1 Samuel 2:35a ; 3:7 – “Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind…7(Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.)”
A transition in priestly leadership is about to take place. Eli has forfeited the priesthood. His sons have made a mockery of the offerings of the Lord and God has had enough. The wording in our text today is important. The priesthood should have naturally transferred to Eli’s sons. But now God says “I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest.” When man is incapable of doing what is right, God will do it Himself.
The qualifications for such a leader that God is looking for is #1 – Faithful. Hophni and Phineahas (Eli’s sons) were unfaithful. 1 Corinthians 4:2 says that it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. Leaders must first and foremost be faithful to the Lord and then faithful to the call.
Requirement #2 – A leader “who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind.” This assumes that a leader knows the heart and mind of God. We are not allowed to do what we think is best and what we think is a great idea. God has a will and a plan and this must be followed in detail.
Here are a couple of things to remember:
1.Consult the Lord – There are stories in the Bible when leaders failed to consult the Lord. This sometimes had disastrous results. ALWAYS consult the Lord about decisions.
2.Resist Pressurized Decisions – This requires wisdom. Indecision can hamper an organization and even cause it to fail. But when you feel tremendous pressure to make a decision, you may need to put the brakes on and pull back. Please pay attention to the “check” you get in your gut…more times than not it will save you in the long run.
3.Get more Input – Proverbs 15:22 tells us, “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.” There is a reason we have the saying in our culture: “Two heads are better than one.” Different angles and different perspectives can make a difficult decision much clearer.
If you are a leader, be faithful and get the heart and mind of God on the matter. The outcome will be an enduring one.