This passage has two bookends:
&
“Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy clothed with a linen ephod.”
(1 Samuel 2:18, ESV)
&
“. . . the boy Samuel grew in the presence of
the Lord.” (1 Samuel 2:21,
ESV)
The linen ephod was likely a garment that identified him as
one working in the priesthood. In verse
11 when he was left by his parents with Samuel, we learn that he served “. . . in
the presence of Eli the priest” (1 Samuel 2:11b, ESV).
Now Samuel was serving “in the presence of the
Lord.”[1]
This idea of the “presence of the Lord” is significant to
the Bible and to the Christian life. My cover
photo on my Facebook page shows the Latin phrase: Coram Deo, which
means “living in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory
of God.
We must agree that God is everywhere (Psalm
139:7-8); but at the same time, He chooses to reveal or manifest His presence
in localized and intense ways (e.g., Exodus
3:2). Likewise, the Believer can be
assured of God’s continual presence (Hebrews
13:5). There will be a day when Christians
experience God’s unveiled presence (1
John 3:2).
“The narrator's
description of Samuel's continued growth in the Lord's presence (v.21), as well
as in stature and in favor with God and men (v.26), is echoed in Luke's
portrayal of Jesus' youth (Luke
2:40, 52).”[2] It is interesting to me that the author is so
clear: “Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.” It is speculative but we tend to think of
Samuel as a young man, maybe a teen. Josephus,
the Jewish historian though Samuel was about 11 years old.
Consider the young people you know. How many, as young teens, could it be said
of: they are serving the Lord and growing in His presence? This is stunning. Have we expected too little of our young
people? Cameron Cole writes,
“People have very low expectations for teenagers in the
Christian context and it’s absurd. We have such high expectations for kids in
terms of school—kids are learning foreign languages, taking college-level
physics, and holding important leadership roles, like being team captains or
leading service projects. And yet in the church, we regard teenagers like
they’re toddlers. I think we need to elevate our expectation of what kids can
actually do in a church.”[3]
Several years ago I attended a conference where the authors,
Alex and Brett Harris spoke on their book: Do
the Hard Things. I later listened to
their book on audio. Alex said, “The
teen years are some of the most valuable years of our lives in terms of
developing a purposeful mindset and preparing for the future.” “The ‘do hard
things’ message is uniquely needed there, because teens are subject to our
society’s lowest and most damaging expectations.”
As the years would pass, Brett’s life became harder. You can read about it HERE. By God’s grace, by not succumbing to the low
expectations as a teen, Brett exceed all expectations as a husband.
Perhaps we need to rethink our expectations of young people.
[1] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Sa 2:21). Wheaton, IL:
Crossway Bibles.
[2] Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis
CD-ROM:1 and 2 Samuel/Exposition of First Samuel/I. Prelude to Monarchy in
Israel (1:1-7:17)/A. The Childhood of Samuel (1:1-4:1a)/3. The wicked sons of
Eli (2:12-26), Book Version: 4.0.2
[3] https://corechristianity.com/resource-library/articles/why-our-expectations-for-teens-in-the-church-are-way-too-low
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