Samuel - Teacher, Prophet and Prophet Teacher (2 of 5)
Focus Text: 1 Samuel 8.4-10
“Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 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.’ But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.’ So Samuel prayed to the LORD. 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. 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. Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.’ So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king.” (1 Samuel 8.4-10).
“But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.’” One’s character can easily be discovered when we know the things that gives us pleasure coupled with the things that cause the opposite reaction in us. Samuel was grieved by the fact that his countrymen wanted a king to reign over them and this because of God’s warnings about the catastrophic results of such an action. Samuel’s character was such that he only wanted good for God’s people; he wanted this without even a hint of consideration for what personal gains or losses might come his way as a result of his actions. Quite naturally when Israel cried out for reform of the entire governmental system, Samuel might have perceived their actions as being personally directed at him. However, God gave Samuel reassurance by telling him that their rejection was not a rejection of Samuel so much as it was a rejection of God. Regardless of all else, Samuel’s devotion to God remained steadfast in the face of the tide of public opinion turned otherwise!
“So Samuel prayed to the LORD.” With this expression we see clearly another of the character traits of Samuel. He was a man who relied on communication with God and that in both directions; Samuel was dependent upon God speaking to him and he was also dependent upon his speaking to God. When it seemed that the whole world was seeking after the gods of popularity and idolatry of various sorts, Samuel kept his eyes firmly fixed on the same God who had made him a prophet long ago. Despair drives many away from God but if anything adversity simply served to remind Samuel of the only real power available to man outside of himself, i.e., Jehovah God.
These two character traits, having one’s affections set on things above and having great confidence in prayer, are traits of all great men and they were traits of Samuel. With these in view it was no wonder that God chose Samuel as the transition judge. Lesser men might have buckled under the pressure, but not so with Samuel the teacher, the prophet, and the prophet teacher.
Questions:
1. Why might Samuel have been upset by the people’s desires to have a king?
2. Why might God have wanted to reassure Samuel of the real sin involved in the people’s demands for a king?
3. What was demonstrated by the fact that Samuel turned to God in prayer when he was displeased with the actions of the people?
4. In times of trouble, our instincts tend take over. How can we be sure ours are godly in nature?