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1Samuel 3:1
Sunday School
Samuel

I. \\#1Sam 1:1-2:11\\ Hannah - A Woman God Honored
II. \\#1Sam 2:12- 4:22\\ Eli - A Failed Father
III. \\#1Sam 5:1-8:22\\ Samuel - The Humble Servant

I. Samuel, the Last Judge
Samuel was the last judge over Israel. He humbly stepped aside for
Israel’s first king, Saul. In fact, he rejoiced for Saul, prayed for
him, anointed him, wept over him, and apparently come back from the
dead to give Saul his last message from God \\#1Sam 28:13-19\\.
Samuel will also anoint David to be king over Israel
\\#1Sam 16:1-13\\.

II. Samuel’s Life
We see more of Samuel’s life than we do most any other Bible
character. The details begin with his mother, Hannah, praying for him
before he was conceived. We see bits and pieces of his childhood and
adult life. Although no details are given, his death is mentioned
twice \\#1Sam 25;1, 28:3\\, and he is recorded to have appeared some
years after that. In all, the details of Samuel’s life covers
\\#1Sam 1:1-28:19\\; however most of that time, the focus is on King
Saul and King David.

III. Samuel’s Failure
We mentioned that along with Eli and David, Samuel failed as a
father. In fact, his sons behavior was a chief reason given by the
people of Israel as to why they wanted a king.

1Sam 8:1  And it came to pass, when Samuel was
old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
2  Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and
the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges
in Beersheba.
3  And his sons walked not in his ways, but
turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and
perverted judgment.

However, there is no record of Samuel disobeying the Lord concerning
his children as Eli had done \\#1Sam 2:29, 3:13\\.

IV. Samuel’s Acceptance
Like, Eli, Samuel became judge over Israel.  Although there is no
record of Samuel delivering Israel until \\#1Sam 7:1-13\\, it seems
Israel accepted him as Eli’s successor:

1Sa 3:20  And all Israel from Dan even to
Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be
a prophet of the LORD.

The fact that God began to speak to Samuel as a young child, before
he even knew who the Lord was, is a strong indication that God
intended Samuel to follow as leader of Israel.

V. Samuel, Priest But Not High Priest
One difference between Samuel and Eli was that Samuel did not become
the High Priest. While Samuel must have been a Levite (he offered
sacrifices \\#1Sam 7:9, 10:8, 16:2\\), the office of high priest was
passed from father to the eldest son. Since Phinehas should have been
the next high priest but was killed, it appears that the office when
to Phinehas’ son, Ahitub. Ahitub’s son, Ahiah, was definitely said to
wear the robes of the high Priest. \\#1Sam 14:3\\.

VI. Samuel Lead in Some Great Passover Celebrations

2 Chronicles 35:18  And there was no passover
like to that kept in Israel from the days of
Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of
Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and
the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and
Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem.

Having already studied Samuel’s conception and deliver to Eli, we
will pick up:

VII. \\#1Sam 3:1-4:1\\ Samuel’s Call

\\#1Sam 5:1-7:1\\ follow the Ark of the Covenant into the land of the
Philistines and back into Israel.  It is interesting what God chose
to follow.  Not the role of the High Priest or the details Samuel’s
life, but the Ark.
    1. \\#1Sam 5:1-9\\ The Ark in Ashdod
    2. \\#1Sam 5:10\\ The Ark was almost moved to Ekron
    3. \\#1Sam 5:11-6:11\\ The Philistines made plans to send the
        Ark to Israel.
    4. \\#1Sam 6:12-21\\ The Ark was with Joshua, a Bethshemite from
        Bethshemesh.
    5. \\#Sam 7:1-2\\ The Arm was brought to Kirjathjearim, to the
        family of Abinadab and Eleazar, his son, was sanctified to
        keep it.
        a. The Ark stayed there for 20 years.
        b. \\#2Sam 6:1-4\\  The Ark stayed there until David came to
            get it to go to Jerusalem.

The verses about the Ark make it clear that more than 40 years passed
from the time the Ark is taken from Shiloh until it is placed in
Jerusalem.  That would include all of Samuel’s time to judge (we
don’t know how long that was), all of Saul’s time as king (40 years,
\\Acts 13:21\\, and whatever amount of time that David had been king
before he brought the Ark to Jerusalem.

II. \\#1Sam 7:1-17\\ Samuel Delivered Israel

III. \\#1Sam 8:1-22\\ Israel Rejected God and Samuel

In chapter 9, the emphasis turns to Saul.