when no one is even noticing. We do not have to wait for the perfect circumstances to become the people God has called us to be. And ultimately, our hope is not that we can produce faithfulness through determination; it is that God's grace changes us and His Spirit enables us to follow Christ. We must take on the responsibility of becoming more faithful to Jesus within the world God has placed us in.
- Who or what currently has the loudest voice in shaping your attitudes, priorities, and decisions? Is that influence helping you become more like Jesus or pulling you away from Him?
- Jesus is the perfect faithful Servant who remained obedient to the Father when every other servants eventually fell short. When you become discouraged by your own inconsistency, or by the failures of Christian leaders, how does the perfect faithfulness of Christ change where you place your hope? Could you stop expecting imperfect people to be your ultimate source of security and instead rest your confidence in the One who will never fail you?
- Where are you tempted to use your circumstances as an excuse for spiritual compromise? Is the one act of faithfulness God may be asking of you right now?
Prayer Topics:
- Confess the ways you have blamed people, circumstances, or your environment for choices that God is calling you to take responsibility for.
- Thank God for the people and influences He has used to help you grow.
- Ask God to make you faithful in the ordinary places of your life and to give you strength when the people around you are not pursuing Him.
- Praise God that He remains faithful when other people fail us.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
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