Samuel
Samuel who was the first of Israel`s great prophets, and
the last of the judges. Samuel`s mother Hannah (who was
barren) had prayed for a son.
1 Sam 1:10-11 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed
to the LORD and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow and
said, "O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the
affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not
forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a
male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days
of his life. . ."
She praised God when He answered her prayer and gave her a
child. Hannah gave Samuel to the priest, Eli, so he could
be taught to serve the Lord.
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As a child, Samuel, heard from God that he was going to be
a prophet and judge in Israel. Before Samuel`s time, a
prophet was called a "seer." But Samuel was not just a
forecaster of the future but became a "mouthpiece" for God.
He was used by God to inform Eli that his house would be
punished for the abuses and the perversions of his sons who
were the priests of the people. The priest was a mediator
for God to the people and for the people to God. But they
were completely corrupt. Samuel also rebuked the nation
about their evil ways.
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The Philistines and other enemies oppressed Israel so
severely that they became disheartened. They complained
that the nation had no hope of survival as long as it
remained a collection of tribes. They were tired of being a
Theocracy under God. They wanted something more tangible.
They wanted a Monarchy. They cried for a king. They longed
for a strong nation headed by a warrior king. The more
Samuel tried to wed them closer to Jehovah and His direct
rule over them, the more discontent they became. They
wanted what the other nations had, an earthly king. At
last, a brokenhearted Samuel let them have their way. (1
Sam 1-8).
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So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who
asked him for a king. And he said, "This will be the
behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take
your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be
his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. "He
will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over
his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his
harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment
for his chariots. "He will take your daughters to be
perfumers, cooks, and bakers. "And he will take the best of
your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and
give them to his servants. "He will take a tenth of your
grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and
servants. "And he will take your male servants, your female
servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put
them to his work. "He will take a tenth of your sheep. And
you will be his servants. "And you will cry out in that day
because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves,
and the LORD will not hear you in that day."
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