Lessons From The Life Of Samuel The Prophet
Feature 3 – June 2025 – Grace & Truth Magazine
Lessons From The Life Of Samuel The Prophet
When we consider the life of Samuel the prophet, we turn in our Bibles to 1 Samuel 1–25. Samuel, whose name means “heard of God,” was a man God raised up at the beginning of Israel’s kingdom era. The people of Israel were at a very low spiritual point and far from God in their walk and ways. In contrast, Samuel’s life was one of faithful service, spanning many years. We see his growth and development at a young age, and wisdom and integrity displayed in his later years. He was a righteous judge over God’s people, and he was a prophet of God.
Although Samuel made a mistake by appointing his sons as judges over Israel (1 Sam. 8) in his old age, this was allowed by God to bring about the request from the people for a king. In obedience to the Lord, Samuel anointed the first and second kings of Israel, Saul and David, when the kingdom was united under one ruler (1 Sam. 9, 16). The situation was used of God toward the fulfillment of His sovereign will, as it would clear the path for God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be honored and glorified in a future day as the reigning “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:16 NKJV).
We will consider three periods of Samuel’s life:
Boyhood (1 Sam. 1:1–3:18).Maturing years (3:19–7:17).Old age (8:1–25:1).
Each time period has lessons for us today and shows the spiritual development that Samuel experienced. All of us can benefit from these lessons as we consider together some highlights of the life of Samuel.
Boyhood
Samuel was blessed with godly parents, Elkanah and Hannah. He was conceived seemingly as a result of his godly mother’s prayer, and she dedicated him to God before his birth (1:11-13). Praying was a part of the godly family into which Samuel was born. This characteristic is shown in Samuel’s life as one who had the spirit of prayer and dependence. We should all have this characteristic.
The promise of devoting Samuel to the LORD included the commitment of his being a Nazirite (see Num. 6:1-21). This meant that Samuel would be holy unto the LORD. Samuel’s parents fulfilled their promise and gave him to Eli the priest to train him in serving the LORD (1 Sam. 1:28). We learn from 1 Chronicles 6:16-30 that Samuel’s family descended from Levi, which was the priestly tribe. This helps explain why he was brought to Eli the priest by his parents at such an early age.
Those of us who have been blessed with believing parents should be thankful. Whether or not this may be true for all of us, we all should live for the Lord at an early age, like Samuel. It is a beautiful and sweet picture to see young Samuel before the LORD and to see God using Samuel’s faithful little hands, which did whatever they could do, pleasing the LORD.
At an early age, Samuel observed the wickedness of unfaithful men. Eli’s sons lived disobedient and sinful lives, but Samuel was not influenced by them. “The child Samuel grew before the LORD” (2:21). Here we have another lesson for ourselves, for we may be exposed to sinful behavior, but we should not join in or allow it to impact the way we live or think (consider Ps. 1:1-3). Despite the unfaithfulness and sin all around him, Samuel progressed spiritually even more. The Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 2:26, “The child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with the LORD and men.” This reminds us of our Lord Jesus in Luke 2:52, where we read: “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” We do not stand still when it comes to spiritual development. We are either progressing in a positive way or we are regressing spiritually. May we all, like Samuel, focus our walks on the Lord daily and make spiritual progress which can be noticed by others (1 Tim. 4:15).
In 1 Samuel 3 we find the calling of Samuel. At a tender young age he would learn the difference between the calling of God and the calling of man. When the LORD first spoke to him, Samuel thought Eli the priest was speaking to him. He learned through this calling that it was not a man who was calling him but the Lord Himself. How important it is that we know the difference! Only God can call a believer into a particular service. May we be faithful and do the things that God intends and calls us to do.
Samuel, at a young age, did not withhold the full truth of God’s word. Even though it was hard and painful for him to speak judgment against Eli, he told him exactly what God said. The word was prophetic. Unfortunately, the warning did not produce repentance in Eli or his sons. This led to the prophecy’s fulfillment later, in the exact way God had foretold (4:10-18).
Maturing Years
In 1 Samuel 3:19 we see the transition from Samuel’s years of youth to his maturing years. This is connected with the previous scene in which Samuel proclaimed the truth of the coming judgment to Eli. God would bless Samuel for his faithfulness to give Eli warning. We read in 1 Samuel 3:19, “Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.” Throughout Samuel’s younger years we see continuous growth. How wonderful! May his example inspire us to be faithful in proclaiming the truth of God’s Word and to continually grow!
We also learn that all Israel knew Samuel was confirmed to be a prophet of God from Dan, one of the most northern parts of the country, to Beersheba, one of the most southern parts of the country. The LORD, not man, is the One to raise up individuals. He was revealing Himself to Samuel in Shiloh, where the ark of the covenant was placed at that time. The Lord showed and announced to His people that there was now a new link between them and their God, a special place of guidance and fellowship for all who were truly seeking the God of Israel. He encouraged Samuel to continue on in service, and Samuel was greatly used by the LORD. The LORD gave him His word, which “was rare” in those spiritually dark days (v.1).
We find very little detail about Samuel’s life in 1 Samuel 3:19–7:1. This is similar to the record of the life of Moses, who lived 120 years, as details of his years as a shepherd in the wilderness, when he was between 40 and 80 years old, are hidden from us. The same can be said regarding our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We know of His birth and one event when He was 12 years old (Lk. 2). Other than that, we know nothing of His years from 12 until around 30 years old, when He entered into His public ministry. These hidden years were lived in the quiet observation of God, who noted the faithfulness and integrity displayed in the simple day-to-day experiences of life. When the Lord Jesus entered public ministry at age 30, we hear God the Father’s assessment of those hidden years, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mt. 3:17). He pleased God the Father during those hidden years. May we be faithful, not only in public but also in private.
We learn of one event during Samuel’s maturing years in 1 Samuel 7. As God sovereignly protected the stolen ark of the covenant (1 Sam. 4–6), Samuel proclaimed the word of the LORD. He declared the need for repentance (7:3). How important it is for unbelievers to repent of their sin and turn to the Lord for salvation. It is equally important for true believers to repent when they fall into sin (1 Jn. 1:8–10). This is necessary, when we have sinned, to restore broken fellowship with our holy Lord. Repentance requires a putting away of the things that cause sin. In Israel’s case, Samuel spoke against the foreign false gods, which needed to be removed. Likewise, if we struggle with a certain sin, we must remove it in order to display our true repentance and avoid repeating the sin in the future. This putting away of sinful things prepares our hearts for the Lord. May the Lord help us with this practical teaching.
Samuel interceded for the people (7:5). Prayer is extremely important in the life of a believer, and Samuel is a wonderful example. When we pray, the prayer should not be limited to our own needs, but we should consider the needs of others. Moses interceded for God’s people, and it appears his prayer altered the outcome of what God had proposed to do with them (see Ex. 32:7-14,30-35). We should pray for one another.
Samuel offered a burnt sacrifice (1 Sam. 7:9) as part of his supplication to the LORD. The burnt sacrifice reminds us of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary’s cross. The fragrance of this offering reached God’s heart, and grace and mercy flowed forth. Samuel acted as a priest when he offered a sacrifice. Every true believer in Christ is a “holy” and a “royal” priest (1 Pet. 2:5,9). As such, we offer up spiritual sacrifices, that is the fruit of our lips, which is to give thanks and praise from our hearts to our loving God and Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 13:15-16).
The result of Samuel’s words and actions was blessing. The cities conquered by the enemy were recovered, and the enemy was driven away and did not trouble the people any more during Samuel’s lifetime. Samuel continued to judge the people righteously, helping them to be accountable to their God. He made an annual trip to see how the same people were doing. This was similar to what Paul and Barnabas considered doing in Acts 15:36. How important it is to watch over one another and to maintain and progress in our holy walk with the Lord. It brings great joy when we do this and when we see others doing well spiritually (2 Jn. 4).
Samuel would always return home to Ramah after his trips. In this way he never forgot where he came from and where he could be refreshed. Spiritually speaking, we should not forget where we came from as well. We are sinners saved by grace and should not look at others with an attitude of superiority. This will help to humble us.
Also, we need a place of rest from our activities and journey. A familiar place is what God can use to produce such rest. Samuel ended his maturing years by building an altar in the place where he lived (1 Sam. 7:17). Beloved, how important it is for us to commune with God in our homes, depending on Him for needs and direction while worshiping Him. We are called to be worshipers, like Samuel, giving God all the honor and glory in our lives. The whole family would benefit from such activity in the home.
Old Age
We are never too old to fail. This is an important lesson we find in the life of Samuel. His old age years are recorded in 1 Samuel 8:1–25:1. In this portion it is sad to see him make the terrible mistake of appointing his unfaithful sons as judges. While unsure of Samuel’s intention in this, we know God does not work by man’s succession, nor does He transmit gift or power from father to son. It is wonderful when we see a son or daughter following in their parents’ faithful pathway, but this is sadly not true more often than we would like to admit. The Lord Jesus is the One to call into service and to equip the servant with the gifts needed to serve. It has nothing to do with natural lineage.
Samuel’s sons Joel and Abijah proved to be unfaithful. God used their unfaithfulness to motivate the people to request a king. They would rather have a king than be subject to these corrupt men. Their solution was to copy the nations around them. How sad when believers look at the world and think that life could be better if we copy the unbelievers’ ways. The world should never be our standard; we should turn to God’s Word. May we learn from this failure of Samuel in his old age.
In 1 Samuel 12 we hear about the lifelong integrity displayed by Samuel in his generation. We can learn from his life how we ought to live. He was now old, and as he looked back over his long life, he had confidence that he lived it in the fear of the LORD. He did not cheat anyone, abuse his position of power and influence, or take bribes, which would have distorted his judgment. So consistent was his life of integrity that even at this point in his old age no one could accuse him of any wrongdoing. This should be true of each of us. May we end well and look back with no regrets over the many years of faithfulness to God.
Happily, we see Samuel being used mightily in other ways during the remainder of his life. He is given the privilege of anointing two kings, Saul and David. Saul turned out to be a failure, although he appealed to the people based on outward appearance. God warns us in 1 Samuel 16:7, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” This was spoken by the Lord when Samuel, in a private family setting, anointed David king. What a joy this must have been for Samuel to anoint David, knowing that this person was appointed by God.
It appears in 1 Samuel 19:20 that Samuel established what may be called the first school of the prophets. He was the leader of those younger believers who prophesied. Those with Samuel learned, for their blessing, directly from him and his past experiences. How wonderful to see Samuel wanting to train the next generation in the things of God! Are we interested in those who are younger that need mentoring? Do we encourage them in God’s things? We should have the welfare of the young in mind, wanting to impact the next generation in a spiritually positive way by the manner in which we live.
The end of Samuel’s life is briefly recorded in 1 Samuel 25:1. We learn that the Israelites lamented over his death and gathered together to mourn him. He was buried where he lived in Ramah. Although there are few words here for us to consider about Samuel’s life, we see how simple and beautiful it is to remember this event. It was the end of an era. The prophet ended his journey here, and God took him home to his eternal rest in heaven. Those left behind would miss him. They would remember his legacy and the value he gave to God’s people during his life. We all have an opportunity to end well, to leave a legacy of faithfulness to God and to God’s people. May we be like Samuel, and may each of our lives leave a legacy that could be looked upon as being faithful. Yet, we look forward to hearing in heaven those wonderful words from our Savior, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Mt. 25:21).
By Bill Kulkens
Samuel, in 1 Samuel 12, set before the people the ways of God toward them, their ingratitude and foolishness in having asked for a king and rejecting God. Nevertheless, while giving a sign from God which added the weight of God’s own testimony to his words, he declared to the people that, if henceforth they would obey Jehovah, both the king and the people should continue to follow Jehovah, meaning they should walk under His blessing and guidance. But if not, Jehovah would be against them.
However, Jehovah would not forsake them, and Samuel would assuredly not cease to pray for them. He would teach them the good and the right way. That is to say, he placed the people, as to their public conduct, in the position they had chosen, and set them under their own responsibility before Jehovah. But at the same time, full of love for them as the people of God, their rejection of Samuel himself did not for a moment suggest the thought to him of giving up his intercession or his testimony for their welfare. What a beautiful picture of a heart near the Lord, which, in forgetfulness of self, can love His people as His own! To fail in this would have been to sin against the Lord. Consider what the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “I seek not yours but you … I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved” (2 Cor. 12:14-15 KJV). —John N. Darby, Synopsis Of The Books Of The Bible (adapted).