Thoughts of abuse and misconduct are sad and uncomfortable. It would be great if the church was a beacon of light to the world in this regard, but it is not. Every denomination, every fellowship has its share of problems—some more than others—but we will not find a perfect church here on earth. Our duty remains to join a true church, and then to help that body of believers submit to God’s Word. And in this regard we can be encouraged that the Lord’s care for his church not only includes judgment of the wicked, but also provision. He raises up godly men and women to serve his people.
Throughout the narrative we have been given short descriptions of Samuel. He was not caught up in the sins of Hophni and Phinehas. Instead, he was ministering before the Lord (1 Samuel 2:18). Spending time in God’s presence, he had grown in faith and godliness, so much so that the people coming to the tabernacle had taken notice. 1 Samuel 2:26 reads, The boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favour with the Lord and also with man.
Looking at Samuel, we see that the Lord is at work to provide for his people. First there was a godly mother who prayed for a boy, now there is a godly boy being prepared for leadership. The Lord loves his church; he cares for his church.
In all the descriptions of Samuel, very naturally we are encouraged to wonder whether or not he might be the faithful priest mentioned in 1 Samuel 2:35. Is he the one who will replace Eli? Is he the one who will go in and out before the Lord’s anointed king? The answer is no.
As we will see in 1 Samuel 3:1–21, Samuel is established as a prophet of the Lord. A priestly prophet certainly; he will bring sacrifices and he will be involved at the tabernacle. But he is not the faithful priest in view. Instead that honour falls to a man called Zadok, descended from Aaron through the line of Eleazar, and his descendants will serve as high priest until about 150 years before the coming of Christ.
Then, with the coming of the Christ, Israel would receive her last priest. A priest who was perfect. A priest from the line of Melchizedek—he will share in our human nature, except for sin. A priest who can truly serve forever—death cannot and did not hold him—and so he lives always to make intercession for God’s people at the Father’s right hand. Jesus is a priest who did not come to steal and plunder, a priest who did not use his power for selfish interests but to serve, to give his life for the sheep, to make it possible for sinners like Eli to be forgiven.
He is the only priest who can truly represent us before God because he is not only truly and righteously man, he is also God himself. Jesus then is the faithful priest whom God would send to serve and lead his people. A priest who will fulfill not only the office of prophet but also that of king.
And if you have true faith in Jesus Christ, then you have been united with him so that you share in his anointing. As a prophet, you are called to confess his name. As a king, you are called to fight against sin and the devil; and as a priest, you are called to present yourself as a living sacrifice of thankfulness to him.
None of us as Christians will be asked to serve at the tabernacle like Samuel or Zadok, but all of us are called to serve the Lord in every aspect of our daily lives. We must be holy in our behaviour as the One who called us is holy (1 Peter 1:15–16). We must bring a sacrifice of praise to God, which is the fruit of lips that give thanks to his name (Hebrews 13:15). We must make prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings on behalf of all men (1 Timothy 2:1–2). We must come to spend time in God’s presence, to meet with him on a daily, on a weekly basis (Hebrews 10:19–25).
The old covenant people of God were meant to be a kingdom of priests where every individual saw himself as a servant of God (Exodus 19:6). The same holds true when it comes to the new covenant in the blood of Christ. In the words of 1 Peter 2:5, God is building us into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood (see also 1 Peter 2:9).
In this house, this church of Jesus Christ, we must not only pursue God’s justice at a corporate level—thinking about our structures and our patterns—but as individuals we must see ourselves as God’s servants—heeding the example of Samuel and the warning of Eli’s sons. The warning of what can and will happen if we harden our hearts to God’s commandments and ignore him day by day: there will be judgment. Be encouraged to grow in godliness by coming into his presence and submitting to his commandments. He will use us to accomplish good.
11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli the priest.