Samuel – indycrowe

How David Learned His Lesson the Right Way (Eventually)

There’s an interesting story from early in David’s reign as king that takes place in both 1 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 13-15. After securing a new capital city, one of King David’s first recorded acts was to defeat the Philistines, retrieve the ark of God, and begin the important process of putting it in the new capital so God’s presence and worship would be at the center of Israel’s kingdom and life. David admonished the priests and people for not prioritized seeking God by seeking the ark in the days of Saul (1 Chronicles 13:3).

What Does It Mean that David was “a man after God’s heart”?

When I began studying David, one question that intrigued me was what it meant that he was a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22). When I asked people what they thought this phrase meant, I heard differing opinions. Some were even bothered by the fact that such a sinful person was described this way. So what does it mean?

Who was the prophet Samuel?

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?