Samuel has been called by some “God’s emergency man.” A study of the life and times of Samuel can provide wholesome lessons for the people of God in all ages, but can be especially instructive for us in these days of increasing declension and departure from God and His holy Word.
Samuel was born at a time when Israel as a nation had forsaken the Lord. Even the priests of the Lord were not serving the Lord as they should have been. These conditions marked the days of Samuel’s infancy and early life.
However, in the midst of all the decline and spiritual darkness, it is wonderfully refreshing to see a family in which God was honoured and where worship was a family affair. The Scriptures record concerning Elkanah, Samuel’s father, “This man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh” (1Sa 1:3,21).1
As goes the priesthood, so goes the nation. This was certainly true concerning the priesthood under Eli. We see in the life of Eli a failure to render God service (1Sa 1:9), a failure to reverence God’s sacrifice (2:29), a failure to repent of great sins (3:18), and a failure to represent God’s station (4:18).
When he saw Hannah praying in the temple, he thought she was drunken, because her lips moved but no words were spoken aloud. In this, Eli demonstrated a failure to recognize genuine spirituality (1:10-15). Eli also demonstrated a failure to realize when God speaks, when he did not recognize that the Lord had called young Samuel (3:3-6).
It is interesting and instructive to notice the prayer of Hannah, Samuel’s mother, as she asked the Lord for a child. The Scriptures record her response to Eli’s false assumption: “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” (1:15).
Consider her vow to lend her child to the Lord as long as he lived (1:24-28). Did Hannah have a greater insight into the spiritual condition of the nation than even the priest of the Lord? We must wonder if her prayer for a child was because she saw the deplorable spiritual condition of God’s earthly people and prayed that God would give her a son who would be raised up to be a spiritual leader in the nation to incline the hearts of the people towards their God.
Hannah called her son Samuel, which means “asked of God.” As we trace the life of Samuel from his early childhood to his later years, we will see the influence of a godly mother. Her prayer of thanksgiving to God for answering her prayer in giving her a son reveals her gratitude to God as well as her awareness of the spiritual need in Israel at the time.
Hannah praised God for His holiness and for His knowledge of the motives of the heart. She also praised the Lord because He came to the assistance of the poor and needy and provided for them. But what is most interesting about Hannah’s prayer is that she rejoiced in His salvation, and she referred to the Lord’s giving strength unto His king and exalting the horn of His anointed (2:1-10).
At the time, there was no king in Israel. Who, then, was the king and the anointed that Hannah referred to in her prayer? Did she anticipate the establishment of a monarchy in Israel under David the king? Perhaps, instructed by the Holy Spirit of God, she looked forward to the divine reign and rule of Christ in His Messianic Kingdom.
Even after Hannah had presented Samuel for service to the Lord, she continued to come year by year with her husband, Elkanah, to worship the Lord. Each year she made a little robe or coat for Samuel. She continued to demonstrate her commitment to the spiritual wellbeing of her son (2:19).
These details highlight the godly atmosphere in which Samuel was raised and the influence and impact they had on his life. We read of Samuel, “And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men” (2:26). The Scripture also records concerning him, “And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD” (3:19-20).
Might the Lord raise up among us in our day men like Samuel who know what it is to hear the voice of the Lord and respond to it, and seek to walk in His ways and teach His truth in these days of darkness and departure.
In the will of the Lord, we will seek to explore in another article more of the life of Samuel and the practical implications for us as believers today.
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV.
