When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine. After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” And they worshiped the Lord there.
1 Samuel 1:24-28

Dear God, I wonder what this day was like for the three-year-old boy Samuel. How did his mother prepare him for this day? Was he scared? Excited? Did she tell him what a miracle baby he was? Did he know how Eli had blessed her and asked that God grant her request? It’s interesting to note that she never told him what was distressing her.

And then from Eli. Was he surprised when Hannah showed up with Samuel and said, “Here he is. He’s yours now”? How did his boys feel about it? How old were they when this three-year-old boy showed up to be raised by Eli and, seemingly, them. We know that in a few years they will be behaving badly and God will curse them and Eli because of their behavior. But here, in this moment, there had to have been a lot of surprise and more than a little distress.

But you use the distress to form us. In this case, you used it to form Samuel. And then, several years later, as Eli’s sons are doing bad things, and Samuel might be tempted to model their behavior, you warned him to not do those things. That they and Eli would pay for them. You were calling Samuel to a different and higher ethic and standard. You were calling him to take his worship of you and his charge before you seriously.

Father, I want to take my worship of you and my charge before you more seriously as well. It’s Christmas week. I want to keep my eyes on you. I want the things of earth to grow strangely dim in the light of your glory and grace. I need your glory in my life. I need your grace. I need to give your grace as well. Help me to do that so that you might be glorified in everything.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen