Samuel — Prophet and LeaderSample

Lent to the LORD

Samuel’s mother “lent him to the Lord”. She regarded Samuel as a special gift from God, and kept her promise to “give him to the LORD all the days of his life”. That meant that Samuel, as soon as he was weaned, went to live with the high priest Eli in the temple. His parents only visited him once a year. This undoubtedly had an enormous impact on the whole family. But as we will see in the coming days, Samuel became a special servant of God and indeed, became one of Israel’s great prophets.

Most of us won’t have such a special calling. You probably grew up within your family instead of being “lent to the LORD”. But in a way, every Christian is called to devote his life to God: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9, ESV). Do you live according to this calling?