Intercession

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Samuel's life was characterized by intercession, and the value of it is emphasized in Psalm 99:66Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the Lord, and he answered them. (Psalm 99:6): “Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among them that call upon His name; they called upon the Lord, and He answered them.” The power of it is referred to again just before the people were swept out of the land. “Then,” said the Lord unto me, “though Moses and Samuel stood before Me, yet My mind could not be toward this people; cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth” (Jer. 15:11Then said the Lord unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth. (Jeremiah 15:1)).
Acts 3:2222For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. (Acts 3:22) speaks of Samuel as the first of a line of prophets in Israel. Although there was no ordered succession of them, as with kings and priests, prophets were never lacking from Samuel's time onward. (There appear to have been efforts made to create an ordered succession, for the sons of the prophets are frequently found together in groups, as though for training, in 2 Kings 2:3; 4:13And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. (2 Kings 2:3)
1Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. (2 Kings 4:1) and other places. As the evil of the people developed, God always found for Himself an emergency man, through whom He could address their consciences. This is strikingly seen in such passages as 2 Kings 19:22And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. (2 Kings 19:2) and 2 Kings 22:12-1412And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying, 13Go ye, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us. 14So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her. (2 Kings 22:12‑14). In the first case, we have Hezekiah sending two of his officers, with the elders of the priests, all covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah concerning the blasphemous words of the haughty Assyrian. Note carefully, that although “the elders of the priests” formed the bulk of the deputation, they were not sent to the High Priest of the day, but to one quite outside their order, namely, the son of Amoz. In the second case, the position is much more remarkable. Josiah, perturbed about the contents of the book which had been discovered in the temple of the Lord, sent the High Priest himself (with others) to inquire of a woman, Huldah, the prophetess!
It is possible that from among these arose the many false prophets who spake in the name of the Lord, while having no message from Him. These men were a greater plague to God's true prophets than the avowed prophets of pagan deities (Jer. 28). The sovereignty of God, in His choice of instruments, is clearly seen both in Old and New Testament times, but the desire to organize and systematize is inherent in the minds of men, to the hindrance of the testimony of God.