Book by Book · Old Testament
The book turns on a boy in the dark, answering a voice he does not yet recognize.
1 Samuel tells how Israel moved from judges to kings. It opens with Hannah, a grieving woman who prays for a son and gives him back to God, and that son, Samuel, grows up to be the prophet who anoints the nation's first two kings. The story runs through Saul, who looks the part and then unravels, and on to a shepherd boy named David.
One scene sets the tone for everything after. The old priest Eli is going blind, the word of the Lord is rare, and a child sleeping in the temple hears his name called in the night. Three times Samuel runs to Eli before the old man understands who is speaking, and tells the boy how to answer. It is a book about learning to listen before you learn to lead.
Speak, for your servant hears.
— 1 Samuel 3:10 (ESV)
Later, when Samuel goes to anoint the next king, he assumes it must be the tall, impressive older brother. The Lord corrects him: people look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. The boy left out in the field, David, is the one chosen. Twice over, the book warns against trusting the obvious surface.
That is a strange and useful pairing to sit with while building something that answers questions. The easy thing to build is a confident voice, quick to speak, sure of itself, judging by whatever is on the surface of a question.
We tried to build the other thing. Our assistant answers only from what a church has actually said, and it is meant to listen to the question carefully rather than perform certainty. When it does not know, the honest answer is to say so, not to guess in a convincing voice.
Speak, for your servant hears is not a bad posture for a tool, either.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
See it answer — try a live demo →