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Abstract
Samuel lived in an era when the Israelites level of spirituality was declining. He was called by God at a young age to minister to the Israelites and reformed their evil ways. He served in various capacities such as being a judge. This paper gives a review of Samuel’s life by considering some of the happenings that occurred during his time.
Introduction
The prophet Samuel was a loyal servant of God right from his birth. His amazing life started after birth by Hannah – a woman who had been infertile for many years. God answered Hannah’s prayers after praying for a long time. She named her son ‘Samuel’ to mean, “The Lord hears.”
God placed him tactically in Israel at a time when Israelites showed little reverence to Him. Samuel was called by God in the wee hours and chosen to go to serve as a prophet to the Israelites as recorded in 1 Samuel 3:10. He would later serve in various positions and anoint the first two Kings of Israel, viz. Saul and David, when the Israelites demanded an earthly King.
Time of Samuel
Samuel performed his prophetic duties with a lot of wits and after Israel defeated the Philistines, he became a judge and visited many cities to resolve conflicts amongst the Israelites. Through the help of God, he subdued Philistines, and throughout his life, God never favored the Philistines as stated in 1Samuel 7: 13. When Samuel became old, his two sons – Joel and Abijah, replaced him. However, the two did not follow their father’s footsteps.
They were cruel and corrupt, and consequently, they received people became rebellious towards them and started demanding an earthly king (Hindson & Yates, 2012). During the Mosaic age, God was the only King of the Israelites- both earthly and spiritually. God had been sincere and omnipotent, and He rescued them from Egypt and delivered them to the Promised Land.
God appointed judges to help in fighting Israelites’ enemies like the Philistines and guide them in leading a spiritual life. Israelites wanted to imitate their neighboring kingdoms that worshipped idols under the guidance of earthly kings. In essence, the people were rejecting God, the Lord, who had saved them out of slavery in Egypt (Hindson, 2003). They wanted a physical leader they could see.
In tandem with their demand, God asked Samuel to go and anoint Saul as the new king. He was a tall, good-looking, and decent man. Nonetheless, God cautioned the Israelites of several challenges that they would face as a result of asking for a king. The king would enslave their children, grab their vineyards, take a tenth of their plantations, and give them to his officials.
Also, he was going to take their donkeys, workers, and demand that they pay a tenth of their sheep (Hindson & Yates, 2012). God appointed Saul as king although he came from the smallest tribe in Israel. God enabled him to lead Israel and attain various achievements, such as conquering their enemies. However, when he disobeyed God, the Lord abandoned and appointed David in his position.
God ordered Saul to go and destroy all the Amalekites. However, he pardoned King Agag and took the best of the livestock as narrated in 1Samuel 15:9 (World Bible Publishing, 1981).
Though he asked for forgiveness, his repentance was made up of half-truths as he did not want to take the full burden and he blamed the soldiers for carrying sheep and cattle. In 1Samuel 15:24, apart from repenting and admitting that he disobeyed God, he claims that he could not stand the people’s pressure.
God replaced Saul with David, whom he referred to as a man after His own heart, as noted in 1Samuel 13:14 (World Bible Publishing, 1981). David was loyal to God despite committing some of the gravest sins in the Old Testament.
David had several attributes that distinguished him from Saul even before becoming the King. He was never bitter. Although his father and siblings degraded him, he remained pure in heart. He used all the opportunities he had to serve his father and siblings in the best way he could.
Conversely, King Saul was a bitter man; he abhorred David for his success, and even tried to kill him, thus forcing David to flee. David was a committed worshipper. Even after killing and committing adultery, he did not shy from praising and worshipping God until his clothes tore. Furthermore, David was an industrious, loyal, and determined man. He protected his flock from the lions, bears, and wild animals that attacked his herd (Hindson & Yates, 2012).
The reign of David was very successful, and when his time came to rest, his son Solomon took over. God gave King Solomon wisdom, and he ruled with great wit more than any other character in the Bible. He was a wealthy and polygamous King. Unfortunately, when he grew old, his wives introduced him to other gods. He worshipped other gods such as Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Molech.
God was annoyed as Solomon, with all his wisdom, rejected the Lord even after being warned twice (Hindson, 2003). Consequently, God stated that He was going to divide the kingdom and grant it to his servant Jeroboam as long as the Israelites remained obedient.
Conclusion
Samuel commanded respect amongst Israelites and Christians. He was a transparent and accountable leader. He lived in an era where the judges were replaced by kings following pressure from the Israelites for an earthly king. He requested idol worshippers to turn back to God. Moreover, he appointed the initial kings of Israel. The events in his lifetime, such as the disobedience of King Saul, teach people to obey God always.
References
Hindson, Edward. (2003). Courageous Faith: Life Lessons from Old Testament Heroes. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.
Hindson, E., & Yates, G. (2012). The Essence of the Old Testament: A Survey. Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group.
World Bible Publishing: The Holy Bible King James Version. (1981). Cleveland, OH: World Bible Publishing.
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