Victorious Nerd?

So the Philistines were subdued and they did not come anymore within the border of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.  The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. So there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. (1 Samuel 7:13-14 NASB)

I was watching "The Bible" TV series, and they reached the part when Israel asks for a king.  They set the scene by saying that the Philistines again oppressed the Israelites, and a solution was needed.  But the impression given through that segment was that Samuel was never able to lead the people to victory.  It was like the series supported this view that unless someone was a "hero" on a horse, there would be no victory.

Samuel was a prophet/judge.  Before him had been all sorts, from warriors to mothers to priests to farmers.  God called, or anointed, all sorts of people as judge and/or deliverer.  So the "judges" were a varied sort, but the common theme was that those that God designated as deliverers always brought victory to Israel.  They also demanded repentance to God, restoration of worship of God alone, and led in the worship.  Whatever else they had been doing, that was always a part of what they did to deliver Israel.

The problem for Israel had been getting a succession of judges who were faithful.  It seemed that fathers were never able to successfully pass on the mantle of "judge" to their offspring.  It caused problems because then Israel fell back into disarray after the delivering judge died.  It was a repeated theme all through the book of judges.  The reason God gives for leading them this way is that He wants them to be led by Him first, and others second.  It doesn't seem the people of Israel were grown up enough for that.  In Samuel, they're still not.

Samuel represents the end of the era of judges.  And he is a quintessential judge.  He is of the tribe of Ephraim, but functions as a priest.  He is raised by a priest, and functions as a prophet.  He fits in his world; the people watching the Ark were asked to care for it by Levites, but they are in Judah.  Everything seems backward, off from what God designated, but He's the One designating it this way.  It's another reversal, but reversal of role, of power, of success, and of victory.  The "nerd" wins this round.

Samuel isn't a conquering hero on a horse, he's not a swordsman, he's not a military strategist or tactician, he's a priestly prophet.  Yet not only does the ragtag army of farmers and shepherds defeat the iron-clad warriors at Mizpah, but they continue to take two of their major cities, two where the Ark was kept when the Philistines took it.  These poorly armed untrained soldiers inspired by a prophet defeat and keep at bay the stronger better led and better armed opponent.  It's a divine reversal.

But they will clamor for a king.  They will clamor for a hero on a horse, a swordsman, a strategist and tactician.  They don't want divine reversals, they want to be like everyone else; the problem that caused them to need divine reversals in the first place.  They have worshiped like everyone else all along and it never worked.  Now they want to have a king like everyone else, even though the divine reversal thing has been what worked.

Have I put my plans and perceptions ahead of my Master's methods?  Have I acted like I knew best instead of taking as my Master gives?  Absolutely!  Many times I'm not any brighter than these Israelites.  I look around me at those I work with and want to be like them, work like them, succeed like them.  But my Master works otherwise.  He brings success to me from quarters where I can't take credit.  He makes things I didn't even see into successes, but also seems to frustrate my attempts to work like others.

I know that much of what I do is dependent upon my consistent work to reach out to customers.  Yet the return on that investment is in the hands of my Master.  He asks me to be faithful, and so I call.  But I also seek to help, to serve, and to make a difference in the lives of my customers.  That is also part of His call to be faithful.  These customers become clients. 

That's not part of my job necessarily, we have a department to help customers.  But I do it because that's more who I am than the smiler-and-dialer; more who my Master has made me.  When I am faithful to my Master instead of doing what everyone else does, then I enjoy the divine reversal sort of success.  More importantly, I enjoy life with my Master.  When it comes to life, what else is there?