This idea of "servant" comes up in Sifrei Devarim, that's the book of Deuteronomy, and it got me thinking.

The verse we're looking at is Deuteronomy 3:24, where Moses is pleading with God, saying, "to show Your servant." Now, the Sifrei Devarim takes this simple phrase and unpacks it, revealing something truly profound about our relationship with the Divine.

It points out that there are those who call themselves "servants" whom God also calls "servants." Makes sense, right? Abraham is a prime example. He humbly refers to himself as a servant, saying in Genesis 18:3, "Do not now pass away from Your servant." And what does God call him? A servant! As we see in Genesis 26:24, "for the sake of Abraham, My servant." Jacob, Moses, David, and Isaiah all follow this same pattern: they acknowledge their service, and God affirms it.

But then, things get interesting. The text highlights those who call themselves "servants" but whom God doesn’t call "servants." Samuel, Shimshon (that's Samson), and Solomon fall into this category. Shimshon cries out to God in Judges 15:18 “You have given into the hand of Your servant…” but God doesn’t refer to him as such. Solomon asks for an understanding heart to serve, as we see in 1 Kings 3:9, “Give Your servant an understanding heart,” and yet, God's blessing is tied to David, Solomon’s father, not to Solomon’s own merit as a servant. "For the sake of David, My servant," it says in 1 Kings 15:13.

What does this tell us? Is it simply about humility? Or is there something more at play?

And then there's the third category: those who don’t call themselves "servants," but whom God does call "servants." Iyyov (Job), Joshua, Calev, Elyakim, Zerubavel, Daniel, and even Chananiah, Mishael, and Azaryah (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in their Babylonian names) all fit here. Iyyov never proclaims himself a servant, yet God asks, in Iyyov 2:3, "Have you given heart to My servant, Iyyov?" Similarly, we never see Joshua calling himself a servant, but Scripture does. Joshua 24:29 says, "and Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the L-rd, died."

Even the early prophets, as Amos 3:7 reminds us, were called servants of God, even if they didn't explicitly use that title for themselves. "…but He revealed His secret to His servants, the prophets."

So, what are we to make of all this?

Perhaps it suggests that true service isn’t about the titles we claim, but about the actions we take and the relationship we cultivate with the Divine. It's about aligning our will with God's, whether we verbalize it or not. It’s almost as if, according to this teaching, the quality of our service speaks louder than any declaration.

Maybe true service isn’t something we declare, but something that is recognized – both by ourselves and by God. It's a quiet dedication, a consistent striving to do what is right, to live a life of meaning and purpose. And sometimes, it’s recognized even when we don't consciously label ourselves as servants.

Think about that. Think about the ways you serve, the ways you strive to be better, to contribute to the world. Maybe, just maybe, you're already a servant in the eyes of the One Above, whether you realize it or not.