1 Sam 16:1-13 / Mark 2:23-28
We would presume that a man of God would have great faith and courage and wisdom.
Yes, we have our expectations of those who have dedicated themselves to the service of God. We presume that God will grant them those necessary qualities so that they can serve Him well.
Especially for people like priests and religious, we would expect them to stand at the front lines and show their trust in God in the face of adversaries and adversities.
So we would expect someone like the prophet Samuel to display these qualities.
Yet, when the Lord told Samuel to go and anoint the next king of Israel, he protested, saying that Saul would kill him when he heard of it, and so the Lord had to tell him how to go around it.
And when the sons of Jesse came before him, he judged them by human standards who would be the next king until the Lord had to tell him who was the chosen one.
So as we can see, Samuel was as human as any of us, with the similar and familiar defects and weaknesses.
But Samuel had also learnt to be sensitive and to follow the ways of the Lord instead of relying on his human instinct and intelligence. So Samuel waited for the Lord's instructions before he went ahead to anoint David.
We are created by the Lord. (Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you. – St. Augustine)
We must remember that we are made for the Lord and not the other other way round. When we truly understand that we are made for the Lord, then we will be a people of great faith and courage and wisdom.