I've always been intrigued by the story of Samuel's birth and early childhood (1 Samuel 1-3).
Hannah is barren.
She's intensely prayerful about this issue.
And eventually pledges to give her child to God if she conceives.
She conceives.
And remembers her promise.
After Samuel is weaned (between the age of 3-7, I lean toward 6ish), she fulfills her promises and drops Samuel off at the temple, in the care of the priests.
Eventually, the child Samuel hears God speak to him personally (the story we know so well) in a time when no one - no one - was hearing or listening.
What's often overlooked in the story is the absolutely toxic environment of the temple. Had Hannah left the "nurture and admonition" of Samuel only to the church, he would have been in deep trouble. Not only were the priests unable to commune with God, Eli had neglected most of his priestly duties had become morbidly obese, suggesting that he's taking advantage of worshippers. His sons are openly licentious, immoral in the worst ways imaginable, the Bible reports that they are sleeping with women in the temple while on duty. It's a mess.
And before you think, "It's different today!" think again! A recent study by the Barna Group discovered that only 49% of pastors had an unbiblical worldview. Yes, I know there are great leaders out there - we work with them every day from all over the globe! But the point remains: it's wise not to leave the discipleship of your kids to professionals solely.
Besides, no one knows Samuel like his mother Hannah: what his strengths are, his weaknesses, the dreams that birthed him, the calling of God on his life. Parents are uniquely equipped by God to perceive these things and shape them into reality. It's one of the reasons why parents - and only parents - are required by God to be honoured.
Remarkably, young Samuel remains pure and untainted in the midst of the toxicity and eventually become a great Leader, Prophet, and Judge over Israel.
Whose responsible for that? In one word: Hannah.
The young Samuel was thoroughly prepared for what lay ahead. Or you could say, discipled by his parent. Before ever crossing the threshold of the Holy Place. And this is how it should be. When the Bible teaches us to "raise up a child in the way he should go," it's clearly a directive to parents. Psalm 127:4 makes it clear: children are arrows in the hands of their archer-parents, who then shoot those arrow in the right direction.
The good news: if a parent fulfills their God-given role as First Disciplers, their kids will be fully equipped to handle whatever toxic environments they will invariably find themselves in (ie. public school, university, toxic church, toxic work-place, etc.).
Intriguing side note: Hannah will sew an new ephod (the vestiture of priesthood) for Samuel every year, meaning even during those years in the temple service, she stayed engaged in his growth (spiritual and physical) and repeatedly affirmed (every time she gave him a new ephod) his calling. Powerful!
Here are some helpful questions to ponder help you be First Discipler to your child(ren):
What are God's plans for my child?
What hints have I observed about their character, personality? What does that tell me about their future?
What are their unique talents and abilities? How are they bent?
What fruit of the Spirit seems to come naturally to them (ie. compassion, kindness, patience)
What is my sense of their "calling?"
We've developed tools to help parents be First Disciplers of the kids. A few resources to start with are:
Abide for Kids: teaching kids how to Abide in Christ, recognize his voice, and learn the discipline of a devotional life. We developed this resource in partnership with Church Renewal International. Reach out to us for a digital copy! We are constantly adding new modules.
I Spy Jesus, a children's book my husband and I wrote as a tool for parents to teach their children how to see and experince Jesus in everyday life. Release date: Fall 2024. Get on our mailing list for updates (sign-up located at bottom of home page).
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