December 26, 2015

Serving the Savior Who Served Us

1st Sunday after Christmas, 12/27/15
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26


Serving the Savior Who Served Us


In Hebrew my name is pronounced “Sha-moo—ale.” You know me better as Samuel. I lived some 900 years before the birth of the Savior you know as Jesus Christ. It wasn’t a particularly glorious time in Israel’s history. In fact, God’s people were in danger of falling apart as a nation. I lived at the end of what’s known as the period of the judges, who were not judges in your modern concept of the word. They were about a dozen men and a woman over a period of about 400 years whom God would raise up to rescue his people from the oppression of enemy nations, an oppression the Lord allowed to shake our people out of their blatant idolatry.

My mother’s name was Hannah and my father’s Elkanah. I’m going to spend a little time speaking about my mother because she was a special person, a special person spiritually. In a way, she reminds me a lot of Mary the mother of Jesus.

Do you recall her story? My father had two wives and he had children with his other wife, but my mother had none. My family always made an annual trip to worship at the Tabernacle where Eli served as the High Priest. One year my mother was in the Tabernacle praying for the Lord to give her a son. In fact, she vowed that, if the Lord would grant her request, she would return him to the Lord to serve the Lord the rest of his life. And the Lord graciously answered her prayer. I was born into this world and given the name Samuel.

When I reached the age at which I wouldn’t be a burden to Eli in the Tabernacle, my mother honored her vow. She brought me to Eli in the Tabernacle and then, after a tearful good-bye, she headed back home to my father. It wasn’t long after that that she and my father were blessed with other children to replace me whom she had given to the Lord.

You see, in a very real sense, I had been dedicated to serve the Lord prior to my birth. I didn’t know it yet, but the Lord had great plans for me. He would use me to usher in a new era for the Children of Israel—an era of rule by kings, most notably, the great King David. He would use me to lead the people to a closer relationship with him. He would use me to carry out his purpose for my people—to be the nation from whom the Savior would be born.

My upbringing in the Tabernacle under Eli was preparation for my service as one of God’s prophets. Every day was a learning experience in the covenant that the Lord had established with the Children of Israel. Every day I listened to the prayers offered by the priests as they served the Lord. Every day I was present as my fellow Jews brought their sacrifices to the priests and the priests then offered them to the Lord. As I grew older I was able to help the priests apply the numerous facets of the Old Testament laws to the daily lives of individual Jews. I was able to point them to the sin in their lives and then to the sacrifices God required. I reminded them that all their sacrifices only pointed them forward to the sacrifice the Savior would make for them. Eli’s instruction was a blessing to me.

But so was my mother. She hadn’t abandoned me at the Tabernacle. Quite the opposite. I’m sure she prayed for me every day. She also continued her former practice of making an annual trip the Tabernacle. Knowing that I was a growing boy, she always brought with her a new robe for me to wear—the kind that the priests in the Tabernacle wore. I wore that along with a linen ephod, which is similar to your modern vests. Eli and the other priests wore something similar as they served in the Tabernacle.

And that would make a fairly accurate description of my life. From childhood I was in the house of my heavenly Father going about my Father’s business, which was leading people to trust in their Savior, the One whom the Father had promised to send. Every day was an opportunity for me to grow in my knowledge of the will of God for his people. Every day was an opportunity to serve the Lord by serving others.

The Holy Spirit, who inspired the words of the book that bears my name, made this summary of my years of preparation in the Tabernacle of the Lord, “And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men.” Please don’t take this as boasting, but the Lord was pleased with my service in the Tabernacle. Indeed, I was wholeheartedly devoted to him. That devotion was evident to the Jewish people and they were drawn to me because of my service to them.

But I wasn’t sinless. There were countless times I needed the Lord’s forgiveness and Eli’s discipline and correction. So, imagine how surprised I was that the Gospel writer Luke took this description of me and applied it to our Savior. It’s one of what we call the Old Testament types of Christ. For instance, the Passover lamb was a type of Christ. Like the blood of Jesus, the blood of the lamb caused death to pass over. King David was a type of Christ. Each Old Testament type finds its perfect fulfillment in Jesus.

And if you think about it, that was true in several ways between me and Jesus. He, too, was dedicated for service prior to his birth. The angel Gabriel announced his birth and his purpose to Mary and Joseph. Gabriel told Mary to name her son, Jesus, and that he would be the Son of the Most High. Gabriel told Joseph that Jesus would save his people from their sins.

As I was blessed to have a pious mother, Hannah, so Jesus was blessed to have a pious mother, Mary, who proclaimed herself to be the Lord’s servant and was willing to become the mother of the Savior. Both my parents and Jesus’ parents were godly Jewish people who observed Jewish religious laws and regulations as well as days of special Jewish observances such as the Passover.

As I look back I can see the hand of God in making sure I was prepared as much as possible for serving him by serving his people.

And the same is true in a perfect way for the Son of God, our Savior from sin. We only have one event from the childhood of Jesus recorded in the Bible. It’s the one you heard earlier—the boy Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem. It’s an amazing event because it shows that, already as a child, Jesus was going about the work of being the world’s Savior from sin. He possessed knowledge of all things, and yet he didn’t make use of it. It’s another example in Scripture of Jesus humbling himself in order to serve as our Savior. Jesus wasn’t in the Temple teaching the rabbis. Luke tells us he was sitting, listening to the rabbis and answering their questions. And they were amazed at his answers. And when his parents arrived at the Temple after 3 days, he humbly submitted to them and was obedient to them, again serving as our Savior by obeying the law perfectly.

But don’t miss his amazing statement. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” More literally, the Greek states, “I had to be about the things of my Father.” Already at age 12 he was aware of what he had been sent to do. His Father had much for him to accomplish on this earth. For these three days Jesus knew he was supposed to be there doing the things of his Father and not in the company of his earthy parents as they returned to Nazareth. What an amazing statement of self-awareness and divine purpose! But that’s what an amazing Savior we have. He came to this earth to serve us.

You’ve just spent a few days celebrating Christmas, likely with family and friends. There were likely countless gifts exchanged and opened. You’ve already spent a couple days pondering those gifts and what you’ll do with them. And surely you’ll write a few thank-you notes.

Let’s spend a little more time pondering God’s Christmas gift to you, to the world. It boggles the mind that the eternal Son of God would leave his heavenly home, take on human flesh and blood, so that he can suffer and die for us. Already as a boy we see him living as our substitute as he perfectly obeys God’s commandments in our place. He’s here to serve us.

What will your reaction be to this divine gift? What difference will Jesus make in your life going forward from today? What will you do for the One who came to serve you?

Before you answer that, consider your past attempts at living for Jesus, at serving him. Most, if not all, are marred by a sinful flesh that is consumed with sinful pride, self-centeredness, impatience, envy, laziness, and misplaced priorities. The last thing your sinful nature wants is for you to serve Jesus by serving others. It’s so difficult for us to speak with Jesus’ mother, Mary, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said” (Lk. 1:38). But that’s what Christmas is all about. It’s all about God coming in the flesh to win forgiveness for a world full of sinners. He came to create new hearts in us, hearts on fire with love for him because of the way he served us all the way to death on the cross. The power of his love for us moves us to serve others out of love for him.

The Lord set me, Samuel, apart for special service to him as one of his Old Testament prophets. The Lord set Jesus apart for special service to every sinner. The Lord set you apart for special service to him. It likely occurred when you were an infant and your parents brought you to a font where God placed his name on you and made you his child through water and the word. So, what’s your reaction to Christmas? Serving the Lord who served you. That’s what the Lord is looking for from you. Out of love for him, present it to him willingly and gratefully. Amen.