Prophets
Samuel
In the Bible he is presented both as a great prophet and as a "judge" in the biblical sense.
Last of the Judges of Israel, who lived towards the middle of the century. 11 a. C. he was consecrated Nazirite in the sanctuary of Silo. A religious organizer rather than a leader, he decided to consecrate a king for the Israelites.
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Samuel the Prophet
Samuel is a great prophet of the 11th century BC. The Bible presents him as a judge in the biblical sense. Samuel was the son of Elkana and his second wife Anna. He belonged to the tribe of Ephraim. Her mother, Anna, was sterile and for this she was derided and despised by Elkana's first wife, Feninna, who had already given Elkana two children. Anna then went to the sanctuary of Silo to pray to the Lord: her soul was full of bitterness, she implored the Lord and wept desolately. She made a vow, promising to consecrate it to Him. She obtained the miracle and, at the end of time, Anna conceived and gave birth to a son whom she called Samuel, saying: "I asked the Lord".
And after her weaning, she took him with her along with three calves, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine and she brought him into the house of the Lord in Shiloh: the boy was still a child. Slain the calf, they took the child to the elderly priest Eli in the temple of Shiloh. Anna said, "Thank you my Lord! For your life, oh my Lord! I am that woman who was standing here with you praying before the Lord. I prayed for this baby, and the Lord has granted me what I have asked. In turn I give it to the Lord; for all the days that he will live it is given to the Lord". Then they worshiped the Lord. Soon after, Anna prayed with a song of thanks. Then Elkana returned to his house in Rama, while the child remained in the service of the Lord in the presence of the priest Eli.
After the time of formation, one day "Eli was resting in the house, because his eyes began to weaken and he could no longer see. The lamp of God was not yet extinguished and Samuel was lying in the temple of the Lord, where it was the ark of God. Then the Lord called: "Samuel!" and he answered: "Here I am", then he ran to Eli and said to him: "You called me, here I am!" He replied: "I did not call you, come back to sleep!". He came back and went to sleep. But the Lord called again:" Samuel! "and Samuel, getting up, ran to Eli saying: "You called me, here I am!". But he replied again:" Don't you? I have called, my son, go back to sleep! "In reality Samuel had not yet known the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord been revealed to him yet. The Lord called again:" Samuel! "for the third time; he got up again and ran to Eli saying: "You called me, here I am!" Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy. Eli said to Samuele: "Go to sleep and, if they call you again, you will say: Speak, Lord, because your servant listens to you." Samuel went to bed in his place. The Lord came, stood next to him again and called him again as on the other times: "Samuel, Samuel!". Samuel immediately replied: "Speak, because your servant listens to you." (1 Sam 3: 2-10) And his vocation was thus confirmed.
Eli's sons Hophni and Phinehas were perverse; they did not respect their father, nor the right of priests to the people. Eli should have removed their office as priests, but he did not. The Lord announced to Samuel that he would punish Eli and his house forever, for the crime he knew: his children despised God and did not correct them. A messenger said to Eli: "Israel fled before the Philistines: there was a huge massacre of the people, your two sons Ofini and Phinehas died and the ark of God was captured". When he named him the ark of God, Eli fell from his seat backwards on the side of the door, broke his neck and died. Thus God's word came true.
Samuel received the vocation to become a judge and prophet in the midst of the Jewish people, he acquired authority because the Lord was with him, nor did he let a single word fail. Therefore all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, knew that Samuel had been made a prophet of the Lord.
When he became old, he appointed his two sons, Joel and his younger brother Abiah, as judges of Israel, who exercised office in Beersheba. But his children did not walk in his footsteps, they deviated after profit, accepted gifts and distorted judgment. The elders of Israel then went from Samuel to Rama and said to him: "You are old, and your children do not walk in your footsteps. Now establish a king over us, who will govern us, as other peoples have". Samuel implored the Lord and the Lord replied: "Listen to the voice of the people in everything they have told you ... and make a king reign over them".
The Lord had said in Samuel's ear one day before Saul came: "Tomorrow at this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin and you will anoint him as head of my people Israel. He will deliver my people from the hands of the gods. Philistines, because I have looked upon my people, their cry having reached me. " When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord revealed to him, "Here is the man I told you about; this one will have power over my people".
Saul was therefore anointed king. Samuel then took the cruet of oil and poured it on his head, then kissed him saying: "Behold, the Lord has anointed you as head over his people Israel. You will have power over the Lord's people and you will deliver them from the hands of the enemies who They are around him. This will be a sign to you that the Lord has anointed you head over his house: today, when you leave me, you will find two men at Rachel's tomb on the border with Benjamin in Zelzach. They will say to you: "I am the donkeys you went to look for have been found. "Here your father no longer minds the business of donkeys, but he is worried about you and goes on saying:" What must I do for my son?" you will arrive at the oak of Tabor, you will find three men on their way to go up to God in Bethel: one will carry three kids, the other will carry three round loaves, the third will carry a wineskin.
They will ask you if you are well and they will give you two loaves, which you will take from their hands. You will then arrive at Giba of God, where there is a garrison of Philistines and as you enter the city, you will meet a group of prophets who will come down from the hill preceded by harps, timpani and flutes, in the act of making prophets. The spirit of the Lord will also invest you and you will become a prophet with them and you will be transformed into another man.
Then Samuel said to all the people: "Have you therefore seen what the Lord has chosen for himself? There is no one like him among all the people." Then all the people cried out, "Long live the king!" Saul was thirty years old when he became king and reigned over Israel forty years.
