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MEN OF FAITH: Samuel

`In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.' Judges 21.25 NKJV

The human mind is easily distracted from the high ideals and principles of God, to follow the dictates of human nature that we all possess. The quotation from the Bible at the commencement of this article reminds us of the reality of this fact. The people of Israel lacked leadership and there was an urgent need for change. Faith in God and His promises was disappearing from the lives of those who had conquered the land promised to Abraham under the powerful leadership of Joshua. He had shown great faith during the changing times of settlement in the land of Israel after forty years of wandering in the wilderness. `Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the LORD which he had done for Israel.' [Joshua 24.31 NKJV]

The faithful Judges

Great faith was displayed in the lives of those who judged Israel, in such men and women as Barak, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson. The last judge Samuel, also demonstrated this same principle of faith in God's promises and obedience to His commandments. Under his leadership a change would take place whereby the people of Israel would request a king to rule over them like the nations along their borders. `The elders of Israel... said to him: Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make for us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel...So Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.' [I Samuel 8.4-7 NKJV] This faith of Samuel in his God continued throughout his life, enabling him to pass through many stressful periods in dealing with God's chosen nation of Israel. Even as a child he showed his trust in God.

The Early Life of Samuel

As a young boy Samuel was given to the service of God by his mother Hannah. She had not been able to have a child by her husband Elkanah, which caused her much grief. On visiting Shiloh where the tabernacle, or house of God was, she made this a matter of prayer to God, showing great faith. God heard the prayer and in process of time after she had returned with her husband to their home town of Ramah, the baby was born. He was a child promised by God, who would carry out the Lord's work in the furtherance of His dealings with Israel. The baby was named Samuel, which means `Asked of God', as Hannah said 'Because I have asked for him from the LORD.' [1 Samuel 1.20 NKJV] Some time later, when the child was old enough, she returned to Shiloh at the time of the yearly sacrifice taking Samuel with her. She went to the tabernacle to Eli the priest, who had seen her praying to God previously, and said `...I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the LORD. For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of him. Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.' [1 Samuel 1. 26-28 NKJV]

Samuel remained there in the tabernacle with Eli the priest and served the Lord. The Bible reveals to us that during this period of Israel's history `the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.' [1 Samuel 3.1 NKJV] However, it was through Samuel that God revealed His purpose by way of a prophecy concerning the family of Eli and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas. Although priests, they had disobeyed the law given through Moses in performing their duties at the tabernacle. When God called Samuel as he was lying down, Samuel thought it was Eli calling, but on Eli's instruction at the fourth calling he answered God: `Speak, for your servant hears.' [1 Samuel 3.10 NKJV] Notice the choice of words used by Samuel in his reply to God `your servant hears' showing his acknowledgement of the greatness of God, his humble position in the sight of God and his willingness to listen to God and His Word. Samuel is a powerful example to us, of the respect we should have for God and His Word of Truth, the Bible.

In the morning Samuel told Eli all the prophecy concerning him and his sons and the fact that their service in God's house would end. This was the beginning of a lifetime of service that would establish Samuel as the prophet of the Lord and the adviser of God's people Israel.

`So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground, And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the LORD. Then the LORD appeared again in Shiloh. For the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD. And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.' [1 Samuel 3.19-21; 4.1 NKJV]

Samuel Anoints a King for the People

The Biblical record tells us about the activities of Samuel as he carried out his duties of judging Israel, the people of God. It is not possible for us to mention all the events but we would recommend that you read them for yourself by studying the first Book of Samuel chapters 1 to 27. Every year Samuel went on a circular tour of the central area of the land of Israel from Bethel, (a name which means House of God) to Gilgal and then to Mizpah so that he could speak to the people and deal with their problems. He always returned to his home at Ramah where his parents had lived. It was at this place that he constructed an altar on which to offer sacrifices to God.

When Samuel was much older he was to carry out a task which would greatly change the way in which the people of Israel were governed. The people had demanded a king and God through Samuel told them the restrictions this would place upon them as a nation. However they insisted that they wanted to make the change and a man named Saul of the tribe of Benjamin, was directed by God to visit Samuel the prophet. Saul was to be the king that the people had desired and the Bible tells us how this was done:

`When they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the top of the house... as they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul... you stand here awhile, that I may announce to you the word of God. Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said, Is it not because the LORD has anointed you commander over his inheritance?' [1 Samuel 9.25-10.1 NKJV]

Then Samuel called all of the people together at Mizpah to enable them to meet their new king who was to reign over them and said: `Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people? So all the people shouted and said, Long live the king! Then Samuel explained to the people the behaviour of royalty, and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched.' [1 Samuel 10. 24-26 NKJV] Saul therefore started well with support from men who feared God and Samuel reminded all the people at the coronation of king Saul that they must be obedient to the commandments of God. If they did not obey, then God would punish them and their king by sweeping them away out of His sight. To encourage them to do the right things, Samuel uses his own example of righteousness as a guide and points the way in which we should behave today to be acceptable to God.

`...I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. Here I am. Witness against me before the LORD and before his anointed: Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you. And they said, You have not defrauded us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man's hand.' [1 Samuel 12.2-4 NKJV]

The New Testament tells us how the apostle Paul, in a speech to the people of Antioch in Pisidia, refers to these very incidents we have been considering which had taken place a thousand years before the birth of the apostle. Here is further evidence of the reliability of the Old Testament record which was given by God to man by His Holy Spirit power. In the same way Luke records the words and actions of Paul in the New Testament in the book of Acts: `After that he gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. And afterwards they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.' [Acts 13.20,21 NKJV] Had Saul continued to be obedient to God's laws during those forty years, then Samuel would not have had to suffer the great disappointments which followed.

Firstly, Saul decided to offer a sacrifice by himself which should have only been made by a priest. The next incident occurred when he engaged in battle with the Amalakites and decided to save king Agag alive, together with the best of the sheep and cattle. God had commanded through Samuel the prophet that everything was to be destroyed. The reaction of Samuel to both these transgressions of Saul is what one would expect from a righteous man motivated by obedience to God in his daily life:

`...What have you done?...You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which he commanded you...now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for himself a man after his own heart...' [I Samuel 13.11-14 NKJV]

To the second incident Samuel responded with these words:

`Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams...Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.' [1 Samuel 15.22,23 NKJV]

What a bitter disappointment this was for Samuel who would not see Saul again for the rest of his life.

Samuel Anoints a King After God's own Heart

So saddened was Samuel that he mourned for Saul and was also fearful for his own life. However, God had a further mission for the aging prophet, a mission that would bring new life and hope to his strong faith. What a wonderful change this would bring for God's people with the anointing of David as king of Israel, a change for the better. The message from God to Samuel was quite clear:

`...How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided myself a king among his sons.' [I Samuel 16.1 NKJV]

Samuel did what God instructed and went to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse where his sons passed before him, but the Lord had not chosen any of these. There was one more son, David, who looked after the sheep and he was brought in from the sheepfold. Young, healthy, good looking and bright eyed, he stood before Samuel. `And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him; for this is the one! Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.' [1 Samuel 16.12,13 NKJV]

The forty years of David's reign would achieve so much more than had been achieved during the reign of Saul. Although Samuel did not witness David reigning over Israel, for he died before the death of Saul, how the heart of Samuel must have been gladdened when he saw the obedience of David to God's commandments as he mixed with the people. Samuel had a further meeting with David, as he was escaping from the jealous king Saul who was intent on killing David. The two men went from Ramah to Naioth and although the Bible record tells us little of what they talked about, we feel sure the faith of these God fearing men was strengthened by the fellowship they must have enjoyed.

The death of Samuel brought to an end the mortal life of a faithful servant of God. The prophet Habakkuk wrote: `...the just shall live by his faith.' [Habakkuk 2.4 NKJV] When we turn to the New Testament record we find that Samuel is listed with many others in the letter written to the Hebrew believers:

`And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets ...all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.' [Hebrews 11.32,39,40 NKJV]

Faith in God in Times of Change

We live in a world that is experiencing great changes in government and the environment, changes in morals, social values, religion and future aspirations. There is a great need for a firm belief in the sure and certain promises of God which will never change. We need to become men and women of faith like Samuel. By baptism we can relate ourselves to the hope of immortal life at the return of Jesus Christ to the earth. He will bring even greater changes to the earth when the kingdom of God is established and he will reign on David's throne in Jerusalem. In that day peace and righteousness will fill the earth and all nations will be subject to him.