God's Way: 1 Samuel 7:1-2
Life is best lived when God sets the course. He knows the plan for our lives. He’s always had the plan. My dreams are fleeting; His dreams are eternal.
After some of the men of Beth-shemesh die in the presence of the ark, the people send word to Kiriath-jearim to come and take care of it. The ark is moved to the house of Abinidab and his son Eleazar is consecrated and tasked to care for it. The Bible doesn’t tell us Abinidab’s genealogy, but Hebrew tradition claims Abinidab and his son were Levites.
Imagine being Abinidab for a second. An object, whose mistreatment cost people their very life, is dropped off at your house to care for. Sure, it’s an honor. At the same time, there is a level of care about daily life that needs to be considered. Where they placed the ark is no longer a building where a nonchalant attitude can be tolerated.
Or, imagine being Eleazar. In a single day you go from being a random Levite going about his life and serving at the tabernacle once a year to becoming the keeper of the ark. That’s quite a difference in social position, especially since the primary deciding factor in the choice was geography. I’m sure the people picked responsible Levites when looking at Abinidab and Eleazar, but the attribute that put them on the list was they lived in Kiriath-jearim.
Sometimes the people God chooses to serve Him aren’t those with the greatest talent or the greatest desire. Sometimes those who serve Him are the ones who have made themselves present and available. God can do much with those who are around Him. When we are relying on God’s will, our own individual talent level is much less significant than we make it out to be.
Finally, consider being Samuel. He is the sole remaining living person from those who worked the tabernacle of Shiloh under Eli. He could have felt like the ark should have come to him, especially having had personal conversations with God. He certainly can make a case for being overlooked in the decision-making process.
God has a different plan for Samuel. God used his time in the tabernacle to teach Samuel about Him through the many priests and Levites who came to the tabernacle to serve. God used that time to introduce Samuel to the religious community of the Hebrew people. Yet, God wasn’t doing this to train Samuel to care for the ark and other holy implements. God has another plan.
Samuel could have been upset when the honor of caring for the ark fell to Abinidab and Eleazar. He wasn’t. The rest of this book gives the story of Samuel letting go of the routine religious duty and instead stepping into the role of judge. Samuel checks any pride he could have felt at the door and follows God. Life is best lived when God sets the course.
