Samuel the Prophet – Part 1
Samuel the Prophet – The Voice of God in an Age of Corruption
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III spoke about Samuel the Prophet as the light that shone in a time of deep corruption. He lived at the end of the era of the Judges, when the people worshiped idols and lived without repentance, until it was said: “There was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” In the midst of this deviation, God began to seek a pure person who would be an intercessor and mediator between Him and the people.
The Birth of Samuel – The Fruit of Prayer and Tears
God found in Hannah, the wife of Elkanah, a holy heart from which a prophet could be born. She was barren and was humiliated by her rival Peninnah, but God used her affliction to bring forth from her a deep prayer flowing from the bitterness of her soul. She prayed with tears and vowed: “O Lord of Hosts, if You will indeed give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life.” So God answered her and granted her Samuel.
Her Gentleness and Humility
When Eli the priest thought that she was drunk, she did not become angry but answered him gently: “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit.” So he blessed her and said: “The God of Israel grant your petition.” She accepted the blessing with humility, and her face became radiant again with faith. She was an example of meekness and obedience even in the midst of injustice.
Offering Her Son to the Lord
After she weaned him, she fulfilled her vow and presented him to God to serve in the Tabernacle, although he was her only son whom she had awaited with tears. She offered a sacrifice and rejoiced, saying: “My heart rejoices in the Lord… No one is holy like the Lord.” Her joy in giving was greater than her joy in receiving, so she became a symbol of the believing mother who rejoices that her son is consecrated to God.
Samuel – The Pure Temple
At a time when the sons of Eli the priest were defiling the Tabernacle, God established a new temple in the heart of the child Samuel. God spoke to him while he was young because He did not look at age but at the purity of the heart. He said to Him: “Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.” From that moment, Samuel became a prophet and faithful to the word of God, and he “let none of the words of the Lord fall to the ground.”
A New Covenant Between God and His People
With the fall of Eli the priest and the death of his sons, a new era began led by Samuel, who carried spiritual power rather than physical power. While Samson delivered the people from their external enemies, Samuel delivered them from the evil within their hearts, as he called them to repentance saying: “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, put away the foreign gods.”
Samuel Anointed by the Spirit
Samuel anointed Saul, the first king of Israel, and then David, who became a symbol of Christ the King. Thus, through him, history moved from the age of corruption to the age of kings and prophets. Samuel was a prophet mighty in spirit, and God spoke through him, until it was said: “All Israel knew that God had established Samuel as a prophet of the Lord.”
The Spiritual Lesson
From the life of Samuel we learn that God is able to bring holiness out of the midst of corruption, and that affliction can produce a prophet. God does not look at appearances or ages, but at pure hearts that listen to His voice. Samuel is an example of a person who lives in a dark world yet remains a steadfast light for God.
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