Samuel as Prophet - The Gathering at Mizpeh - Battle of Eben-ezer; Its Consequences - Samuel's

Administration - The Demand for a King. (1 SAMUEL 7, 8)

PERHAPS the most majestic form presented, even among the heroes of Old Testament history, is that of

Samuel, who is specially introduced to us as a man of prayer (Psalm 99:6). Levite, Nazarite, prophet, judge -

each phase of his outward calling seems to have left its influence on his mind and heart. At Shiloh, the

contrast between the life of self-denial of the young Nazarite and the unbridled self-indulgence of Eli's sons

must have prepared the people for the general acknowledgment of his prophetic office. And Nazarite - God-

devoted, stern, unbending, true to his calling, whithersoever it might direct him, - such was ever the life and

the character of Samuel! 62

It needed such a man in this period of reformation and transition, when all the old had signally failed, not

through inherent weakness, but through the sin of the people, and when the forms of the new were to be

outlined in their Divine perfectness.63 The past, the present, and the future of the people seemed to meet in

his history; and over it the figure of the life -Nazarite cast its shadow, and through it the first voice from the

prophetic order was heard in Israel.

The sanctuary, destitute of the ark, and tended by a decrepit priesthood, over which the doom had been

pronounced, had apparently fallen into utter disregard. The ark, carried captive into Philistia, but having

proved a conqueror there, had indeed been restored to Israel, but was rather a witness of the past than the

symbol of present help. The only living hope of Israel centered in the person of Samuel. Although, since the

death of Eli, no longer attached to the sanctuary, which indeed his mission to a certain extent set aside, his

spiritual activity had not been interrupted. Known and owned as prophet, he closely watched, and at the

proper time decisively directed the religious movement in Israel. That decisive hour had now come.

Twenty years had passed since the return of the ark - a period, as we gather from the subsequent history,

outwardly of political subjection to the Philistine, and spiritually of religious depression, caused by the

desolateness of their sanctuary, and the manifest absence of the Lord from among His people. It was no

doubt due to the influence of Samuel that these feelings led them towards the Lord. In the language of

Scripture, they "lamented after Jehovah."  64 But this was only preparatory. It was Samuel's work to direct to

a happy issue the change which had already begun. His earnest message to all Israel now was: "If with all

your hearts you are returning to Jehovah," -implying in the expression that repentance was primarily of the

heart, and by the form of the Hebrew verb, that that return had indeed commenced and was going on - "put

away the strange gods (Baalim, ver. 4), and the Ashtaroth, and make firm your hearts towards Jehovah" - in

opposition to the former vacillation and indecision - "and serve Him alone."  65 To Israel so returning with

their whole heart, and repenting alike by the removal of their sin, and by exercising lively faith, Jehovah

would, as of old, prove a Savior - in the present instance, from the Philistines.

The words of Samuel produced the marks of at least full outward repentance. The next step was to call the

people to one of those solemn national gatherings, in which, as on former occasions (Joshua 23:2, etc.; 24:1,

etc.), they would confess national sins and renew national obligations towards Jehovah. On its mountain

Shechem (Joshua 24:26), in Gilgal (Joshua 5:2-12, 15), and in Bethel (Judges 20:18, 23, 26; 21:2), the people

were wont to assemble for solemn deliberation (Judges 11:11; 20:1). But never before, since the days of

Moses, had Israel so humbled itself before the Lord in confession of sin.67 It was thus that Samuel would

prepare for his grand act of intercession on their behalf, and it was under such circumstances that he

publicly exercised, or more probably that he began his office of "judge" (1 Samuel 8:6), in its real meaning,

by setting right what was wrong within Israel, and by becoming the means of their deliverance from the