Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? – 1 Samuel 2:27

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 10, 2019): 1 Samuel 2

Unknown Rebel staring down tanks in Tiananmen Square 

(1989)

You have probably seen the picture. An unknown man in a white shirt, staring down the line of tanks. The picture of the man and the tanks was named Life Magazine’s “100 Photo’s that Changed the World” and Time Magazine named him one the “100 Most Influential People of the 20^th Century,” it is surprising how little we know about the man. Oh, there have been rumors, but nothing that is considered to be fact. He stormed onto the scene long enough to stare down the approaching tanks on their way to stop the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in China, and then is pulled out of the way and from there he disappears into the crowd, never to be seen again. Most seem to believe that the unknown man was executed by a firing Squad soon after the protests had been put down. But there are still rumors that he lives in hiding, maybe in Taiwan. He not only changed the world, but he also changed his own life as well.

History is filled with unknown people committing important acts. Most leave without even a picture to show their involvement. Yet, we know that they were there because they altered the way that we see the world, as well as the course of history.

The Bible is also filled with unknown people committing important acts, and one of these people is this “Man of God.” We don’t know who he was. The term “Man of God” probably means that he was one of the prophets of Israel. We know that he was brave. It would take a vast amount of courage for anyone to confront the High Priest of Israel and tell him that the way he was acting was outside of the will of God. This prophet asserted that Eli was selfish and that his reign as High Priest was tainted and destroyed by that selfishness. It takes courage to pronounce a curse on the High Priest and his house. But we know that this unknown man was a “Man of God” because his prophecy came true. The House of Eli was about to be destroyed, and God would raise up their replacements.

We don’t know who this unknown prophet was, just as we don’t know who the Tank Man was at Tiananmen Square. But that does not mean that we don’t have an educated guess. The best identity for the Tank Man was a 19-year-old student which we know of was Wang Weilin. Do we know that for sure? No. It is a guess. And the best guess for who this “Man of God” might be who confronted the High Priest Eli, well, we have already met him. We don’t know for sure, but there is a “Man of God” who fits the bill. His name is Elkanah, the father of Samuel.

In a lot of ways, identifying this prophet as Elkanah makes a lot of sense. The Levite and prophet would likely have started to pay more attention to the High Priest and his family after Hannah left their child with him. Seeing how Eli was bringing up his family would have generated concern in Elkanah. He would not have wanted his son brought up that way. He would have committed the matter to prayer. And because the matter had become personal, Elkanah would have had the courage for the confrontation with Eli, speaking the will of God to the spiritually weak High Priest.

Do we know for sure that the “Man of God” was Elkanah? No. But it does make sense.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Judges 11