content of the Bible is not mere words but Spirit. Jesus said: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63). Books written by men may convey ideas, inspiration or emotion but the words in the Bible convey spirit. Not just spirit but the Spirit of the Lord whereby we change into His image from glory to glory. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Co 3:18). By absorbing the Bible we change into the image of Christ.
The Bible strengthens our first love relationship with the Lord. In the Bible Book of Revelation John wrote to the church at Ephesus as follows: “I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance [steadfastness], and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your FIRST LOVE. ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent” (Revelation 2:2-5). The most important commandment is that we love the Lord first above all else.
There are 233 different English versions on the market. It has been translated from the original languages into over 2000 languages. The version that we will use here is the New American Standard Bible LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1977 ed and 1995 ed. We will occasionally use the The Holy Bible : King James Version 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version. If another version is used it will be noticed in the text.
Introduction to Samuel the Prophet and School of Prophets
Samuel was the first real prophet to rule Israel. He had the unique ministry of being a prophet, a judge and a priest. He established schools of prophets, training young prophets for the purpose of guiding Israel. He, and his prophets, controlled the spiritual realm in Israel and no major decisions were made except by his consultation. When Israel clamored for a King to lead them Samuel anointed the first two Kings of Israel being Saul and David. When Saul proved to be a rebellious King, he anointed David while Saul was still reigning. When Saul proved unworthily to be King, Samuel befriended and protected David as Saul sought to kill him. He was a great man of God who lived his life in constant communication with the Lord and doing what was best for the nation.
The author of the Books of Samuel (1 & 2) is unknown. However the author had to be someone contemporary with Samuel as the deeds of Samuel are scrupulously recorded. A main point of the Book is the unwise decision, according to Samuel, of Israel to desire a King instead of allowing God to lead them. However God turned this unwise decision to His glory by anointing David as King, the man after God’s heart. During the time of Samuel the Kingdom of Israel began to become united after a period when the nation was reduced to people doing what was right in their own sight without consulting God. The unifying of the nation was accomplished finally by David when he took the throne.
Prophet (Heb. Nabi) comes from a root meaning “to bubble forth, as from a fountain,” hence “to utter”. This is reminiscent of Jesus words: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water’ ” (John 7:37-38). This Hebrew word is the first and the most generally used for a prophet. In the time of Samuel another word, ro<eh, “seer”, began to be used (1Sam. 9:9). It occurs seven times in reference to Samuel. Afterwards another word, hozeh, “seer” (2 Sam. 24:11), was employed.
The “prophet” proclaimed the message given to him by God. As the “seer” the prophet beheld the vision of God and spoke it into existence. To that extent a “seer prophet” was not foretelling so much as he was creating the future. The :seer” can prophesy into existence what he “sees”. This creative aspect of a prophet’s ministry is the most important. A prophet moves as God moves by creating something out of nothing by a word (Genesis 1:1-3). Hebrews says: “By faith we understand that the worlds [ages] were prepared [framed, KJV] by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible” (11:3). A prophet has the ability, by speaking God’s word, to create, or bring into being, that which heretofore didn’t heretofore exist. The prophet was a spokesman for God; he spoke in God’s name and by his authority (Ex. 7:1). He was the mouth by which God spoke to men (Jer. 1:9; Isa. 51:16), and hence what the prophet says is not from man but from God (2 Pet. 1:20, 21). The Bible is composed of the writings of men speaking by a revelation from God.
But while the prophetic gift was exercised from the beginning, the prophetic order began with Samuel. Colleges, “schools of the prophets”, were instituted for the training of prophets. The main purpose of the prophets of Israel were to maintain the Holy, Godly atmosphere in the nation. As such they constituted a distinct order with a specific mission to perform (1 Sam. 19:18–24; 2 Kings 2:3, 15; 4:38), which continued to the close of the Old Testament. Such “schools of prophets” were established at Ramah, Bethel, Gilgal, Gibeah, and Jericho. The “sons” or “disciples” of the prophets were men (2 Kings 5:22; 9:1, 4) who lived together at these different “schools” (4:38–41). These men were taught not only the rudiments of secular knowledge, but they were brought up to exercise the office of prophet, “to preach true righteousness and correct worship of Jehovah”. They represented a spiritual force that actually controlled the spiritual atmosphere in Israel. To come into their presence was to come into the presence of the Lord.
Even the angriest of men would speak the word of the Lord in their presence. When Saul was very angry at David he went to Ramah in search of him. At Ramah, in the presence of the prophet, “the Spirit of God came upon him also, so that he went along prophesying continually until he came to Naioth in Ramah. He also stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1Sa 19:23-24). The school of prophets was the first example of a group of men who obtained a oneness with each other so that they all saw the same vision and prophesied as one voice. So important were the prophets to God that he said through Amos: “Surely the Lord God does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).
Samuel’s Birth
Samuel was the son of Elhanan an Ephraimite (of the tribe of Ephriam). They lived in an area otherwise known simply as Ramah (“the height”) in the hill country about 25 miles north of Jerusalem. Ramah was Samuel’s birthplace [vv. 19–20], residence [7:17], and burial place [25:1].) It was from Ramah that he directed a great deal of his spiritual influence especially since the Philistines had sacked Shiloh.
In those days (though it was never sanctioned by God), a man whose wife was infertile would take a second wife by whom he could bear children (Gen. 16:1–3; 30:3–4, 9–10; etc.). This explains why Elkanah had two wives and why Hannah, the beloved but barren one, so fervently desired a son. 1:4–8. Because a Hebrew man’s posterity was bound up in his having a son to perpetuate his name, his wife’s inability to conceive a son was regarded as a curse from God. But Hannah’s barrenness did not diminish Elkanah’s love for her. In fact he gave her twice what he gave Peninnah, his second wife, when they took their offerings to the LORD at Shiloh.
This antagonized Peninnah, belittled her rival Hannah (1 Sam. 1:6–7). Hannah’s only resort was to cast herself entirely on the mercies of God. Elkanah regularly attended the festivals with his wives, and Hannah there poured out her soul to God in petition for a son. On one such occasion Hannah made a vow that if God would grant her request she would give her son to the LORD for as long as he lived. This dedication of her son was a commitment to the Nazirite vow, described in Numbers 6:1–8. It was the same vow undertaken by the parents of Samson whom they dedicated to the LORD under nearly identical circumstances (Jud. 13:2–5). So intense was Hannah’s