SAMUEL


A. "WHEREFORE IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN THE TIME WAS COME ABOUT AFTER HANNAH HAD CONCEIVED, THAT SHE BEAR A SON, AND CALLED HIS NAME SAMUEL SAYING, BECAUSE I HAVE ASKED HIM OF THE LORD" - I SAMUEL 1:20
  1. So begins the story of that man of God - Samuel:
    1. He was born because Hannah asked for him
    2. She saw him as the special gift of God; "Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is his reward" - Ps. 127:3
  2. Hannah could say, "Behold, I and the son whom the Lord had given me" Is. 8:18:
    1. It must have been a happy occasion when Samuel was born and the reproach of Peninnah, Elkanah's wife was removed - I Sam. 1:3
    2. The story of Samuel the prophet is rich on spiritual information
B. SAMUEL WAS ONE OF THE EARLIEST HEBREW PROPHETS AFTER MOSES AND THE LAST OF THE JUDGES
  1. Note these few historical facts about the prophet Samuel:
    1. He was the Son of Elkanah of Ephraim - I Sam. 1:1 and of Hannah, Elkanah's other wife. He was Hannah's first born and possible saw the light of day at Ramah - I Sam. 2:11; 7:17
    2. Hannah bore Elkanah five other children - I Sam. 2:21; there are many points of similarity between Hannah and the mother of our Lord - I Sam. 2:1-11; Luke 1:46-56
  2. Samuel was a Nazarite - I Sam. 1:11:
    1. Abstinence from intoxicating drink; self-denial and separation from sensual indulgence
    2. Free growth of the hair, indicating the complete dedication of all the posers of the head to God
    3. Avoid contact with dead bodies - Num. 6
  3. Samuel's call to the service of the Lord:
    1. Came when he was weaned and dedicated to the Lord by his mother - I Sam. 1:24-28; 3:1-18
    2. When he was about 12 he received his first vision - I Sam. 3:11-14
    3. To him fell the duty to deliver a clear message of doom against Eli's guilty house - I Sam. 3:11-14
  4. Samuel's ministry was fourfold:
    1. As a prophet of the Lord, his faithfulness was a rebuke to the unfaithfulness of the house of Eli. To the very end of his days, Samuel exercised the office of the prophet and God blessed his ministry - I Sam. 2:27-35; 3:19-21; 8:22
    2. Under the impact of his courageous ministry, Israel renounced her idolatry and shook off the yoke of the Philistines
  5. He was an intercessor:
    1. He deemed a sin not to pray for people - I Sam. 7:5-8; 8:6; 12:17,19,23; 15:11
    2. This is a function that every servant of the Lord must practice
    3. He served as a priest - compare I Sam. 7:9-10 with I Sam. 10:17-25; 16:13
    4. And he served as a judge - "He judged Israel all the days of his life"; the appointment of his two sons to succeed him was a parental mistake - I Sam. 8:5
  6. The universal love and admiration his people had for him was seen in their grief on the day he died - I Sam. 25:1; 28:3
C. A MEMORABLE LESSON FOR US
  1. Earnest and unselfish prayer is ever the foundation to a useful life:
    1. This is fully demonstrated in the experience of Moses; of Daniel; and of many other successful workers in the cause of God
    2. When parents lend their children to the Lord they ensure them against a life of sin and eventual death
    3. Samuel is a vivid example of what God can and will do for all who are faithful to God and his cause
    4. The church of the living God needs more Hannahs and Samuels to finish the work of the Lord
  2. Faith, living faith, was the animating principle in the life and labors of Samuel:
    1. This faith had its roots in the dedicated life of his mother Hannah
    2. That was true, also, of Timothy - 2 Tim. 1:5; and that was true in the life of Moses - Ex. 2:1-10; Heb. 11:24-26


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