Journey Through The Scriptures

The birth of Samuel was a blessed event in Israel. This great leader came on the scene at the end of the judges, a dark period in the nation’s history. Samuel served as Israel’s last judge, and he also functioned as a priest. But his greatest role was that of a prophet, a spokesman for God who called Israel back to faithfulness. Samuel also anointed Israel’s first two kings, Saul and David.

But all of this was far in the future the day that Hannah, the wife of an Israelite named Elkanah, cried out to God to give her a child as she worshiped in the Tabernacle at Shiloh. Hannah was a devout woman, and God heard her prayer. She had promised to give her child back to the Lord, so when Samuel was still a small boy he was brought to the Tabernacle. There he served under Eli, the high priest who presided over a corrupt nation. In the midst of this unfaithfulness, Samuel grew and served the Lord. An unnamed prophet pronounced judgment on Eli and his family, opening the way for Samuel to assume the leadership for which he was so well qualified.