And, THAAT faithful priest of which the LORD spoke, was none other, than the Prophet Samuel!! 

And WoW.. Did the LORD describe him to a T!!  

 

"WHATEVER" the LORD said - Samuel DID!!  

Without ANY, reservation, hesitation, fear, favor, nor respect to ANYONE, or ANYTHING - 

save Whom he was established for... The LORD!  In fact - on ONE occasion, even FINISHING the job which the LORD had tasked Saul with, yet Saul didn't finish.. In cutting, Agag; the king of Amalek, into pieces with the sword!  (1 Sam. 15:33)

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  I've ALWAYS LOVED Samuel ...

1 Sam. 3:1, says, "as a child, "he ministered before the LORD.." 

AND... SO DID I! ((or tried anyhoo))

(Albeit though, not in the same ((NOR NEAR the same)) capacity as Samuel! FoSho!! 😋👍

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KINGS ~was written by God; through the long-hand of Samuel ((I know; he dies in 1 Sam.. Mmbut hellu?!?  He was a prophet ladles & gents!!  Keep THAAT in mind wiki!  Woulda been ENTIRELY possible for Samuel to write 1 & 2 Samuel & 1 & 2 Kings!!!))

Twas "originally"  was written as one BIG, long, book,, with 4 breaks, & named KINGS!!!  And, this makes sense, since, this was an era when Judges became kings = ALL tying into RULING!!..  In reality??  The book of KINGS begins with 1 Samuel ((meant to be 1 Kings)),  2 Samuel ((2 Kings)),  & 1 Kings ((meant to be 3 Kings)).. & the final, 2 Kings, ((written originally as 4 Kings))..

 

1 Samuel, describes, and, was to be the first of two times that God blatantly, was rejected by His people, Israel in the Bible!!  1.) Firstly, by them rejecting GOD's Kingship, & wanting man's kingship like other nations of the heathen!  

2.)  The 2nd time ((officially, & OBVIOUSLY,)) was in the rejecting Jesus by Israel! -Isaiah 53:3

Joshua, Judges, Ruth; 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, & 2 Kings = the Books of Samuel.. In these, lie some of the most amaazing & inspiring Books of the Bible!!  Joshua's story finish & the taking of the promised land by Israel!!  The stories of Gideon, Jephthah, SAMSON, & De-LIE-lah (I spelt it right!! FoSho! ) The poor fella Levite whose story mirrors that of Lot's, in which the townsmen gather round about the house demanding the Levite come out that they may 'know' him; & ends with the near annihilation of the tribe of Benjamin, to RUTH ((IMO, the GREATEST love story EVER told & continuing the lineage to Jesus' birth; GOD's arrival on earth!!)), to Samuel's own miraculous birth, the first king of Israel, Saul, to the choosing of Israel's 2nd king, David, to David & Goliath, to David crowned king, to David & Bathsheba, & Uriah, the Hittite!, To Solomon's birth & kingship..  And that's JUST a highlight of a FEW stories of the Book of Samuel!!!

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As a child, only 3 or so, I had the story of David and Goliath... DOWN TO AN ART; take uh listen!! 

 

 

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FoSho!!! & ANYhoo -

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Anywaays - without further ado..  SAMUEL's stowy! 😋

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ESTABLISHING SAMUEL - HE WAS PRAYED INTO EARTH!!

Samuel's momma was Hannah, & his father was Elkanah..  Elkanah seems by all Biblical accounts to be a moral, righteous, man who had 2 wives (never thought I would say THAT in a sentence! 😂)  When issuing & assigning his inheritance out, Hannah, though she'd bore him NO children,  F​"unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah."  ~(1 Sam. 1:5)

 

SOO..  She went & asked the LORD!!...  For, she desperately wanted a child!!

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K​ And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. L And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no rasor come upon his head. ~ 1 Samuel 1:10 & 11

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ANND... It was SO!!! 😋

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T And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.  U Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD."  ~ 1 Samuel 1:19 & 20

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I LOVE the LORD!!  He is SOO AWESOME!!  So, Samuel was born & established FOR the LORD!! 😋

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Aanndd, NOW that Samuel IS established. we can proceed to his story, in FULL!  😋

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SAMUEL was born circa before 1070 BCE, in Ramah, (or Ramathaim-Zophim), Israel (- purportedly ~ in 'this' old house!)  He didn't STAY long in Ramah! After he was born & weaned..  He was taken to Shiloh to reside with, then, high priest, Eli!!  Hannah, keeping her vow to the the LORD; by giving Samuel to the LORD ... 

 

These are the remains of what is left of house of the LORD; in Shiloh, where Samuel would stay until, he himself, became the ((last)) Judge of Israel & high priest/seer.. COOL stuff!!  Just walking the grounds, knowing (perceiving) that Samuel grew to know life and God here!!)  Also, would have been here where the LORD first called Samuel,

 

from 1 Samuel 2-10...

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AND.. Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words, fall to the ground.  And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

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When he became an adult, Samuel intercedes with the LORD for Israel to lead a great victory over the Philistines at Ebenezer... Purportedly, happened on these grounds - also where the Philistines captured the ark of the Covenant!

Samuel anointed Israel's first 2 kings, Saul and David...

During Saul's rule... Samuel could have GREATLY benefited, no doubt, from a ready dose of Tylenol™!! 👍 Samuel, IMO, realized fairly fast THEY, ((he & the LORD)), had a problem on their hands with Saul!!  

 

The proposal of the elders of Israel to install a king was indignantly rejected by Samuel as insubordinate to the LORD God of Israel.. But the LORD intervened telling Samuel to "listen to the voice of the people.  For they have not rejected you, but Me.." So, the LORD chose a king, a Benjamite named, Saul!  And, Samuel anointed Saul king in the land of Zuph (nowadays dominated by LOTSA SHEEP), and installed him before all Israel.

 

Samuel retired from the leadership of Israel ((or tried; at least)).. He reappears on the scene to announce the the LORD's rejecting of Saul as king!  Once for arrogating to himself the right of sacrifice without waiting for the overdue Samuel's arrive!  And a second time for failing to carry out the commandment of the LORD to wipe out the Amalekites for their assault on the tail end of the Israelites coming up from out of Egypt!"  Samuel then, by order of the LORD, secretly anoints David as king.. He then faded into the background..

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During Samuel's 'fare-the-well' speech, here.. He called on the LORD, & the LORD sent rain and thunder!!  Cool FoSho!! 👍

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DEATH of SAMUEL...

After Samuel dies, Saul gets himself to Endor, Israel, & meets with a witch of Endor to try to get some guidance, as the LORD has stopped talking to him... (1 Sam 28:7).  The medium conjures up the faux demon-pretending to be the spirit of Samuel, who isn’t too happy about what Saul has done.  Faux as well!  I'm SURE the demon was squirtin' with JOY over Saul!  Just sayin'!!

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The death of Samuel came as COMPLETE SORE PAIN for all Israel.  For, at the time of Samuel's death - Israel had not KNOWN a prophet but Samuel!  Mourning was sore over his death..  The LORD raised up Gad & Nathan next, as prophet's for Israel...

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(1 Sam. 25:28).. Then Samuel died; and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him!!!  As was Israel's custom!  Prophet's were 'da debil' whilst alive.. & saints upon death!! Psshh!!

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They buried him at his home in Ramah.

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His tomb is situated today in the Palestinian village of Nabi Samwil in the West Bank, 1.3 kilometers north of the Jerusalem, in the neighborhood of Ramot, (formerly Ramah), AND, ..

is here.. another angle.. the crypt. A closeup??  Ironically, his tomb served ALSO as his home!!  WHAT A VIEW!!  FoSho!!

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Wanna see the tomb of Elkanah, Samuel's dad??  Not too far from Samuel's posh view of a pad!!

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R.I.P. Samuel!!  Your zeal, respect for, & obedience to God, was/is LEGENDARY! 

And sets an awesome example to ALL, that we should strive for the mark of obedience to God Samuel had! 

May your words to Saul continue FOREVER to echo in the eyes of the reader, & in the ears of the hearer...

When you said..

"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

and to hearken than the fat of rams. (1 Sam 15:22) 

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TRIVIA:

The psalmist who penned Psalm 99 ranks Samuel with Moses and Aaron, as one who called upon the Lord’s name (Psalm 99:6)

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According to Jeremiah, and one of the Psalms, Samuel had a high devotion to God.  NOOO kiddin!!