Fireside: Grow On

“And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.”

1 Samuel 2:21

The Lord must have been impressed with Samuel. Three times in the childhood of Samuel did the Lord point out his development into manhood. I believe if we look closely at how Samuel grew, we will be impressed by it also. The three stages pointed out in the Bible are:

Stage One

First, from our opening verse, Samuel grew before the Lord. That means he was exposed to the ways of the Lord early in his life. He was familiar with the altar and the sacrifice, the service and the labor necessary for fellowship with God. True, he did not yet know God (1 Sam. 3:7) but he grew up not ignorant of the holy things of God. Growing before the Lord prepared him to one day trust the Lord. This is the stage of obedience, or service.

Stage Three

The final, yet continual fulfillment of Samuel’s maturing was that he grew with the Lord.

“And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.”

1 Samuel 3:19

Samuel began to experience the fulfillment of God’s words. Samuel showed faith in the words of the Lord. Samuel bravely proclaimed them, and they came true. God began to reveal Himself more and more to Samuel now that He had his trust. (3:20-21) Growing with the Lord signaled the completion of Samuel’s childhood and the beginning of his ministry. Samuel continued growing with the Lord for the rest of his life. This is the stage of fellowship, or sonship.

Stage Two

There is an in-between stage of growth that is only mentioned here in the word of God. It is before truly knowing God, but after being acquainted with the things of God. This waypoint of maturity cannot be skipped if a person wishes to delight God’s heart as Samuel did. This is the stage of conflict, or struggle.

Struggle to do right, when your peers compromise.

Struggle to stand when everyone else sits down.

Struggle to control the desire to win acceptance of people instead of God.

Struggle to succeed, when you have no mentor, no good example to follow.

Samuel’s conflicts began at birth with his dysfunctional family. Then at a very young age he was dropped off with only the little coat on his back at the tabernacle, to Eli, the high priest. This adopted family was worse than the house he left. Eli’s sons chased women, were drunk and gluttonous, and rebelled against their father. Worse yet, Eli brought no discipline on them, enabling their wicked behaviour. The Bible gives a scathing report on them: “his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.” (1 Samuel 3:14) And of his boys, “Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them.” (1 Samuel 2:25b) These boys were the kind you police away from your sons and daughters. They were reprobates, they knew it, and they were getting away with it.

Samuel was surrounded by compromise, iniquity, and low standards.

But young Samuel ignored the foolishness and set his sights on a higher goal. While growing is a natural course of the physical body, strength of conviction and character is a choice. Samuel made up his mind at this point to seek a different path.

“And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD and also with men.”

1 Samuel 2:26

Grow on. He chose to pass by the pleasures of sin. He chose to pass by the loose convictions of his peers. He chose to stand up. He chose God over man. He chose to walk in God’s ways. He chose to grow on.

God’s favor was earned by this bold move. God honored Samuel for guarding his heart and pushing through this gauntlet of sin. God was pleased by the fight in Samuel.

Men also took notice. Samuel was a cut above the others. He was not like them. He set himself apart. He stood alone, but not for long. Men rallied around him out of respect for what God did with his life.

Christian, grow on. Your past may have been shaped by your situation as you grew before the Lord, but today you may choose. Your future fellowship with the Lord–growing with Him– depends on the course you take right now.

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