May 13, 2020

BIBLE READING: I Samuel 2:11-36

“Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for men abhorred the offering of the Lord. But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. 26 And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord, and also
with men.”
I Samuel 2:17-18 & 26

When I was in 6th grade, my teacher had walked out of the room for ten minutes, and so it began. Our class erupted in chaos! It was quite the site, papers flying, and we were all having the time of our life. In the midst of all that, it hit me. What if she hears us?! Side note, my mom worked at my school. In panic of getting in trouble I yelled, “Stop! She might hear us!” Then a voice answered in the hallway, “That’s right she might hear you Mr. Fulp!’ Chills went down my spine as our teacher came in with great disappointment. I remember trying to explain to my mom that everyone else was doing it too. But we all know the classic answer to that. Here in our passage today, we see young Samuel growing up in the temple with Eli the priest and his family. Eli’s two sons were terrible influences amongst the temple. As the Bible describes them, they were awful wicked individuals who took advantage of others. Amongst this immorality, Eli did nothing to approach this. With all of this, Samuel was growing up in the temple. What is interesting, Samuel grew in the Lord and His strength. According to verse 26, Samuel gained favor in the Lord and the people because of His trust in God. He could have been easily influenced by others, but he served and worshipped faithfully to the Lord. Obviously, God blessed him. I cannot image hard it would have been on Samuel to try to do the right thing, with all that was going on in the temple. Many times, you may face some influences in the world we live in. At times it may not be easy, but we are not in this alone. We can rely on the Lord’s strength and grace to guide through difficult influences. I always think of Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Step by step is where we have to ask God to lead and direct us. Our own wisdom and influence are where we can start to drift. As long as we compare and be led by the Lord and His Word.

David Fulp II