Daily Prayer: A Weekly Devotional for Prayer-Filled Living. (Photo: Jesus Club kids acting out a Bible story.)

Daily Prayer ©2006
A Devotional Guide to Prayer and Prayerful Living

Published weekly by the Partners of
Lutheran Ministries of SW Oklahoma

Vol. 13, No. 22
Week of 
May 28, 2006
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Samuel: Judge, Priest, Prophet and King Maker
by Pastor Ronald Boelte

Samuel is the last character we look at in our three week study of a very trying time in Israel's history. We have already covered Hannah, who was Samuel's mother, and Eli who was the priest who trained Samuel in the ways of God.

Samuel's personal name can mean several things which include: "the name is God", "God is exalted", or "son of God." He is the last judge over Israel and links the period of judges with the monarchy (about 1066-1000 B.C.).

After Eli's death, Israel was oppressed for twenty years by the Philistines. Samuel then reemerges in the role of a judge calling Israel to repentance and delivering them from domination. Samuel is also responsible for a revival of the Shiloh sanctuary, and we see God speaking directly to Samuel on different occasions. God is with Samuel and just like Moses is considered one of the great intercessors of Israel.

Samuel served also as the prototype of the future prophets for the kings of Israel. Samuel is called by the people to get them a king just like the other nations around them, even though Samuel had warned them of the dangers this could cause. However, the people insisted and Saul would be anointed by Samuel as Israel's first king.

Later, Samuel would declare God's rejection of Saul as king, and anoint David as Israel's second king. This in Saul's eyes amounted to treason and Samuel feared for his life, and David had to take refuge with Samuel and his band of prophets at Ramah. Samuel died a natural death and this brought on national mourning by the people, and it also left Saul without access to God's word. In desperation Saul acknowledged Samuel's power and influence by seeking to commune with Samuel's spirit through the use of a medium.

Samuel, in life and death, casts a long shadow over Israel's history of worship, rule, prophecy, and justice.

 

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Daily Prayer ©2006 Lutheran Ministries of Southwest Oklahoma (PO BOX 368 Lone Wolf OK 73655) Permission to reprint is granted for Christian Ministries where distribution does not exceed 500 copies and where the source is sited in such publication.