Who Was Samuel?

The story of the prophet Samuel begins with tears. Hannah was one of two wives of a man from Ephraim named Elkanah (1 Sam. 1:1–2). The other wife was named Peninnah. Penninah bore children to Elkanah, but Hannah was barren. A fruitful womb was a sign of God’s favor (Ex. 23:26; Deut. 7:14). Perhaps some thought Hannah’s barrenness was a sign of divine displeasure. Perhaps Hannah thought this as well, but Hannah was a woman of remarkable piety (1 Sam. 2:1–10). She cried to the Lord out of the anguish of her heart and laid before Him her desire for a son (1 Sam. 1:11). The Lord heard her prayer. Then, as He had done for Sarah (Gen. 21:1–7), Rebekah (Gen. 25:21–26), and Rachel (Gen. 30:22–23), the Lord opened Hannah’s womb and gave her a son (1 Sam. 1:19–20). She named the boy Samuel, because she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord” (1 Sam. 1:20). He was a gift from God to Hannah, but he was also a gift from God to Israel.

Samuel’s life and ministry stood at the crossroads of the troubled times between the end of the period of the judges and the beginning of the monarchy (Acts 13:20). The Philistines were a constant political and military menace to the people of Israel during this period, but the Philistines were not their primary problem. The primary problem was that the people were fickle and faithless (Judg. 17:6, 21:25), and the priesthood under Eli was ineffective (1 Sam. 2:22–25, 27–36). God’s judgment fell on the people of Israel in the form of a crushing defeat at Aphek at the hands of the Philistines (1 Sam. 4:1–11). Israel needed someone to deliver them not only from the hands of the Philistines but also from their idolatries that had made them indistinguishable from the people around them. This person was Samuel.

Samuel began to serve the Lord from an early age (1 Sam. 2:18) and eventually grew to be a man of great political and religious significance to the people of Israel. He was both a judge (1 Sam. 7:15–17; 12:11) and a prophet (1 Sam. 3:19–4:1). Samuel led the people of Israel to repent of their sinful idolatries and to turn again to serve the Lord (1 Sam. 7:1–4; 28:3). He led the people of Israel to worship the Lord and then, with a clear focus on the Lord as their true deliverer, led them to a great military victory over the Philistines (1 Sam. 7:12–14).

Later, after the elders of Israel strongly declared their desire for a king like the kings of the nations (1 Sam. 8:4–9), Samuel anointed Saul as king over Israel (1 Sam. 10:1; 17–24) and provided him with the tools he would need to rule well (1 Sam. 10:25). When Saul showed himself to be unfit for the office of king, Samuel, donning his prophetic mantle, sharply rebuked him (1 Sam. 13:1–13; 15:1–35). Even though Samuel clearly had great affection for Saul (1 Sam. 15:35; 16:1), his willingness to faithfully proclaim the word of God even to the errant king showed that Samuel’s chief loyalty was to the Lord. This, of course, was a hallmark of his ministry.

Samuel was first and foremost the Lord’s man. Having rejected Saul from being king, the Lord then instructed Samuel to go to the house of Jesse. There he would find the one whom God had chosen to be Israel’s next king. After Jesse had presented each of his sons, Samuel finally came face to face with David and anointed him to be the next king over Israel (1 Sam. 16:1–13).

Samuel’s name all but disappears from the pages of Scripture following his ministry recorded in 1 Samuel. Nevertheless, there is much to learn from Samuel’s life and ministry. Among other things, the Christian can learn from the life and ministry of Samuel what a life lived in faith during hard times looks like (Heb. 11:32). We learn from the life of Samuel that love for God and His Word must take precedence over any other consideration. Whether these considerations are personal relationships or interests, fidelity to God and His Word must take the highest priority. There is nothing more important than listening to and heeding the Word of God. Read Samuel’s story and be encouraged to live a life wholly devoted to the Lord.