Samuel As Judge

GOLDEN TEXT: “Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way.” —I Samuel 12:23

I SAMUEL 7:5-16

SAMUEL was the last to serve Israel as “judge” during what is usually referred to as “The Period of the Judges.” Othniel, the brother of Caleb, was the first. During this period the Israelites had no central government, and no national leader, such as Moses, and later Joshua. During this time everyone did what seemed right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25) Much of the time this proved to be the worship of false gods.

However, the Lord continued to overrule in the affairs of the nation. When the people transgressed against him he permitted them to be oppressed by one or another of the heathen nations with which they were surrounded. Then, when the Israelites cried to the Lord for help, he “raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.” (Judges 2:16) Thus did the Lord care for his people throughout the entire period of the judges.

The Scriptures indicate that God’s care for Israel through the judges was typical of certain arrangements in the kingdom of Christ. In Isaiah 1:25,26 we read, “I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: and I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning.” The restoring of Israel’s judges will be from death, and all of the ancient and faithful servants of God from righteous Abel to John the Baptist will be in this group. They will be “princes in all the earth,” the human representatives of the divine Christ.—Ps. 45:16

Samuel, even as Israel’s other “judges,” delivered the Israelites from the sore oppression of their enemies—in this case, the Philistines. Properly enough, Samuel first called upon the people to “put away” their strange gods, and to prepare their hearts to serve the Lord only. Only upon complying with these conditions could Samuel promise the Israelites that the Lord would deliver them from the Philistines.—I Sam. 7:3

When the people did comply with Samuel’s request, he then summoned them to gather “together to Mizpeh.” There they fasted and acknowledged their sins before the Lord. The Philistines learned of this gathering and prepared to attack the Israelites, who were very much afraid and implored Samuel to continue praying for their deliverance.

Samuel did more than pray. He offered a Iamb in sacrifice to the Lord. And the Lord heard him, so that when the Philistines mounted their attack there was a miraculous “thundering” against them, “and they were smitten before Israel.” “Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.”—vss. 10-12

There is great inspirational value in the consideration of the wonderful, and ofttimes miraculous manner in which the Lord delivered his ancient people from the hand of their enemies.

And if we are to have our “Ebenezers” to which we can look back, we must, like the Israelites, do our part. We must destroy the “idols which our wayward hearts” set up instead of God. And how easy it is for our fallen flesh to drift away into the worship of one “idol” or another! An “idol” could be anything which we cherish so highly as to permit it to take that first place in our affections which properly belongs to God. We cannot expect God to help us fight our battles if we do not give him first place in our hearts.

As Samuel called upon the Israelites to purify their hearts, so also must we if we wish the Spirit of the Lord to dwell richly in our hearts. The Scriptures tell us that the “eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the earth to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” (II Chron. 16:9) No wonder we are given the admonition, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”—Prov. 4:23

Our Golden Text is from the account of another experience in Samuel’s long life of faithful service. He was no longer serving as “judge” in Israel, for the people had asked for a king, and Samuel had anointed Saul. But he still loved his people, and continued to pray for them.

QUESTIONS

What office in Israel did Samuel occupy at the time of this lesson?

Who were foreshadowed by the judges in Israel?

What are the prerequisites to having the Lord help us fight our enemies?

Explain the setting of the Golden Text.

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