I haven’t read much about Samuel outside of the Bible. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a sermon about this great man of God. It’s not surprising to see that he is mentioned in the Hall of Faith chapter in Hebrews 11, but it does seem unfortunate that we rarely hear how God used this humble man to lead Israel through some of the darkest days of their history.
While reading through the Bible this year, I have enjoyed seeing what a dramatic difference Samuel made in the spiritual life of God’s people. He was born during the time of the judges when “There was no king in Israel; everyone did what which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25 Legacy Standard Bible). The time of judges occurred towards the end of the 11th Century BC. Eli was the chief priest at the time and the book of 1 Samuel makes it clear that his spiritual leadership was lacking. His own sons had been made priests and they regularly took advantage of the people by stealing from their offerings and by even committing adultery with some of the women who came to worship God.
The historical account in 1 Samuel reveals that God’s patience with Eli came to an end. A man was sent to Eli to tell him that God was going to punish him for his sinful leadership. Both of Eli’s sons would die on the same day and Eli’s leadership would come to an end. In his place, God would raise up “a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him a faithful house, and he will walk before My anointed always.” (1 Samuel 2:35)
The faithful priest mentioned in that prophecy was Samuel. His father was Elkanah and his mother was named Hannah. They were a godly couple, but Hannah was deeply depressed because she could not have children. She made a vow to God that if He gave her a son, she would place him in the priesthood to serve the Lord. God granted her request and so when he was old enough, she took him to Shiloh and he became a priest in training.
Something happened when Samuel was young that revealed the foundation of his faithfulness to God. He was visited by God and Samuel responded by saying, “Speak, for your slave is listening.” Samuel’s willingness to obey God started from that young age and continued throughout his life. 1 Samuel 2:26 says, “Now the young boy Samuel was growing in stature and in favor both with Yahweh and with men.” A similar phrase was used to describe Jesus Christ when he was young (Luke 2:52).
Samuel continued to grow in faithfulness to God throughout his life. His first major test came after Eli’s sons died while fighting the Philistines at the battle of Aphek in 1104 BC. Eli himself died on the same day and Samuel became the chief priest of Israel. 1 Samuel 7 describes how he challenged the people to be faithful to God. He said, “If you are to return to Yahweh with all your heart, then remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and set your hearts toward Yahweh and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” (1 Sam. 7:3) The people listened to and removed their idols and served God.
Samuel gathered the people at a place called Mizpah, which is near the modern city of Jerusalem. There he led the people in repenting of their sins. The Philistine rulers heard that the Israelites were gathered together and they brought an army against them to attack them. We believe this battle took place in 1084 BC. Samuel could have told the people to flee back to their homes, but he didn’t. He bravely told the people, “Do not cease to cry out to Yahweh our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” (1 Sam. 7:8)
The faith of Samuel was put on display at Mizpah because he did not tell the people to rely on their own strength. He did not look for a way to pay mercenaries to come defend them as other leaders often did at the time. No, he relied on the power of God alone. 1 Samuel 7 records how God caused the Philistines to become confused and their army was dispersed. As a result, the people of Israel were able to pursue their enemy down the mountain range as far as Beth-Car, which many believe would be at the edge of the plains and the foothills near modern day Nashon, Israel.
The historical account in 1 Samuel tells us that Samuel’s stand against the Philistines led to many of the major cities in the plains being returned to Israel. This time of peace continued throughout much of Samuel’s life, which is a testimony to how God honored his faith. He spent much of his ministry visiting the people on a circuit that went from Ramah, where he lived to Gilgal and Bethel. He became a trusted and respected judge for the people of Israel.
Later in his life he was used by God to help the people transition from a theocracy (ruled by God) to a monarchy (ruled by a king). He anointed Saul as Israel’s first king and he continued to call the people and the king to faithfulness throughout his life. His faith in God was shown dramatically in 1 Samuel 13 when the Bible records how Samuel confronted Saul’s lack of faith. He told the king, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of Yahweh your God, which He commanded you.” As a result Samuel told Saul that the kingdom would be given to another, who we know from later accounts is king David.
It is interesting that Samuel had the same weakness that Eli, his predecessor had. 1 Samuel 8 describes how Samuel’s two sons, Joel and Abijah, were also priests who were unfaithful to God. They were greedy and corrupt. Samuel, like every father, is ultimately not responsible for the actions of their grown children, but it is unfortunate that his sons did not recognize the benefit of living in a way that was pleasing to God.
We don’t know exactly how old Samuel was when he died, but we know that he died before David became king around 1011 BC. 1 Samuel 25 records how all Israel gathered together in his hometown of Ramah to mourn his death. He was the last of the great priests before Israel became a monarchy. His life was marked by unbroken faithfulness to God. From his youth to his death.
Personally, I think there is much to learn from his willingness to fear God and not man. His ability to trust in God in the face of impending doom clearly marks him as a great man of faith. My hope is believers will be inspired to trust in God the same way Samuel did.
