Book of the Bible: 1 & 2 Samuel
The story of Samuel opens with his mother praying to God for a child. For many years, Hannah was unable to have any children. One day Hannah was praying with so much fervor that the priest, Eli, thought she was drunk. She explained to Eli that she wasn’t drunk but she was simply pouring her heart out to God. Eli then told her to “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”
Hannah was excited that Eli said this so she went away celebrating. By the time a year had passed, Hannah had a son and named him Samuel. Because Hannah was so thankful that God gave her a son, she dedicated Samuel to God and let him live with Eli.
When Samuel was a boy God would speak to him during the night. Eli helped him discern what God was telling him and Samuel began speaking what the Lord was telling him to say.
God was with Samuel as he grew up and he became a great influence in the nation of Israel. Samuel was a great prophet and judge that led Israel out of the era of the judges and into the era of the kings. Samuel, with God’s help, picked the first 2 kings Israel had. First Saul, then David.
The kings relied heavily on Samuel's wisdom and knowledge. Samuel would tell them what God was saying and he was always there to remind them of what God had commanded them.
Samuel is one of the greatest characters in the Bible. He is spoken so highly for several reasons. He was fair and impartial in the way he led Israel and he was always obedient to God. Unlike many significant people in the Bible, the Bible doesn’t give us an account of any moral failures in life. Samuel was faithful and obedient to God his entire life.
However, while we aren’t given an account of Samuel’s errors we know he wasn’t perfect. But there was a man who would come after Samuel who was. Jesus lived a perfect life. He was always obedient to what God was calling him to. Jesus lived a sinless life and because of that, he was able to die on the cross for all of our sins.
Key Takeaways:
God hears and answers our prayers
Listen to God when He speaks
Be obedient to the voice of God
Parents, 3treesKIDS will be covering “Gideon", both in-person and online this week. Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.
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