Now the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And
the word of the LORD was rare in those days ... And ... the
LORD called Samuel. ...
Then the LORD said to Samuel: "Behold, ... I will perform
against Eli all that I have spoken ...
So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of
his words fall to the ground. And all Israel ... knew that
Samuel had been established as a prophet of the LORD. (1
Samuel 3:1-2,11-12,19-20, NKJV)
Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If
you return to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away
the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and
prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only; and
He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines." So
the children of Israel put away the Baals and the
Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only.
So they ... fasted that day, and said there,"We have sinned
against the LORD."...
So the children of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to
cry out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us
from the hand of the Philistines."
... Then Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the
LORD answered him.
So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come
anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the
LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. (1
Samuel 7:3,4,6,8,9,13,15, NKJV)
... when Samuel was old ... he made his sons judges over
Israel.... But his sons did not walk in his ways ...
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to
Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, "... Now make us a king
to judge us like all the nations."
But the thing displeased Samuel ... And the LORD said to
Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say
to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have
rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. (1 Sam
8:1,3-7, NKJV)
Samuel (literally "Heard by God"), an Ephraimite (a
descendant of Joseph), the son of Elkanah and Hannah, was
miraculously conceived as the result of prayer (1 Samuel
1:1-20), and given to the Lord as a gift: he became the
Israelite slave of Eli, the High Priest (1 Samuel
1:21-2:11). Since Samuel was neither a Levite nor a priest,
he was forbidden from touching any of the holy things
within the tabernacle, the tabernacle itself, the altar in
front of the tabernacle, and even the curtains of the
courtyard around the tabernacle. He was basically relegated
to performing such menial tasks as carrying water, getting
wood for the fire, tanning hides, and taking out the
garbage, and yet, he performed his duties as unto the Lord.
Because of his faithfulness, the Lord called Samuel and
gave him a prophetic word against Eli, his master. He
reluctantly related the words of the Lord to the Eli, and
as a result of Samuel's faithfulness, the Lord established
him as a prophet in the eyes of all Israel. Years later,
Samuel was able to use his reputation to inspire a revival,
and restore Israel's relationship with the Lord. In
approval, the Lord subdued the Philistines at Samuel's
request and prevented them from warring against Israel all
the days of his life.
When Samuel was old, he tried to establish his sons as
judges over Israel, but the elders rejected them and
demanded a king. Even though Samuel justifiably felt
rejected, and even warned Israel about the consequences of
their request, Saul the son of Kish was made king over
Israel (1 Samuel 10:17-25).
So what lessons can we learn from Samuel? First, the Lord
is no respecter of rank: He considers the High Priest and
the slave alike. Second, the Lord highly regards the
faithful and enthusiastic execution of one's personal
ministry, no matter how menial the tasks may seem in the
eyes of the world. Third, faithfulness leads to greater
levels of anointing. Forth, the Lord will never abandon us,
even though we may be rejected by the very people who
benefit most from our ministry.
----------------------------------------------------
Jon Straumfjord is the author of numerous articles about
the Seven Spirits of God and the God of the Bible. He is
also the creator of the website http://www.7-spirits.com ,
and is the author of the book "The Seven Spirits of God."
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