He "Continueed Growing Up With Jehovah" - "Ministering Before Jehovah, as a Boy" -Conclusion

 Parents today can learn a lot from Hannah and Elkanah. It is common for parents to focus all their childbearing efforts on material concerns while ignoring spiritual needs. But Samuel's parents put spiritual matters first, and that had a great bearing on the kind of man their son grew up to be. - PROVERBS 22:6. 

We can picture the boy growing bigger and exploring the hills around Shiloh. As he gazed down in the town and the valley that spread out below it on one side, his heart likely swelled with joy and pride when he caught sight of Jehovah's tabernacle.  That tabernacle was a sacred place indeed. Built nearly 400 years earlier under the direction of Moses himse;lf, it was the one center for the pure worship of Jehovah in all the world. 

Young Samuel grew to love the tabernacle.  In the account he later wrote, we read: "Samuel was ministering before Jehovah, as a boy, having  a linen ephod girded on." (1 Samuel 2:18) That simple sleeveless garment evidently indicated that Samuel assisted the priests at the tabernacle.  Although not of the priestly class, Samuel had duties that included opening the doors to the tabernacle courtyard in the morning and attending to elderly Eli.  As much as he enjoyed the privileges, though, in time, his innocent heart became troubled.  Something was terribly wrong at Jehovah's house. 

Next time: He "Continued Growing Up With Jehovah" - Staying Pure in the Face of Corruption

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