SAMUEL
Born before 1070 BCE
Died 1012 BCE · Ramah in Benjamin (traditional)
Venerated in Judaism · Christianity · Islam
Feast · August 20 (Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran & Roman Catholicism) · July 30 (Armenian Apostolic Church) · 9 Paoni (Coptic Orthodox Church)
Samuel Anoints the Future King
Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the period of the biblical judges to the institution of a kingdom under Saul and again in the transition from Saul to David. He is venerated as a prophet by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. In addition to his role in the Hebrew Scriptures, Samuel is mentioned in the New Testament, in rabbinical literature, and in the second chapter of the Qur'an (although not by name). He is also discussed in the fifth through seventh books of Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews, written in the first century C.E. (A.D.). He is first called the Seer in 1 Samuel 9:9.
While the people of his time were destroyed by their selfishness, Samuel stood out as a man of honor. Like Samuel, we can avoid the corruption of this world if we place God first in our life.
He became a leader among the people giving counsel and advice and helping settle disputes from time to time. So Samuel was a “Judge,” much as we would think of a judge today.
The Bible is not a history of the universe or even a history of the human race. The Bible is a textbook on redemption—a Book that deals with how poor lost sinners like you and me can come into right standing with a perfect and holy God. The whole Bible may be subdivided into six primary areas:
• Redemption required—Genesis 1-11
• Redemption prepared for—Genesis 12—Malachi 4
• Redemption effected—the Gospels
• Redemption shared—the Acts of the Apostles
• Redemption explained—the Epistles
• Redemption realized—the Revelation
In the Bible, there are 66 books, 1189 chapters, and 31,175 verses—all of which center on Jesus Christ, the only Redeemer.
Our lesson is taken from 1 Samuel 7. It centers on the man Samuel, who served as a strong leader among the tribes of Israel—in the period at the end of and following the time of the Judges—about 1100 B.C. Samuel was the last judge and the first of the prophets. He served as a link between the time of the Judges and the choice of Israel’s first king.
Ever since childhood, some of us have heard stories taken from the accounts in the Books of Samuel—the stories about the boy Samuel, David and Goliath, and the friendship of David and Jonathan.
At the time when the lesson takes place—Israel had fallen into apostasy, and God had allowed the Philistines to oppress the people.
The nation's religious affairs were worsening; the economic situation was terrible, but the presence of the Philistine armies' was the most challenging problem facing the nation.
The first three chapters of 1 Samuel tell about the boy Samuel.
• Chapter 4 tells about the Philistine’s capture of the Ark of the Covenant.
• Chapter 5 describes the movement of the Ark from place to place in the Philistine territory.
• Chapter 6 tells of its return to Israel after being in Philistine territory for several months.
• Chapter 7 describes Samuel’s work as a judge and leader in Israel.
1. Some keywords as a background for the lesson
Samuel was born after his barren mother (Hannah) prayed earnestly for the Lord to give her a child and vowed that she would dedicate him to the Lord’s service. Samuel was born in response to Hannah’s prayer, and at a very early age, Samuel was taken to live with Eli (the priest)—who taught the boy the various duties of the priesthood.
When Eli died, Samuel became the judge of Israel in a ceremony at a place called Mizpeh. The event was interrupted by an attack from the Philistines, but the Lord intervened, and Samuel was established as God’s man.
Samuel served as a traveling judge. He is called a “judge” in 1 Samuel 7:6. He is called a “prophet” in 1 Samuel 3:20. The long period of the Judges (about 350 years) came to an end with Samuel. The earlier judges were military leaders, but Samuel was more than a military leader. He became a leader among the people giving counsel and advice and helping settle disputes from time to time. So Samuel was a “judge,” much as we would think of a judge today.
The Philistines were an aggressive tribal group that lived in the southwest corner of the land of Canaan. They had built five cities—Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, Gath, and Gaza—which became a political unit. They were known mainly for their early development of implements and weapons made of iron. The remains of the Philistine furnaces (used to manufacture their weapons of iron) have been discovered by archaeologists.
The Philistines were pagan and one of Israel’s chief enemies. From time to time, they occupied some of the Israelite settlements. The threat from the Philistines prompted Israel’s demand for a king. The Philistines worshiped three gods—Ashtaroth, Dagon, and Beelzebub. Dagon was a god represented with the head and the hands of a man, but with the tail of a fish. However, by the end of the reign of King David, the Philistines began to decline in strength and influence.
The Ark of the Covenant was a portable chest (45 inches x 27 inches x 27 inches). It was the most sacred object of the Israelites in Bible times. It was also known as “the ark of the Lord” (Joshua 6:11), “the ark of God” (1 Samuel 3:3), and “the ark of the testimony” (Exodus 25:22). Its lid (called “the mercy seat”) was made of acacia wood and was covered with solid gold. The chest had two rings made of gold at each end through which poles were inserted so that the Ark could be carried from place to place.
When Israelites prayed, they turned their face toward the Ark of the Covenant, first in Shiloh and later in Jerusalem. The Ark was the only article of furniture in the tabernacle's innermost room (Temple). It was the place where the true and living God promised to be.
Inside the chest were three items: the two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments, a golden pot of manna (which God preserved from the wilderness days as a testimony to later generations), and Aaron’s rod that budded (to prove that Aaron was God’s chosen man).
The Ark was carried from place to place during the wilderness wanderings (Deuteronomy 31:9). The priests carried it into the Jordan River, causing the waters to part so that the Children of Israel could enter the land of Canaan in the days of Joshua (Joshua 3:6—4:18). Nothing is known about whatever happened to the Ark. It disappeared after the Babylonians took Judah captive in 586 B.C. Today, many Jewish synagogues keep a chest (or an ark) containing the Torah (the scrolls of the Law and other sacred books) in a special place in the synagogue.
2. The account leading up to 1 Samuel 7
At the time of the lesson in 1 Samuel 7:1-13, the tribes of Israel had been oppressed by the Philistines for about 40 years—and at this point, God was not defending the Israelites because they were no longer honoring Him. The Israelites had lost 4,000 men in a battle with the Philistines (4:1-5). So the Ark of the Covenant was brought from Shiloh into the military camp (apparently as a kind of “good luck” charm)—but the Philistines fought against Israel again. Once more, Israel fled, 30,000 soldiers were slain, and the Ark was captured by the Philistines (4:5-11).
The Philistines brought the Ark of God from Ebenezer to one of their cities named Ashdod and put it in the temple of Dagon (the national God of the Philistines). However, when they returned to their temple the following day—they found that Israel’s God had caused Dagon to topple to the floor at the foot of the Ark. The Philistines set Dagon up again and stood it alongside the Ark. However, the following day the head and arms of their God Dagon were broken off. They reasoned that if Dagon was an absolute god, he should have defended himself.
So, not only did their idol suffer damage, but the Philistine people themselves began to feel the displeasure of the Lord—suffering confusion, swellings (tumors), and even death (5:6-9). So, in desperation, they decided to move the Ark to Gath (another Philistine city), but many of the Philistine people were frightened and begged that the Ark be sent back to Israel (5:10-12).
The Philistines decided to return the Ark and chose two milk cows to pull the cart. The cows both had young calves (and it would violate their instincts if they left their calves behind). These two cows had never been yoked, yet they pulled the cart harmoniously, and without being guided—they headed straight toward Beth-Shemesh in Judah (southern Israel) (6:7-12). There was great rejoicing in Israel, but some of the men from the town did not regard the holy nature of the Ark—and looked into it. Many of those men died on the spot (6:19-21), so the Ark was taken to the house of Abinadab in Kirjath-jearim—where it remained for twenty years (7:1-3).
3. An exposition of 1 Samuel 7:2-13
The period of the Judges was drawing to a close. The events of the chapter occurred at about 1100 B.C. The people were hungering for the Lord (they “lamented after the Lord” in 7:2)—that is, Israel was troubled because the Lord seemingly abandoned them. Following the period of chaos during the Judges' time, when “every man did that which was right in his own eyes,”—Samuel brought a new measure of unity to the nation.
(7:3) “And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, [and] put away the strange gods . . . from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only . . . he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”
It was then that Samuel came forward and urged the people to return to the Lord so that God could respond and deliver them from the oppression of the Philistines.
Israel had high regard for the Ark, but they also had been worshiping other gods! Samuel called them to repent and to worship only the one true God.
(7:4) “Then the children of Israel put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.”
Several idols were thrown away, and a commitment was made to serve only the true and living God. (Ashtaroth was a Canaanite fertility goddess; Baalim was the Canaanite supreme fertility god [and the God of the storm]—one who sent rain to make things grow.)
God has made it clear (the First Commandment) — “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (beside Me, in addition to Me). The one true God will not permit any rival gods.
Idols are those things to which we give our time, strength, and finances. Idols today (instead of being made of wood and stone) are often made of chrome, steel, and glass.
• Money and material goods are perhaps the chief gods in many circles (shopping malls are the cathedrals where multitudes worship). One of the new Milton Bradley games is called “Mall Madness.”
• Other idols include pleasure-seeking, confidence in science and technology, the adulation of athletes (sports), NASCAR races, beauty queens, and movie stars. Typical worldly idolatry is not crude idolatry but polished forms of idolatry.
(7:5) “And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.”
The city mentioned here was in the region occupied by the tribe of Benjamin. This was also one of the places that Samuel visited on his annual circuit to judge Israel (1 Samuel 7:16-17). The name “Mizpeh” means “watch-tower.” The people followed Samuel’s instructions and gathered with him at Mizpeh. Several cities in the Bible are called Mizpeh.
Samuel was not the only leader who prayed for the people:
Moses prayed for the people at Rephidim (Exodus 17:8-12).
Ezra prayed when rebuilding the Temple (Ezra 9:5).
Daniel prayed for the people of his day (Daniel 9:3-19).
(7:6) “And they gathered together to Mizpeh, drew water, poured it out before the LORD, fasted on that day, and said there, ‘We have sinned against the LORD.’ And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.”
At Mizpeh, the people of Israel fasted and prayed and repented before Jehovah God. Their repentance was symbolized by pouring out water upon the ground.
As evidence of Israel’s sincerity—the people prayed, fasted, repented, and poured out water before the Lord—a symbol of their hearts in penitence.
(7:7) “And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.”
The Philistines heard about the gathering at Mizpeh. They supposed Israel was planning a revolt, so the Philistines attacked Israel again.
(7:8) “And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.”
The Israelites were not prepared for war, so they pleaded with Samuel to keep interceding for them.
(7:9) “And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel, and the LORD heard him.”
Samuel offered a whole burnt offering and prayed with a loud voice, appealing to the Lord for help! Samuel’s prayers were heard and answered immediately. God sent thunder and sharp lightning—and the Philistines retreated.
(7:10-11) “And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines and discomfited them, and they were smitten before Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them until they came under Bethcar.”
While Samuel was presenting the offering to the Lord, God responded quickly by sending a storm with thunder upon the Philistines—and Israel smote the Philistines and soundly defeated them—at least for a while.
The Philistines panicked and began to retreat—and Israel soundly defeated them. This proved that the God of Israel, not Dagon, was indeed the God of the storm. The Philistines' defeat was more by God's power than by the force of Israel’s armies.
(7:12) “Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.”
Samuel was grateful for the victory, setting up a stone as a monument, and named it Ebenezer. The word Ebenezer means “a stone of help.”
Ebenezer was where the Philistines defeated Israel and took the Ark of the Covenant captive (1 Samuel 5:1). Now, Samuel erected a stone as a monument to commemorate Israel’s later victory over the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:12). It may have been named “Ebenezer” to show that Israel’s defeat there twenty years earlier had now been reversed. The stone was intended to be a memorial for future generations so that their faith in God might be strengthened and they might experience the same power of God to deliver them in times of trouble.
In most countries today, there are war memorials of various kinds. In the United States of America, the Statue of Liberty is a memorial symbolizing the freedoms available here.
(7:13) “So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.”
Israel, at this point, enjoyed peace with the Philistine neighbors for some time.
4. There is a significant practical lesson for Christians
We, too, must be reminded from time to time about how the Lord has led and helped us in the past. If we had placed a stone on a pile each time the Lord helped us—we would have enough stones to make a huge wall. God has been our help in the past!
As we look into the unknown future—with no clear path before us, we may become fearful, but God has provided for our future. Paul wrote, “But my God shall supply all your needs according to his [glorious riches] by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). The text does not say that God might provide, or even that He can provide, but He shall provide and meet our needs. The true and living God is our hope for the future.
We can thank Him for the past, and we have confidence in Him for the future—indeed, we need to trust Him for the needs of each day! He will do the same for us today as He did in the past and will do in the future. He is the great I AM today, the all-sufficient One for this moment. We can say with the writer of Hebrews, “The Lord is my helper” (Hebrews 13:6).
The complete statement in Hebrews 13:6 is this: “So . . . we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Whatever the circumstances may be, the Lord is on our side. He is our Helper. He will never leave us. What then can man do to us?
Sometimes the Lord takes us out of difficult situations and problems; at other times, He takes us through them. However, regardless of how He chooses to work in our lives, we can trust Him to do what will be the best for us in the end. God has been “our help in ages past; our hope for years to come; our shelter from the stormy blast; and our eternal home” (Isaac Watts's words).
In the hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” Robert Robinson (in the early 1800s) wrote words of praise to the eternal God, acknowledging His help. In the second stanza, he writes, “Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither, by Thy help, I have come; and I hope, by Thy good pleasure, safely to arrive home.”
Samuel's mother was Hannah, and his father was Elkanah. Elkanah lived at Ramathaim in the district of Zuph. His genealogy is also found in a pedigree of the Kohathites (1 Chronicle 6:3–15) and in that of Heman the Ezrahite, apparently his grandson (1 Chronicle 6:18–33).
According to the genealogical tables in Chronicles, Elkanah was a Levite—a fact not mentioned in the books of Samuel. Elkanah, a Levite, was designated an Ephraimite and is similar to the designation of a Levite belonging to Judah (Judges 17:7, for example).
Elkanah was a devout man and would periodically take his family on pilgrimage to the holy site of Shiloh. According to 1 Samuel 1:1–28, Elkanah had two wives, Peninnah and Hannah. Peninnah had children; Hannah did not. Nonetheless, Elkanah favored Hannah. Jealous, Penninah reproached Hannah for her lack of children, causing Hannah much heartache.
On one occasion, Hannah went to the sanctuary and prayed for a child. In tears, she vowed that if she were granted a child, she would dedicate him to God as a Nazirite. Eli, sitting at the foot of the doorpost in the sanctuary at Shiloh, saw her apparently mumbling to herself and thought she was drunk, but was soon assured of her motivation and sobriety. Eli was the priest of Shiloh and one of the last Israelite Judges before the rule of kings in ancient Israel. He had assumed leadership after Samson's death. Eli blessed her, and she returned home. Subsequently, Hannah became pregnant, later giving birth to Samuel, and praised God for his mercy and faithfulness.
After the child was weaned, she left him in Eli's care, and from time to time, she would come to visit her son.
According to 1 Samuel 1:20, Hannah named Samuel to commemorate her prayer to God for a child. "... [She] called his name Samuel, saying Because I have asked him of the Lord" (KJV). The Hebrew root rendered as "asked" in the KJV is "sha'al," a word mentioned seven times in 1 Samuel 1. Once, it is even mentioned in the form "sha'ul," Saul's name in Hebrew (1 Samuel 1:28).
According to the Holman Bible Dictionary, Samuel was a "personal name in the Ancient Near East meaning, 'Sumu is God' but understood in Israel as 'The name is God,' 'God is exalted,' or 'son of God.'"
Calling
Samuel worked under Eli in the service of the shrine at Shiloh. One night, Samuel heard a voice calling his name. According to the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, Samuel was 12 years old. Samuel initially assumed it was coming from Eli and went to Eli to ask what he wanted. Eli, however, sent Samuel back to sleep. After this happened three times, Eli realized that the voice was the Lord's and instructed Samuel on how to answer:
If He calls you, then you must say, "Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears."
In the morning, Samuel was hesitant about reporting the message to Eli, but Eli asked him to recount what the Lord had told him honestly.
Upon receiving the communication, Eli merely said that the Lord should do what seemed right unto him. Once Samuel responded, the Lord told him that the wickedness of the sons of Eli had resulted in their dynasty being condemned to destruction.
Samuel grew up, and "all Israel from Dan to Beersheba" came to know that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord. Anglican theologian Donald Spence Jones comments that "the minds of all the people were thus gradually prepared when the right moment came to acknowledge Samuel as a God-sent chieftain."
Leader
Samuel offers God a sacrifice and erects a large stone at the battle site as the Israelites slaughter the Philistines in the background, as depicted in an 18th-century stained-glass window (Pena Palace, Portugal).
Samuel was a key figure in keeping the Israelites' religious heritage and identity alive during Israel's defeat and occupation by the Philistines. "It may have been possible and necessary for Samuel to exercise authority in roles that would normally not converge in a single individual (priest, prophet, judge)."
King-maker
Samuel initially appointed his two sons, Joel and Abijah, as his successors; however, just like Eli's sons, Samuel's proved unworthy. The Israelites rejected them. Because of the external threat from other tribes, such as the Philistines, the tribal leaders decided that there was a need for a more unified, central government. They demanded Samuel appoint a king so they could be like other nations. Samuel interpreted this as a personal rejection and was initially reluctant to oblige until reassured by a divine revelation. He warned the people of the potential negative consequences of such a decision. When Saul and his servant searched for his father's lost donkeys, the servant suggested consulting the nearby Samuel. Samuel recognized Saul as the future king.
Just before his retirement, Samuel gathered the people to an assembly at Gilgal. He delivered a farewell or coronation speech in which he emphasized how prophets and judges were more important than kings, that kings should be held to account, and that the people should not fall into idol worship or worship of Asherah or Baal. Samuel promised that God would subject the people to foreign invaders should they disobey. However, 1 Kings 11:5, 33, and 2 Kings 23:13 note that the Israelites later fell into Asherah worship.
Critic of Saul
When Saul was preparing to fight the Philistines, Samuel denounced him for proceeding with the pre-battle sacrifice without waiting for the overdue Samuel to arrive. He prophesied that Saul's rule would see no dynastic succession.
Samuel also directed Saul to "utterly destroy" the Amalekites in fulfillment of the commandment in Deuteronomy 25:17–19:
When the Lord your God has given you rest from your enemies all around, in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, ... you will blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
During the campaign against the Amalekites, King Saul spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites, and the best of their livestock. Saul told Samuel that he had spared the choicest of the Amalekites' sheep and oxen, intending to sacrifice the livestock to the Lord. This violated the Lord's command, as pronounced by Samuel, to "... utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass" (1 Samuel 15:3, KJV). Samuel confronted Saul for his disobedience and told him that God made him king, and God could unmake him king. Samuel then proceeded to execute Agag. Saul never saw Samuel alive again after this.
Samuel then proceeded to Bethlehem and secretly anointed David as king. He would later provide sanctuary for David when the jealous Saul first tried to have him killed.
Death
Samuel is described in the biblical narrative as being buried in Ramah. According to tradition, this burial place has been identified with Samuel's tomb in the West Bank village of Nabi Samwil.
Sometime after his death, Saul had the Witch of Endor conjure Samuel's spirit up from Paradise to predict the result of an upcoming battle (1 Samuel 28:3-24). Samuel was angered by his recalling and told Saul that the Lord had left him.
Tomb of Samuel
According to the Book of Jeremiah and one of the Psalms, Samuel had a high commitment to God. Classical Rabbinical literature adds that he was more than an equal to Moses, God speaking directly to Samuel, rather than Samuel having to attend the tabernacle to hear God. The Rabbis also describe Samuel as extremely intelligent; he argued that it was legitimate for laypeople to slaughter sacrifices since the Halakha only insisted that the priests bring the blood (cf Leviticus 1:5, Zebahim 32a). Eli, who was viewed negatively by many Classical Rabbis, is said to have reacted to this logic of Samuel by arguing that it was technically accurate. However, Samuel should be punished for making legal statements while Eli (his mentor) was present.
The Classical Rabbis also treat Samuel as a much more sympathetic character than he appears at face value in the Bible; his annual circuit is explained as being due to his wish to spare people the task of having to journey to him; Samuel is said to have been very rich, taking his entire household with him on the circuit so that he did not need to impose himself on anyone's hospitality; when Saul fell out of God's favor, Samuel is described as having grieved copiously and having prematurely aged.
Christianity
Christians considered Samuel a prophet, judge, and wise leader of Israel and treated him as an example of fulfilled commitments to God. He is commemorated as one of the Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on July 30. In the Coptic Orthodox Church, the commemoration of the departure of Samuel the Prophet is celebrated on 9 Paoni. On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar and the Lutheran calendar, his feast day is August 20.
Some commentators have seen a foreshadowing of Christ in Samuel's combined offices of prophet, priest, and ruler.
