Seasons of ChangeMuestra

Thin-Skinned

Some of Scripture's most encouraging moments are just side notes to the main story, set-up pieces to the real point. Those trusses that support the main house, though often significant, can be overlooked.

There’s just such a truss in today’s text.

While the point of this story is Israel’s request for a king, wanting to be like the other nations (having someone to fight for them and lead them into battle), some significant details lead up to this part of the story—details that we, as men, need to pay special attention to.

The first detail, both encouraging and frightening, is that Samuel’s adult sons were not righteous men. For all of Samuel’s dedication to God, for what we can assume was a valiant effort at being a father, his kids did not follow his path toward God. Maybe Samuel wasn’t a great dad. His sons were certainly responsible for their own choices. But, the fact remains that Samuel’s sons were not good men. You can be a good man and not have good sons.

The second detail is the personal way in which Samuel seems to have taken Israel’s request for a king. Samuel needed to be reminded by God Himself that the request for a king was not a rejection of Samuel but of Him. The implication is that Samuel’s feelings were a bit hurt by Israel’s request.

That’s easy to relate to. As much as we might pretend they are not, some of our feelingsof self-worth and value can be impacted by how we think others perceive us. At least mine are, and maybe I’m alone in that…but like every other time I write that phrase, I don’t think so. Yet, God comes to Samuel’s aid and reminds him that the people are rejecting God, not Samuel.

Men, it is vital that we learn these lessons from Samuel, both about fatherhood and about our identity and value. Samuel’s life shows us that we can do some things absolutely correctly, and still, things turn out poorly—they are out of our control. Also, our value is not determined by the actions and opinions of others.

Here, we will leave Samuel, though it is not the end of his story; this is the point where we are now introduced to Saul.

Prayer: God of all our circumstances, thank You that Scripture captures the good with the bad and that even the best examples of men who followed You were not perfect. Help me understand what it means for me to pursue You with all my life and try to pass that along to others, no matter their choices. Amen.

Reflection: Have you let the opinions of others dictate how you feel about yourself? How can you remind yourself that, while difficult to ignore, man's opinions are not the ultimate statement of your value?