1 Samuel 2:18-21 – Be diligent in serving God

While the two sons of Eli were abusing their positions and making a mockery of the priesthood, there was one who was quietly serving. Dressed in a linen ephod, the simple garment of a priest, Samuel was diligently serving the Lord. He was functioning as a priest. Earlier on, verse 11 explicitly said that he was serving the Lord before Eli the priest. He had probably progressed from that time. In verse 18, there is no mention of Eli. This verse just tells us that Samuel was “ministering before the LORD.”

Meanwhile, verse 19 draws our attention to Hannah and Elkanah again. Their devotion to God was consistent. Yearly, they would still make their pilgrimage to Shiloh to worship and offer their sacrifice to the LORD. Though they had given their son to serve God in the temple, they did not lose touch with God nor with their son. Implicitly, we learn that Hannah was a good mother. Thoughtfully she would make a robe for him and bring it along to her son when she made her annual journey to Shiloh to pay her homage to God. Since Samuel obviously would be growing physically, and his size must be different each year. Without fail, Hannah would bring him a yearly handmade robe, personally sewed by her. Each year the robe had to be bigger. Nonetheless, Hannah would sew it for him. What a loving mother! The tender care of parents towards their children is a needful part of children’s growth. Hophni and Phinehas’ obnoxious conduct reveals to us their lack of it. Parents, we must never neglect our children despite the busyness of life or ministry! We must take the time to nurture them when they are young and pray for them regularly when they are growing.

The account here also tells us that God will never short-change us. For Samuel whom Hannah had dedicated to serving God vocationally, the LORD gave this once barren woman five other children, three boys, and two girls, in return. This would be the last time we hear of Hannah and Elkanah, but we can imagine that for the rest of their lives, they remained faithful in their devotion to God. And that ought also to be our story. Even when nothing more is known about us, may the fact that we love God and are earnest worshippers of this great God be our testimony. Meanwhile, Samuel grew before the LORD. What a powerful testimony! He was obviously growing in service. Like Samuel, all of us must be growing spiritually and our growth in the Lord can also be seen in the diligent service we are offering to Him.