Samuel for today…

Samuel
Samuel

You will have noticed elsewhere on this website that the towering figure of Samuel is my favourite. For me, Samuel stands larger than life in biblical history, not merely as an Old Testament prophet of archaic depictions, but as a vibrant, active ministry whose influence reverberates into the life of the Church today. Why? His life and ministry, recorded primarily in the books that bear his name, encapsulate ‘go-to’ themes of obedience, leadership, and the pursuit of God’s will—themes as pertinent now as they were then.

Divine Destiny and Parental Hope
Samuel’s story starts before he does! Before Samuel drew breath, his destiny was divinely etched. His mother, Hannah, pledged her long-awaited child to the Lord’s service, a narrative we find unfolding in the opening chapters of 1 Samuel. ‘Samuel,’ derived from the Hebrew, speaks of divine acknowledgment—”God has heard.” She asked God, and was heard by God – a lesson for us today that when our words are uttered towards heaven they are never left unheard.

Prophetic Beginnings and Hard Truths
It was in Shiloh, under the guidance of the old, overweight Eli, that Samuel’s formative years as a prophet commenced. In these early days, he established his reputation as God’s spokesperson, even when it meant delivering grim news that precipitated the downfall of Eli’s very own household.

Samuel’s story is worth musing over because, if we are careful enough we can see the debris of our own life and times there too.

Dark Times and Glorious Hope
Samuel’s story is worth musing over because, if we are careful enough we can see the debris of our own life and times there too. The era of Samuel was marred by turmoil, particularly noted in 1 Samuel 4, where the loss of the Ark of the Covenant to the Philistines paralleled the spiritual and political declension of Israel. Things were not going well for them. Yet, it was amid this darkness that Samuel’s leadership became a huge reason for hope.

He rallied the Israelites, urging them with passion and conviction to renounce idolatry (Israel’s number one enemy – and even ours today) and serve the Lord only, leading to a divine intervention at Mizpah. The subsequent (and somewhat expected) victory over the Philistines was monumental, with Samuel erecting a stone named Ebenezer, writing the event into history, eternally reminding Israel of God’s deliverance.

The Heart of a Leader
Samuel’s way of leading was unconventional—he traversed the land, dispensing wisdom and justice, ensuring his godly leadership was never a burden to those he served, reflecting a model of itinerant, servant-hearted ministry.

In an age when Israel sought to mirror the nations with a monarchical system, Samuel initially resisted. The judges, including Samuel, had led the tribes with a significant degree of independence, as seen in the story of Gideon in Judges 8. Israel’s demand for a king was a staggering, heart-wrenching pivotal moment for Samuel, one where personal affront gave way to divine insight. Although reluctant, Samuel unwillingly shrugged and following God’s counsel gave in to them, anointing Saul as Israel’s first king upon God’s directive, a concession that opened up a seismic shift in Israel’s governance.

Samuel’s importance to the Church today cannot be overstated. In Hebrew history, he is a hinge between the very testing period of the judges and the monarchy—a fulcrum balancing the theocratic ideals of Israel with its monarchical aspirations-but usually tipping towards chaos. Those moments usually ended with Israel crying out to God for help and deliverance. Again. Samuel represents a bridge between two covenantal eras, embodying the transition with personal and national fidelity to God.

For us, the story of Samuel is a call to the Church to be such a bridge in our own times—understanding, connecting and explaining the pictures of law, justice and judgment in the Old Testament with the liberating message of the gospel and grace demonstrated in the Gospel of the New Testament; heralding the ancient ways of God with the current paths we walk that lead to life in the fullest.

Today, culture impacts our lives in different ways but with similar challenges. It impacts us in the Church by constantly presenting new “kings” to anoint—be it wealth, fame, or self-determination—and the accompanying idolatry is heavily disguised.

The clamor of competing voices can us to an altar where God is not loved, worshiped, or adored.

Like Israel, we may find ourselves entranced or distracted by the influencers around us, tempted to trade God’s kingship over us for the tangible trappings of society and all that it purports to offer. In such a world as ours (which is still rightfully God’s),

Samuel’s life, ministry, and calling remind us to seek God’s will above the mega-decibel frenzy of business, gadgets, unsocial media, and life to listen for His guidance. The clamor of competing voices can us to an altar where God is not loved, worshiped, or adored.

Samuel’s Legacy

We often speak of legacy, and I am not always sure we know what we mean, for me the legacy of Samuel is multifaceted. It is about hearing God’s voice and responding with action, as demonstrated when Samuel was called as a boy in the temple of Shiloh. We wonder if we have the capacity or will to hear God, but thankfully, God is persistent, and in His grace, He has given prophets who equip us to not just learn to listen, but to obey. Also, it is about boldness in leadership, not shying away from God’s difficult commands, evident when Samuel confronts Saul. That’s not something we have to do often, but we do have to hold each other accountable. Happily it’s also about the legacy of mentorship and anointing in the future, which we see in Samuel’s relationship with David-a man after God’s heart.

The New Testament echoes this legacy powerfully; Jesus, like Samuel, balanced the things of God and those of mankind, taught with authority, and served with humility. The epistles continue with a call to believers to live out their faith with a similar blend of conviction and gentleness—a reflection and echo of Samuel’s character.

What about today with the immense challenges we face?

For the Church today, the life of Samuel epitomises the crossroad of divine summons and our duty to respond, which means that his example of bravery, honesty, and steadfast belief is a model for leadership grounded in adherence to the Lord. Samuel’s narrative invites us to examine how we heed God’s call, implying that true leadership is about serving others selflessly and communicating the tenets of faith with conviction, no matter the challenges faced.

I will see Samuel one day, when I do I’ll discover that there were even more lessons to be learned, but for now, this will do!

An alternative commission?

Alternative commission
Alternative commission

Reading the engaging text of Matthew 10 today, I thought about a different version: “Proclaim as you go, ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Calm storms, increase food supplies, turn water into wine, walk on water.”

That would be an intriguing angle on Jesus’ ministry and his message about the kingdom of heaven, providing us with another thought-provoking challenge. Do we need any more challenges – well, here is one!

I think it would be a perfect mix:

  • ‘Calm storms,’ symbolizing peace and mastery over chaos, would be a powerful demonstration of the peace that the Kingdom of Heaven brings, going far beyond natural and human-made turmoil.

  • ‘Increase food supplies.’ This spectacular miracle would highlight God’s provision and abundance, directly addressing physical needs and scarcity and would symbolize God’s capacity to provide generously.

  • ‘Turn water into wine,’ first seen at the wedding at Cana, it would bring obvious joy and celebration, representing the transformation from the ordinary to the extraordinary and display the abundant joy found in the Kingdom.

  • ‘Walk on water,’ this would have everyone busy at the swimming pool! It’d be a brilliant way of demonstrating dominion over the natural world, symbolizing authority over the physical realm, showing that God’s Kingdom is not constrained by earthly limitations.

Nevertheless, I think I would find those as difficult to do as the original set, which shows us that whether it is increasing food supplies (remember, Jesus did tell the disciples to give the crowd something to eat—it can be done!) or healing the sick, the fact is Jesus considered that with His empowering, we are up for the task – but we have to put our hand to the plough before anything will happen. “I believe” without a bit of action just won’t cut it. Faith without works is our downfall, especially in today’s day of enlightenment!

This new set of miracles would carry the potential of fresh, profound symbolic meaning and would powerfully demonstrate the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven, especially in our society today, but the crunch is, the original set—healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, and casting out demons—meet huge needs that are prevalent today. Society and culture has changed, but the needs of mankind have not!  Yes, we have hospitals that can go a short way to answering the needs of our day, but nothing changes lives like an encounter with the manifest presence of God that is demonstrated in the original group of miracles.

The original miracles performed by Jesus and his disciples were not just signs of power; they were also deeply compassionate responses to the suffering they encountered. They were direct actions that countered the effects of sin and brokenness in the world—disease, death, social ostracism, and demonic oppression. In doing so, they vividly illustrated the Kingdom’s transformative impact on individual lives and society.

Matthew 10 starts by telling us that Jesus called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. At its core, this was what healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, and casting out demons was all about: authority over what they would face as they went out to tell about the Kingdom of God, and authority to heal the devastation it had wrought, no matter how extreme.

Today, it’s easy to view the 12 disciples as being in a distinct position from us. They spread a message that the Kingdom of God was near, yet they were unaware of the full gospel mystery soon to unfold. They didn’t know about Jesus’s sacrificial death, His resurrection, ascension, or the justifying and renewing power we now understand in Him.

They were also unaware of the empowering Holy Spirit that would come at Pentecost. Despite their limited knowledge, Jesus commanded them (including Judas) to perform miracles like healing the sick and raising the dead. Here we are today, looking backwards at their exploits that shook the world. The challenge of Matthew 10 is still laid before us, just as it was for them and the key to responding to this gargantuan challenge remains the same: faith. We have authority in the great commission, but regardless of the level of authority bestowed upon us, faith is what makes the miraculous possible!

May 2024 be another year of opportunity for us to be the radical disciples God called us to be, and experience an unprecedented outburst of the things that we cannot do, leading many to faith in Jesus!