Samuel was “…the kind of leader that Israel actually needed. Their need was not for a great military hero or genius. God had demonstrated unambiguously that he could deal with their enemies without such a champion. Their need was not for a brilliant political giant who could organize the nation efficiently. Israel’s need could not be met by management abilities. Israel’s great need was a leader who would bring them back to God. They needed a leader who would lead them in righteousness. They needed a Samuel. And God gave them Samuel!”[1]
In many photos of Samuel online (such as the one above from Amazon’s series House of David), you might get him confused with Gandalf the Grey. Both appear old, wise, travel with a nice staff, and perform some pretty awesome deeds. But who was Samuel in the Bible, or what was his ministry to Israel?
Who He Was
Samuel was the son of Hannah, a miraculous gift of God to this passionate and prayerful woman (1 Sam. 1:20). Hannah lends the young child Samuel to God so he can be raised in the house of God (1 Sam. 1:24, 28). In a book where God often reverses the fortunes of His people to raise up the humble and bring down the haughty (1 Sam. 2:1-10), the priest Eli’s household is struck down and Samuel is raised up in their place (1 Sam. 2:12-4:22). Samuel becomes Israel’s last judge (1 Sam. 7:6), a leader of all sorts in Israel before the monarchy. But Samuel will also anoint Israel’s first two kings, Saul and David. Samuel is also a prophet, receiving God’s word in a day where it was rare, and faithfully passing all of GOd’s words along to God’s people (3:19-21).
One of the things that’s clear throughout Samuel’s appearances in 1 Samuel is he isa gift of God to Israel. Not just because he conveys the presence of God and the word of God, but he is a source of new mercies and renewal among Israel. Dale Ralph Davis writes, “As Samuel’s appearance in ch. 3 was a sign of fresh grace to Israel, so his presence in ch. 7 coincides with new mercies Israel desperately needs. Here Samuel as prophet and intercessor seeks to restore to repentance the Israel that has been so severely judged (4-6). So we trace Yahweh’s mercy in Samuel’s ministry.”[1]
In ways, Samuel is an imperfect shadow that points us to Jesus. Samuel is the supernatural gift of God’s servant, Hannah. There are parallels between Hannah’s story and prayer and Mary, the mother of Jesus, who borrows Hannah’s words for her own prayer (Luke 1:46-56).[2] Samuel is also a prophet, priest, and judge, a rare combination that points forward to Jesus, our prophet, priest, and king. Samuel acted as a mediator between God and His people, interceding on their behalf and for them (1 Sam. 7:6-10).
Samuel is far from perfect, and his children’s unfaithfulness spur on Israel’s demand for a king (1 Sam. 8:3), but he is a significant figure and spiritual leader in Israel’s history. God uses him in powerful ways as His mouthpiece and a shepherd among His flock.
What He Did
Here’s a short summary of a few key aspects of Samuel’s ministry.
- There’s a clear connection between the call of Samuel and the return of God’s words to His people. God’s gracious work shifts from “the word of the LORD was rare in those days (3:1) to “and the word of Samuel came to all Israel” (4:1). His primary ministry was a teaching ministry (3:19-21; 4:1; 7:3; 8:10; 9:27; 12:6-17; 15:1). He reminded the people and king of their duties from God’s Law (10:25). He taught or instructed the people in the good and right way (12:23). He faithfully proclaimed and upheld every word from God (3:19).
- Samuel prays for his people (1 Sam. 7:5-9; 12:19, 23; 15:11).[3] Samuel states, “Far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you” (12:23). He seeks the Lord before responding in situations (8:6). The psalmist lists Samuel as one of the leaders who cried out to God in prayer (Ps. 99:6).
- Part of teaching is calling people to repentance over their sin. Like the judges before him, Samuel must regularly call Israel to turn from idols and turn to God, warning them about the dangers of their sin and where it will lead (7:3; 8:10; 12:6-17; 15). He pled with them to walk in God’s ways (12:7) or confronted them (12:7 CSB) with their need to walk in remembrance and faithfulness. If Israel drifted to do what was right in their own eyes, Samuel calls them to turn, and instead, do what is right in God’s eyes. Samuel’s role as prophet is seen in Acts 3:24; 13:20; Heb. 11:32; 1 Sam. 3:19-21.
- Samuel was the last true judge in Israel (7:15-17). Being a judge was a multifaceted job. It could be a legal, military, judicial, governing, and pastoral role at various times. It included helping Israel apply the biblical law to their circumstances and to mediate (judge) as they settled disputes or sought counsel in decision-making. Judges were overseers, leaders, and spiritual and national officials.
“Samuel’s ‘judging’ was presumably like the judging we have seen in this chapter: calling Israel to wholehearted devotion to the Lord alone and to put away pagan ways, interceding for them, offering sacrifices for their sins, as well as a more general administration of justice. In other words, with the enemy defeated, Samuel’s job was to lead Israel in righteousness.”[4][1]
- Samuel mediates between the people and God like a priest, offering sacrifices on their behalf (7:5-11; 12:19). We can infer the priestly aspect of his ministry from passages like 1 Sam. 2:18; 7:8-10 and Ps. 99:6.
- Samuel appointed and removed leaders among God’s people (1 Sam. 9-10; 16). He was the man who crowned Israel’s monarchs and gathered the leaders of the tribes of Israel (8:1). In a way, like John the Baptist prepared the people for the ministry of Jesus, Samuel prepares Israel for kingship of David.
- A big part of God’s reviving work in Israel and gracious care for Israel is the gift of Samuel as a leader. His leadership included other things, such as leading the people to worship God according to God’s ways (7:17). Worshipping God AND worshipping God according to His commands and prescriptions is important in 1-2 Samuel. He led the people to rejoice in their God and also to remember their God’s faithfulness and mighty works (7:12; 11:14-15; 12:24). He offers hospitality and encouragement to David on the run (19:18).
FOONOTES
[1] John Woodhouse, 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2008), 135.
[2] Dale Ralph Davis, 1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart, (Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 2000), 71.
[3] See Charles Spurgeon’s sermon, “Samuel: an Example of Intercession”
[4] John Woodhouse, 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2008), 135.
[2] See “How Hannah’s Prayer Found Its Fulfillment in Mary’s Magnificat” at crossway.org
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