Scribes of Scripture - Samuel: Priest, Judge, Prophet

From: The Christian Shepherd: 2004 By: Thomas A. Roach

• 5 min. read • grade level: 6

Samuel (“asked for of God”) of all the scribes of Scripture is quite unique. His birth resulted when his godly mother Hannah prayed. She was mocked for being childless, a shame for a woman of Israel wishing to bear the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15¹⁵And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15)).

She went with her husband Elkanah “yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh” (1 Sam. 1:3³And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. (1 Samuel 1:3)). The tabernacle was set up there, the place at that time where the Lord had chosen to place His name. But the priesthood and sacrifices were despised because of the wickedness of the priests, Hophni and Phinehas, Eli’s sons.

“In bitterness of soul” Hannah went to the temple (tabernacle) and prayed, weeping before God. She made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thine handmaid, and remember me... but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head” (1 Sam. 1:11¹¹And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. (1 Samuel 1:11)).

As she prayed silently in her heart, Eli the priest, seeing her lips moving, thought she was drunken. Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I... have poured out my soul before the Lord” (1 Sam. 1:15¹⁵And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. (1 Samuel 1:15)).

Eli replied, “Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition.”

God answered her prayer and gave her a son whom she named Samuel.

When she had weaned Samuel, she took the young child and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. Sacrificing a bullock, they brought the child to Eli. She told him, “For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition... also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord” (1 Sam. 1:27-28²⁷For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: ²⁸Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. And he worshipped the Lord there. (1 Samuel 1:27‑28)).

Samuel’s Growth Samuel was a Levite of the family of Kohath (1 Sam. 1:1¹Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: (1 Samuel 1:1); 1 Chron. 6:22,26-27²²The sons of Kohath; Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, (1 Chronicles 6:22)
²⁶As for Elkanah: the sons of Elkanah; Zophai his son, and Nahath his son, ²⁷Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son. (1 Chronicles 6:26‑27)). “Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod” (1 Sam. 2:18¹⁸But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. (1 Samuel 2:18)). So he was an acting priest. His mother made him a little coat each year when she came with her husband, Elkanah, to sacrifice—no doubt a larger coat, for as the boy grew physically, he grew in spirit also.

We read of the Lord Jesus, “The child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom.... And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:40,52⁴⁰And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. (Luke 2:40)
⁵²And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:52)).

“The child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious [rare] in those days.... Samuel did not yet know the Lord” (1 Sam. 3:1,7¹And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. (1 Samuel 3:1)
⁷Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. (1 Samuel 3:7)).

Samuel’s Call

When the Lord called Samuel as he lay down to sleep, Samuel went to Eli thinking he had called him. Eli said, “I called not; lie down again” (vs. 5).

The third time this happened, Eli perceived it was the Lord calling Samuel, so he said, “Go, lie down... and... if He call thee... say, Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth” (vs. 9).

“The Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for Thy servant heareth” (vs. 10). He revealed the judgment about to fall on Eli’s sons because of their evil ways which he did not restrain. “Samuel told him every whit” (1 Sam. 3:11-18¹¹And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. ¹²In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. ¹³For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. ¹⁴And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever. ¹⁵And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision. ¹⁶Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I. ¹⁷And he said, What is the thing that the Lord hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee. ¹⁸And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good. (1 Samuel 3:11‑18)).

“Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him.” What Samuel said, the Lord did not let fall to the ground. “All Israel... knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.... The Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. And the word of Samuel came to all Israel” (1 Sam. 3:19-4:1¹⁹And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. ²⁰And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord. ²¹And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord. ¹And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Eben-ezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. (1 Samuel 3:19‑4:1)).

Samuel’s Service

Samuel urged the people, “Return to the Lord... put away the strange gods... and prepare your hearts unto the Lord and serve Him only: and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines” (1 Sam. 7:3³And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. (1 Samuel 7:3)). Samuel prayed to the Lord, and the people fasted and confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord” (vs. 6).

Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. But he mistakenly made his sons judges, for they took bribes and perverted judgment (1 Sam. 8:1,3¹And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. (1 Samuel 8:1)
³And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. (1 Samuel 8:3)).

The people asked for a king, since they wanted to be like the nations, and it grieved Samuel. The Lord told him, “They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Sam. 8:7⁷And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. (1 Samuel 8:7)). Samuel did not choose the king. The Lord directed him to Saul, who was seeking his father’s asses. He anointed this tall, good-looking man. He was the kind of man the people wanted, and he went on well for a time.

Later he did not obey the word of the Lord. “Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly; thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord” (1 Sam. 13:13¹³And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. (1 Samuel 13:13)). So the Lord chose David: “A man after His own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14¹⁴But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee. (1 Samuel 13:14)). David was keeping his father’s sheep when he was called to be anointed by Samuel.

At the end of his life of service Samuel said, “I am old and gray headed... and I have walked before you from my childhood until this day,” and he called on the people to witness against him before the Lord: “Whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded?... or... have I received any bribe?... and I will restore it you” (1 Sam. 12:23²³Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way: (1 Samuel 12:23)).

(Note: According to 1 Chronicles 29:29²⁹Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer, (1 Chronicles 29:29) and Jewish tradition, Samuel is considered to have written the first twenty-four chapters of 1 Samuel. See Handbook of the Old Testament by Walter Scott.)

T. A. Roach

Click here to show subject links in the text for more information.