You are not too young to be a priest unto God. All that God requires is faithfulness, dedication, and obedience.

Eli was a priest unto God but when he became old his sons took over the priesthood.

However, his sons were unfaithful, so God decided to raise up another priest to take his place. God accomplished this through the faith of a barren woman called Hannah.

Hannah was unhappy for many years because of her barrenness. But one day while she was offering her yearly sacrifice to God in Shiloh she cried out to God and poured out her soul to Him.

My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies because I rejoice in Your salvation. (1 Samuel 2:1)

Hannah gave up all her selfish desires and gave all to God and the Lord honored her. After Eli had prayed for Hannah, she conceived and gave birth to Samuel.

Although Eli had given up his duties and authority as a priest, he still had the anointing of God on his life. He may have lacked discernment because at first, he thought that Hannah was drunk when she was praying.

But, the priest was anointed by God, and so was still useful to Him. However, Eli did not recognize his value and he relinquished his duties to his unfaithful sons.

God was not pleased with Eli’s attitude.

Related: Do Not Give Up! Exercise Your Authority!

Samuel was very young, about five or six years old when his mother took him to the temple to be trained as a priest.

Hannah had made a vow to God that if He gave her a son she would give him back to God all the days of his life. So, she fulfilled her vow unto God.

She gave her only son for his entire life to serve the Lord in His temple. This was the ultimate sacrifice a mother could make.

Depiction of Eli and Samuel by John Singleton Copley/Wikipedia

Especially a woman who had been barren for many years and had no idea if she ever would be able to give birth to another child.

Samuel grew up in the temple with Eli who taught him the customs, laws, and ordinances of God. So while Eli’s son was doing despicable things in the house of God, Samuel was ministering before God.

A boy wearing a linen ephod (1Samuel 3:18).

The linen ephod that Samuel wore was a priestly garment which signified that he was chosen by God to take over the priesthood. But Eli was oblivious to the plan of God.

I want you to understand that Eli’s son’s sacrilegious acts in the temple and Eli’s inability to punish them were grievous sins in the sight of God, which He could not overlook. Note the following words spoken by the servant of God.

“I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house and He will minister before my anointed one always.” (1 Samuel 2:35)

Let us break down this verse step by step. God raised up Samuel to be His faithful priest. He had decided to remove the sons of Eli by killing them.

God knew that Samuel would consistently obey Him.

“Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today.” (Deuteronomy 11:26-27)

Eli and his sons were stubborn and disobedient, and if you rejected the word of the Lord, He would also reject you.

The Lord also proclaimed that He would establish the house of His faithful priest who would minister before His anointed one.

Read also: Who is God’s anointed one?

I want you to understand that the call of God on your life is from before the foundation of the world. When you answer God’s call, He will establish you regardless of your age.

Do you know the call of God on your life?

If you don’t, would you like to know?

Published by Beverley

Beverley has been serving the Lord since she was a child. At an early age, she recognized that God had a special plan for her life, but it was not until in her adulthood that she surrendered her total life to God and accepted the mandate that God placed on her life. The Lord called her into His Kingdom to be an encourager, intercessor, teacher, scribe, priest, and to proclaim the Word of God. Since then, Beverly has established a blog to teach us to become the oil and wine. The oil and wine are purified and mature products, which is the advanced level that the Lord expected of us. In 2017, Beverley published her first book, Harm Not The Oil And Wine. In it, she described her trials and how God helped her to overcome them, and to live more victoriously. The book also exposed the enemy of our souls with detailed information about his past defeats and future extinction. Wright spents most of her time studying the Bible to know the truth of God’s Word. She believes that only God’s truth can expose the deception of the enemy, and uproot and tear down spiritual strongholds. You can learn more about Beverley’s life and testimony on her website becomingtheoilandwine.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Google+ under the name of her blog, and on Twitter as @Theoilandwine. View all posts by Beverley