Being Underappreciated (In Search Of Truth, Hebrews 11:32, Samuel)

(Hebrews 11:32, ESV) And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—

The names listed in v. 32 seem to represent the totality of those in history who displayed faith, since the list of deeds followed by "who" in verse 33 can probably not all be accounted for in the lives of only those on this short list of names.

With this in mind, we've been taking a brief look at each of the people listed here and making a few observations about their faith based on what the Bible says about them. This time we'll finish up the list of names by looking at Samuel, whose story can be found in 1 Samuel 7:3-10:16.

Like David, there is a lot of material to look at when examining the life of Samuel, so I'll just focus on a few moments that specifically highlight and say something about his faith, since the way he modeled faith is the reason he is included on this list.

Samuel was a miraculous baby born to a woman who had been barren for many years (1 Samuel chapter 1), who then dedicated him to temple service in thanks for what Yahweh had done for her.
Samuel was the last of the Judges to lead Israel and the first of the prophets who spoke to Israel and her kings on behalf of Yahweh. He served through a major transition of leadership. God had given Israel a series of Judges to lead them, people who settled matters on behalf of God. But eventually Israel decided it wanted to be more like the surrounding nations, who were ruled by kings.

In desiring a king to lead them instead of God's representative, Israel was rejecting Yahweh as their ruler. (1 Samuel 12:17-19) And as God's representative at the time, Samuel may have felt the sting of that on a somewhat personal level. But Yahweh told him "they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me"(1 Samuel 8:7).

After the first King was installed, Samuel did not retire and end his service to Yahweh and Israel, but continued on serving them as a prophet, still speaking the words of God to Israel, even though the people no longer subjected themselves to him in day to day affairs. Samuel served faithfully even as Saul, the first king, proved to be a corrupt ruler. When Saul failed to obey what Yahweh commanded him to do, Samuel stepped in and did the job for him (1 Samuel 15). And after this Samuel mourned the fact that God rejected Saul as king because of his disobedience. Then Samuel obeyed God in anointing the young David to be the next King, despite David being very different from what Samuel expected God's choice to be (1 Samuel 16:6-13).

I'd never noticed this before, but looking at Samuel this time I was surprised at his humble awareness of his role before Yahweh. Here was a guy who had been made the leader of the entire nation of Israel, chosen by God himself. But the people rejected his leadership and demanded someone else. But when Saul failed miserably, requiring Samuel to step in and do the job for him, Samuel didn't offer any "I told you so" in the process or even after. In fact, after intervening he mourned the fact that Saul would soon no longer be king!

If I were in his shoes I might have said, "Okay, THAT obviously didn't work out you ungrateful morons. Back to me being in charge now, right?" And I also might have expressed a little more concern over a second choice for King that once again didn't look like a good idea.


SO WHAT'S IN THIS FOR GEEKS?

I think we as geeks are a little more hungry for the appreciation of other people. Many of us have been routinely overlooked or under-estimated for much of our lives and so we're extra sensitive to the fact that we're not being appreciated when it happens. But Samuel's faith in Yahweh changed his entire view of every day life. His social status meant nothing to him and his greatest desire was to see Yahweh's plan carried out in his own life and in the lives of those around him.

We can get the answers right on the test when we're asked what we believe about who God is and who we are in light of God's love and his plans for us. But what we believe in fully we act on. What we believe in fully changes our day to day routine.

To Samuel, God wasn't just a warm fuzzy idea or a fascinating concept. He was a person as real as anyone else Samuel knew. And his recognition of Yahweh's reality changed the way he viewed life, which resulted in the kind of life he lived. We usually get this backwards. We say, "I'm a Christian and I believe the Bible is true, so I'm going to do A, B and C and avoid X, Y and Z." (And let me be clear, obeying scripture is good and right whether we understand all of God's reasoning for his commands or not.) But as Samuel learned, God looks at our hearts(1 Samuel 16:7). He doesn't want to only change our behavior. He wants to change who we are, what we value and how we see all of life.

So when you and I are having difficulty with how we're being evaluated by others, or having trouble obeying what God has commanded, it's probably time to ask ourselves why we aren't fully convinced of what God is saying about who he is and who we are. That's a great question to ask ourselves and a good problem to troubleshoot with other believers. It's a core issue of faith that makes the difference between a life of being weighed down by the opinions of others and a life of increasing freedom and renewal.