Quotes About Service

And everyone left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a morsel of bread, pleading, “Please appoint me to some priestly office so that I can eat a piece of bread.”í”

“Go and lie down,” he said to Samuel, “and if He calls you, say, ëSpeak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.í” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Now, therefore, prepare one new cart with two milk cows that have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.

Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and Ashtoreths among you, prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only. And He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”

So Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

Every year he would go on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all these places.

Then he would return to Ramah because his home was there, and there he judged Israel and built an altar to the LORD.

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.

He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to his own chariots and horses, to run in front of his chariots.

He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, to make his weapons of war, and to equip his chariots.

And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.

He will take a tenth of your grain and grape harvest and give it to his officials and servants.

He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.

One day the donkeys of Saulís father Kish wandered off, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants and go look for the donkeys.”

“If we do go,” Saul replied, “what can we give the man? For the bread in our packs is gone, and there is no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?”

“Good,” said Saul to his servant. “Come, let us go.” So they set out for the city where the man of God was.

And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you and told you to set aside.”

Now here is the king walking before you, and I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day.

Then they cried out to the LORD and said, ëWe have sinned, for we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and Ashtoreths. Now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, that we may serve You.í

“Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “Even though you have committed all this evil, do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.

Let our lord command your servants here to seek out someone who can skillfully play the harp. Whenever the spirit of distress from God is upon you, he is to play it, and you will be well.”

And Saul commanded his servants, “Find me someone who plays well, and bring him to me.”

And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and one young goat, and sent them to Saul with his son David.

When David came to Saul and entered his service, Saul admired him greatly, and David became his armor-bearer.