Samuel, a Judge and a Prophet

Hebrews 11:32 in the New Testament mentions Samuel by faith: “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:” KJV

I. Samuel’s parents (1 Samuel 1:1-2)

• Elkanah• HannahII. Deal with Hannah’s sorrowful spirit (1 Samuel 1:5-18)

• Elkanah’s soft voice.• Eli’s strong voice in the authority.III. Summons to Samuel (1 Samuel 3:1-21)

• Eli’s dim eyes.• The Lord called Samuel…• The Lord would punish Eli and his family forever.• Samuel was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said.

IV. Eli’s grief over his wicked sons (1 Samuel 2:12;22-26)

• Eli rebuked them over the bad reports against them.• The sons of Belial ( worthlessness and wickedness)• Their future consequence- The Lord put death on

them.V. The death of Eli (1 Samuel 4:1-18)

• 98 years old.• He had judged Israel for 40 years.• The fulfillment of his sons’ consequence.• The capture of the Ark by Philistines.• His broken neck from falling.

V. Samuel named to be the true prophet (1 Samuel 3:18-21)

• Eli said, “It is the Lord…”• All Israel recognized Samuel to be a true

prophet of the Lord.• The Lord appeared again to Samuel at Shiloh

and told him what to say.

VI. Samuel and Jesus in the similarity

• And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord, and also with men. ( 1 Samuel 2:26)

• And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man (Luke 2:52)

VII. Samuel the Judge at Mizpeh (1 Samuel 7:1-17)

• To all the house of Israel, he told them to turn back to the Lord with all their hearts.

• They must remove their foreign gods and their idols of Ashtoreth.

• They must prepare their hearts to the Lord and serve Him only.

• They confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord”

• Their results: Victory over their enemies in the Lord’s name. Restore of the security of Israel.

VIII. Samuel, the Last Judge• All the elders of Israel gathered themselves and

came to Samuel by saying, “ You are old. Your sons (Joel and Abiah) didn’t walk in your ways.

• They blamed Joel and Abiah for taking bribes and perverting judgment( justice).

• They wanted Samuel to give a king to them for judging them like all the nations.

• Samuel anointed Saul as the first king and then David as the second king.

IX. Samuel’s famous phrases

• To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22).

• Don’t look at how handsome Eliab is or how tall he is, because I (the Lord) have not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the

heart ( 1Samuel 16:7). NCVEND