In verse 23a Samuel told the people, who had begged him to pray for them, "As for me, far be it from me that I would sin against Jehovah by ceasing to pray for you." This reveals that Samuel considered not praying for God's peculiar people to be a sin against Jehovah. We need to learn of Samuel to pray not only for our own children but also for God's children. If we pray for our children without praying for God's children, we may be selfish and sin against God. Praying for God's children actually includes praying for our children. As we pray for God's children, our children will be under His care.
The record in 1 Samuel shows us that Samuel's heart was only for God's elect. The term elect is precious to the ears of God and to the heart of God. His elect are His peculiar, personal possession as a treasure. Caring for God's elect was a crucial aspect of the history concerning Samuel, which was in sharp contrast to the history concerning Saul.