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Samuel

Study of Bible Characters. Samuel. Samuel. The book of 1 Samuel starts with describing a man named Elkanah and his two wives Peninnah and Hannah. He and Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not. She make a prayerful plea to the Lord…

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Samuel

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  1. Study of Bible Characters Samuel

  2. Samuel • The book of 1 Samuel starts with describing a man named Elkanah and his two wives • Peninnah and Hannah. He and Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not. She make a prayerful plea to the Lord… • “11 Then she made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.” (1Sa 1:11)

  3. Samuel • “no razor come upon his head” • indicates one of the requirements of the Nazarite vow. • 20 So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel,saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.” (1Sa 1:20) • The Nazirite vow, which is usually a voluntary vow made by the person himself, Samuel’s mother made the vow for him. And so, from a very young age, Samuel grows up serving the Lord, assisting a priest named Eli. • It turns out that the sons of Eli had been not been faithful in their duties.

  4. Samuel • “no razor come upon his head” • indicates one of the requirements of the Nazarite vow. • 20 So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.” (1Sa 1:20) • The Nazirite vow, which is usually a voluntary vow made by the person himself, Samuel’s mother made the vow for him. And so, from a very young age, Samuel grows up serving the Lord, assisting a priest named Eli. • It turns out that the sons of Eli had been not been faithful in their duties.

  5. Samuel • God calls Samuel • Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.” 11 Then the LORD said to Samuel: “Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.

  6. Samuel • So we see, as God did with His people like Joshua, The Lord bestows success upon Samuel as a sign to others that he has been chosen. • Samuel went on to be a judge of Israel… and as it will turn out, the last of the judges.

  7. Samuel • 15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places.(1Sam 7:15-16)

  8. The Judge • The office of Judge of Israel was both a political and military position. • Politically, the judge preserved the unity of the tribes and dealt with judicial matters between the tribes. • Militarily, the judge was the overall leader of the troops. • Samuel has two sons, no mention is made of his wife. • Samuel chooses his sons to be judges as well. Unfortunately, they aren’t as faithful and diligent…

  9. The Judge • 3But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. • 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

  10. The Judge • 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. • 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.(1Sa 8:3-5)

  11. The Judge • Here we see another example of a father ignoring the misbehaviors of his sons. It looks that the whole deal with Eli was God’s way of giving Samuel a preview as to what might happen to him. We also see the consequences…. • Although the nation of Israel was already on their way to turning away from God yet again, the unrighteousness of Samuel’s sons certain were the last step • In response to their demands for a king, Saul is chosen… Samuel anoints Saul as king. Saul’s reign as king painfully highlights the problems with having an earthly king.

  12. King Saul • Time after time, Saul does his own thing and then tries to appease God. • On one occasion, God commands Saul to kill ALL of the Amalekites and ALL of their livestock. Saul kills the Amalekites but spares their king and the best of their livestock as offerings to the Lord.

  13. King Saul • 22 So Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,       As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,       And to heed than the fat of rams. • 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,      And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.       Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,       He also has rejected you from being king.” • Wow! Strong words to describe disobedience! Samuel shows what disobedience to • God really means. God’s anointing on Saul is removed. David is chosen.

  14. Samuel CV ! • Key Character Traits: • • Faithful : • Samuel remained faithful in his service to the Lord. • • Obedient : He followed God’s commands even if he disagreed with them. (example: the appointing of an earthly king to lead the nation of Israel). • EXPERIENCE • • He was dedicated to service to the Lord • • The Lord speaks to him • • He anoints Saul as king • • He rebukes Saul for sin

  15. Samuel • • He anoints David • SPIRITUAL LIFE • Samuel was a faithful and obedient judge and prophet. • SHORTCOMINGS : • Samuel was at times overly sentimental. He mourned God’s rejection of Saul longer than appropriate. (1Sa 16:1) • He didn’t correct his sons when they were inappropriately judging Israel (1Sa 8:3). • ACCOMPLISHMENTS • Samuel was a faithful servant and is mentioned as a champion of faith in the New Testament (Heb 11:32) • • Last of the Judges • • First Prophet

  16. Samuel • Through the life of Samuel, God’s righteousness/justice was displayed in how He forewarned Samuel of what was to come in his life, and what was to come for the nation of Israel. • God didn’t “surprise” or “trap” them, but gave them sufficient warning for them to repent. • The fact that Samuel was the last judge and the first prophet denotes a change in how God was going to deal with Israel. • God used Samuel to show us today that the Lord is patient and will use different approaches in an attempt to get through to us.

  17. Lessons: • It is more important to obey than to sacrifice! As we saw in Saul’s response to God’s command, Saul thought he could “manipulate” or “Twist” God’s command to suit his own purposes. • Disobedience is equated to witchcraft and stubbornness is equated to idol worship. • When we disobey the Lord’s commands, we are essentially saying that we know better than He does. • If we stubbornly refuse to repent we are “worshipping” that thing which we refuse to turn away from.

  18. Samuel • Even when sacrifice is required, the emphasis should be on the obedience part… not on the sacrifice itself.

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