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As they said, “Last but not least.” This phrase could easily be
used to describe Samuel, the last of the judges but by no means, the littlest
for here is a prophet and judge who served the Lord with remarkable integrity
and unstinting faith, demonstrating exemplary piety to God in ways that prove
his love for Him.
Samuel had long been chosen for his place in the world. From
birth, he was gifted to the Lord by his mother, Hannah, who had been barren all
her life. She elected to trust God and prayed for a child in order that she
could be relieved of the taunting of her husband’s other wife. In exchange she
would present her baby to God.
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And so upon his miraculous birth, Hannah named him ‘Samuel’ to
mean, ‘the Lord hears,’ for it is true what the Bible says, “the Lord
remembered her.” After the boy was weaned, Hannah brought her to Shiloh and
dedicated him to God, as promised, thus placing him in the care of Eli, the
high priest who brought him up in wisdom to become a prophet as the Lord had
intended. Shortly after the great Israelite victory over the Philistines,
Samuel was appointed judge over the nation of Jews. In his capacity, he
successfully rallied his people against the Philistines, this time, at Mizpah.
In his role as judge of Israel, Samuel settled in Ramah but he
would ride out to a circuit of cities and townships where he fulfilled his
obligation to settle the people’s disputes and arbitrate over matters of
conflict.
As a man chosen with a destiny for God since birth, Samuel
earned God’s favour and trust simply because he not only knew but chose to be
obedient and devout. While he had mastered his life to be at one with God, he
could not say the same for his two sons, Joel and Abijah. Despite being
delegated to follow in the footsteps of their father, they became so corrupt
that people spurned them in preference for their own mortal king.
Although the Bible doesn’t describe it, Samuel was likely
heartbroken by the serious misdeeds of his own sons and in lamentation went
before God for directions. In listening to the Lord who was equally as sad,
Samuel broke forth and anointed a Benjamite by the name of Saul to be the first
of Israel’s kings and the rest is, as they say, history.
Knowing what his people were like, Samuel in his last speech,
exhorted them to surrender their idol worship and instead serve the One True
God of Israel. He also warned that if they and their king disobeyed, all would
be swept away. But just as he suspected, even the king disobeyed, offering a
sacrifice instead of waiting upon Samuel to do it. Samuel, after all, and not
Saul, was God’s anointed priest. And when God had instructed, through Samuel,
that the Amalekites were to be completely destroyed in battle including their
livestock, Saul again disobeyed, retaining the enemy king and hoarding the best
livestock for themselves.
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Completely aggrieved by such display of arrogance and disobedience,
God rejected Saul and set Samuel forth to find a replacement in which he did in
Bethlehem where a young shepherd, David, son of Jesse was discovered. With the
Holy Spirit having departed from Saul, he went into wild swings of rage and
jealousy in pursuing David, his replacement, as far as he could reach in order
to hunt him down and kill him.
Even after Samuel had died, he would return to make another
appearance to Saul when the hardened king sought out a medium, the witch of
En Dor, and ordered her to summon the spirit of the old prophet prior to a great
battle ahead. In the appearance, a dead Samuel told Saul that the battle would
be not only his but also the last for his two sons. They would all perish in
the most miserable state – Saul died by his very own sword.
Achievements
Samuel’s devotion to God
began even when he was a small child and with this upbringing, he came an
honest and fair judge who would impart God’s law and justice equitably. He did
his part in rallying Israel not only in battle but also in turning away from
idolatrous practices so that they could serve God exclusively. In being the
last of the judges, Samuel bore witness to Israel assuming her first monarch.
Personal Strengths
Unquestionably, Samuel was
obedient to God to a fault. He loved the Lord with such an intensity that he
was impervious to all lures of corruptibility. His integrity was so compelling
that he never once exploited his authority for his own benefit. He didn’t care
much about what others thought of him; he had a job to do and he did it with
his loyalty to God fully intact.
Personal Weaknesses
While there was never a
doubt about Samuel’s exemplary life before God, he somehow neglected to ensure
that his sons would be like him. For whatever reason, he failed to raise them
the way one would have expected and they ended up corrupt to the core.
Lessons in Life
Samuel teaches us that the
most demonstrable love for God is to be obedient and respectful. He
distinguished himself by being different from others – with selfishness abound everywhere,
he stood out as incorruptible, placing God as his first priority in life.
Hometown
Ephraim, Ramah
Family Tree
Elkanah (father); Hannah
(mother); Joel (son); Abijah (son)
Occupation
Priest, judge, prophet,
anointer of kings
Biblical References
1 Samuel 1-28; Psalm 99:6;
Jeremiah 15:1; Acts 3:24, 13:20; Hebrews 11:32
Key Verses
1 Samuel 15:22-23 >
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying
the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat
of rams…”
1 Samuel 16:7 > “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his
appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at
the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance but the Lord
looks at the heart.’”
1 Samuel 3:19-21 > “The
Lord was with Samuel as he grew up and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to
the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognised that Samuel was
attested as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and
there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.
Next Up
Heroes of Faith Part 18/Final - Others; February 20
2015
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