Roles In The Kingdom – Mentoring
[By Robert Haynes]

As God’s people, one of our biggest roles is telling people of the things God has done for us. We’re broadly commanded to point all people towards God and make disciples (Matthew 5:16; 28:19). Additionally, we teach and train our children (Ephesians 6:4; 1 Timothy 3:4, 12). The Old Testament provides a handful of examples of what a failure to do so might look like. The Patriarchs would set up memorials, and Joshua set up a memorial after the Israelites crossed the Jordan (Joshua 4:1-9). It’s later noted that despite these memorials, they did not remember (Judges 2:10-11). The Israelite tribes remained faithful until the elders that outlived Joshua died. Over time, the Israelites failed to pass down how God had brought them into the land. Occasionally, we see God raise up a judge, but even that judge would not always have a firm grasp of God’s will (think Gideon and his sons from Judges 6-9). For all the good habits we pass on, we can pass on some bad habits too, and those can accumulate over time. So, I’d like to consider our role as spiritual mentors.

At the end of the Judges era are Eli and Samuel. At the beginning of 2 Samuel, the child, Samuel, was placed in Eli’s care. Eli mentored Samuel in fulfilling priestly duties and responding to prophecies from God. It’s a bit ominous that the section is right next to the condemnation of Eli and his sons (1 Samuel 2:12-17; 22-36). One might become worried about how he would raise Samuel. Although we see Eli rebuke his sons for their wicked dealings, we can read that he would bend the law as well to eat the best cuts of meat from the sacrifices. Fortunately, the teaching that Eli gave Samuel was productive, and Samuel became a godly leader for Israel when prophetic revelation was rare (1 Samuel 3:1). However, we see Samuel struggled with his own sons being dishonest like Eli’s sons such that Israel rejected them as leaders (1 Samuel 8:1-5). While Samuel was more faithful and attentive to prophecy than Eli, he faced the same issue with his own children.

I think there can be some lessons for spiritual leadership here. We understand that we plant, but God is what causes it to grow (1 Corinthians 3:6-8). Planting is one small process in the growth of a seed, and there are so many outside factors that impact the seed once it’s planted. If that seed has the desire to keep growing towards God, then they might avoid some of our own bad habits or faults in instruction because their heart is pointed in the right direction, with a love for God and a desire to be obedient to His commandments. Samuel was able to be a more forthright judge, compared to Eli, because of his dedication to God over replicating the behavior of his mentor. This example demonstrates that being a spiritual leader is more than “Do as I do”, but carefully guiding people to recognize the grace of God, and the Word that demonstrates how best to live in a manner that returns that love He showed us. It can also be a strong, preventative measure against backsliding, like that evident in Israel once Joshua’s days were over, to spend time being grateful for how God has taken us out of spiritual exile. We may not succeed every time, but it’s the best we can give to be like our Teacher, Jesus, as we tell the gospel (Luke 6:40).