Samuel, the Boy: Life Lessons from the First Four Chapters of 1 Samuel

It is tempting, but wrong, to designate some events documented in scripture as just historical records. That is not the purpose of any part of the Bible. The birth and life of Samuel may seem remote, being more than three thousand years ago in a land and culture very different from ours today, but it would be a mistake to treat them as just events in history.

Samuel, the Boy is a story of heartache, rejection, ridicule, and divided loyalties-just some of the challenges facing a family struggling with what it meant to live godly lives three thousand years ago.

It's history, yes, but much, much more. Jesus promised us eternal life-that always holds true-but he did not promise us a life free from challenging situations. He promised to be with us, and he keeps his promise-for all time and in all circumstances, both for Samuel and for us today. Open your hearts to his word for all seasons.

Nigel A. Jones has lived through more than fifty years of Christian discipleship, experiencing many of the joys and difficulties of living the Christian life. Sharing some of them through the medium of the early years of Samuel as recorded in the book of 1 Samuel, he hopes that lives lived more than three thousand years ago will bring renewal to twenty-first-century living. Our circumstances of life will, inevitably, be different but we walk with the same God as did Hannah and Samuel.