“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.”—Paul, imprisoned for preaching Jesus, encourages the church.  Ephesians 4:1, NLT

It must have been painful for Samuel to conduct this last meeting as their leader and transfer the civil authority to Saul. The twelve tribes had been governed by judges for nearly 500 years, but times had changed, and the people wanted a king. Before leaving office as judge, Samuel had to set the record straight and bear witness that his hands were clean and the people could find no fault in him.  Even thought his sons took bribes, participated in exhortation as priests, and did not walk worthy; Samuel did.

In recalling Samuel’s life, we remember that Samuel was that young boy given back to God by Hannah.  Hannah who was childless begged God to give her a child.  God answered this prayer of passion in front of the priest, Eli at the Temple.  Later she would indeed give birth to a son who she named Samuel.  Hannah dedicated Samuel back to God who heard and answered.  She took Samuel to the Temple and gave him to Eli to mentor as a servant of the Lord.  As the boy grew in his role as servant with Eli, God spoke to him in the night.  Eli told young Samuel how to answer the Lord; “Speak Lord, for your servant hears.” This was probably the most valuable teaching Eli could have given to young Sameul.  Eli who knew the importance of listening to the Lord speak and doing what He said and he passed that knowledge on to Samuel.  Samuel grew to be a listener.

Sameul listened which made him a wise leader and prophet.  Samuel walked worthy all his life and is now telling God’s people yet again the importance of walking a life worthy is to do what God says.  Trust God. Obey God, for this is the way to please their God listens to them with a desire to bless Israel with all that is good for them and gives God glory.  Forgetting God and ignoring what He says will not go well for Israel and their new king. 

1 Samuel 12

Samuel’s Farewell Speech

12 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. ² Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. ³ Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right.”

⁴ “You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”

⁵ Samuel said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.”

“He is witness,” they said.

⁶ Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up out of Egypt. ⁷ Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the Lord as to all the righteous acts performed by the Lord for you and your ancestors.

⁸ “After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.

⁹ “But they forgot the Lord their God; so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them. ¹⁰ They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ ¹¹ Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal, Barak, Jephthah and Samuel, and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety.

¹² “But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king. ¹³ Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over you. ¹⁴ If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good! ¹⁵ But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.

¹⁶ “Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes! ¹⁷ Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call on the Lord to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king.”

¹⁸ Then Samuel called on the Lord, and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel.

¹⁹ The people all said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”

²⁰ “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. ²¹ Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. ²² For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own. ²³ As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. ²⁴ But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. ²⁵ Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Be a worthy listener!  A good listener leans in when someone speaks to gain understanding and the intent of the words being spoken.  We misunderstand when we assume what they are saying while saying it and presume their intent in saying it. And even great sin that hampers our listening skills is to form an answer in our minds while the speaker is still finishing a sentence!  We do that with God as well as with our family, friends and people we are meeting for the first time.  Yes, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” in our listening skills.  Pause to ask God for forgiveness with help to develop our listening skills.  I am doing that now.

“Speak Lord, for your servant hears” is a great, first response to God who delights in communion with us.  Prayer is a two-way communication with God. Talking to God and listening for God’s response is such a delightful experience for us as we grow our relationship with God, our Father.  The more we wait and listen for God our listening skills are greater developed.

Samuel had integrity as he served.  He wanted Israel to know that He followed what God said in detail with humility, awe, and respect for the God he revered and worshiped.  It was well known among Israel that Samuel walked worthy with God. His life began with listening! From time to time, churches and other Christian ministries face new situations and decide they must reorganize and adapt. Each ministry needs a Samuel to remind them of the spiritual principles that never change: the character of God, the Word of God, the necessity of faith, and the importance of obedience.

The Apostle Paul, fully committed to Christ as Savior and Lord, lists some of the characteristics of those who walk worthy of their calling;

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.” Ephesians 4:2-4

Paul also tells the church that every member of God’s family is called with a purpose to fulfill so that His church will continue to grow with healthy habits worthy of the calling!

“Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. ¹⁶ He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” Ephesians 4:15-16, NLT

Paul, like Samuel, also gives concise directions with how to walk worthy with God;

“With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:17-32, NLT

Sometimes I wonder what drew the multitudes to stop life and listen to Jesus speak.  I think it was because He truly listened to them as He ministered to their real need!  Ah, lesson learned—it’s all in the listening! To be more like Jesus is to listen to Him and others with a teachable spirit—God’s Holy Spirit.

Samuel listened.  Paul listened to Jesus.  Jesus listened to His Father.  To live a life worthy of our calling; we must learn to listen to God first and then to each other to learn more as we talk less. 

Lord,

Help me to be a listener like you.  Help me to love more and judge less when others speak.  Help me to focus on what is being said by you and others. Listeners are learners and learners are leaders who point the way to you!  Thank you for this teaching today!  Now help me to be and do what I have learned.

In Jesus Name, Amen