Ⅱ
Samuel was faithful to God in all his God-given statuses and offices:
A
As a Levite, he served God his whole life; as a Nazarite, he kept his consecration without failure (v. 35); as a priest-prophet, he spoke for God honestly and initiated the prophethood to replace the fading priesthood in the divine revelation; as a judge, he was faithful to God and just to the people, terminating the judgeship and bringing in the kingship in order to change the age for the fulfillment of God's economy.
B
As one who worked together with God for the carrying out of His economy (John 5:17; 2 Cor. 6:1a), Samuel was established as a prophet of Jehovah to speak for Him by listening to His word (1 Sam. 3:9-10, 20-21); we need to continually exercise ourselves to have an ear to "hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Rev. 2:7); furthermore, we need to follow the pattern of Mary, who "sat at the Lord's feet and was listening to His word" (Luke 10:38-42):
１
Mary sat at the feet of the Lord Jesus and not at the feet of anyone else; no method is better than coming to Him moment by moment, loving Him, worshipping Him, and unceasingly fellowshipping with Him and remaining in His presence.
２
Mary sat at the feet of the Lord; she put herself in a humble position in order to hear the Lord's speaking and receive His blessing; humility is not belittling ourselves; humility is ignoring ourselves, negating ourselves, and considering ourselves as nothing.
３
She was sitting down; those who are busy to the point of being distracted from the Lord's presence have a wandering mind and vacillating thoughts; they must stop themselves in order to spend personal time with the Lord on a daily basis.
４
She was listening to the Lord's word; the words that the Lord speaks to us are spirit and life (John 6:63); her listening to the Lord's word afforded the Lord the opportunity to communicate Himself to her and to dispense Himself into her so that she could gain the Lord Himself.
C
Samuel enjoyed his portion of the good land to the fullest for his whole life; thus, in a New Testament sense, we can say that there was no defect in his enjoyment of Christ; the only defect in Samuel's history was that he appointed his two sons as judges among the children of Israel—1 Sam. 8:1-3:
１
The unjust ways of Samuel's sons were contrary to their father's pure and just way in his whole life (12:3-23) and gave the people of Israel cause to ask Samuel to appoint a king to judge them like all the nations (8:1-7); hence, the sons of Samuel should not be reckoned judges among the people of Israel (Acts 13:20), and their father Samuel should be considered the last judge.
２
Humanly, Samuel made a mistake in this matter, but this mistake helped God to manage the situation among His people by bringing in the kingship for the fulfillment of His economy.
Morning Nourishment
1 Sam. 3:10 Then Jehovah came and stood by and called as at the other times, Samuel! Samuel! And Samuel said, Speak, for Your servant is listening.20-21…All Israel… knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of Jehovah…[who] revealed Himself to Samuel…by the word of Jehovah.
Luke 10:39 …She had a sister called Mary, who…sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to His word.
Samuel was faithful in all his statuses and offices. As a Levite, he served God his whole life. As a Nazarite, he kept his consecration without failure. As a priest-prophet, he spoke for God honestly and initiated the prophethood to replace the fading priesthood in the divine revelation. As a judge, he was faithful to God and just to the people, terminating the judgeship and bringing in the kingship for the changing of the age in the fulfillment of God’s economy on the earth. Samuel enjoyed his portion of the good land to the fullest for his whole life. He was therefore a person who enjoyed the God-allotted portion of the promised good land, that is, Christ. There was no defect in his enjoyment of Christ.
The only defect in Samuel’s history was that he appointed his two sons as judges among the children of Israel. His sons did not follow in his ways, and this gave cause for the children of Israel to ask for a king (1 Sam. 8:1-7). Humanly speaking, Samuel made a mistake in this matter, but this mistake helped God to manage the situation among His people for the fulfillment of His economy. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, p. 128)
Today’s Reading
Mary had a proper attitude. There are at least four aspects to a proper attitude.(1) She was at the feet of the Lord Jesus,…drawing near to the Lord. This is the shortest and quickest way to grow in life. No method is better than coming to Him moment by moment, loving Him, worshipping Him, and unceasingly fellowshipping with Him and remaining in His presence. Many who know God in a deep way have found this way…. Paul also charged us to pray unceasingly (1 Thes. 5:17). If a man unceasingly fellowships with the indwelling Christ with an unveiled face, he will be changed into the Lord’s likeness (2 Cor. 3:18).
(2) She sat at the feet of the Lord. This means that she put herself in a humble position. Humility is a crucial condition for receiving God’s blessing. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble (1 Pet. 5:5). Humility is not belittling ourselves; humility is ignoring ourselves, negating ourselves, and considering ourselves as nothing. If we draw near to God with deep humility, He will give grace to us.
(3) She was sitting down. She was not busy like her sister. Quietness is often the source of spiritual strength. The greatest challenge man faces is being quiet before the Lord. His eyes and thoughts often are distracted to the outside world. Of all the members in the body, the eyes are the busiest, and of all the faculties in the soul, the mind is the busiest. Those who are busy cannot receive revelation easily. A wandering mind and vacillating thoughts are like restless waves on a lake; the lake will never be able to clearly reflect the flowers and trees on the shore. If a man wants to have the Lord’s image imprinted in him and to be transformed into the Lord’s image, quietness is a necessity.
(4) She was listening to the Lord’s word. The words that the Lord speaks are spirit and life. Through this word, the Lord dispenses Himself to men. Her listening to the Lord’s word afforded the Lord the opportunity to communicate Himself to her so that she would gain the Lord and become like Him. She was continually receiving the Lord Himself. She did not just hear words; she was meeting the Lord…. It is a pity for anyone to just hear man’s voice in a sermon and not meet the Christ behind the voice. (CWWN, vol. 38, pp. 271-272)
Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 38, ch. 39; Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, msgs. 19, 1-18, 21-22, 33-34, 38