Today, we interview an icon in every sense. He was one of the greatest seers God used to reshape ancient Israel after its disastrous outing under judges. Our guest was not only a prophet, but also a judge. Without further ado, we present Samuel, an Ephramite who functioned in the offices of a priest, judge, and prophet in ancient Israel.
Shepherd Heart: Great to have you with us Sir.
Samuel: Thanks for the opportunity to share some thoughts with you.
Shepherd Heart: Kindly tell our readers about yourself.
Samuel: The Bible introduced me as God’s answer to the prayers of my mother, Hannah. My father was Elkanah, from Ramathaim Zuphim, a hill country of Ephraim. My grandfather was Jehoram, the son of Elihu, an Ephramite.
Shepherd Heart: Thank you Sir. While preparing for this interview, I saw an article in which the author introduced you as a descendant of Kohath, a Levite. What do you think accounts for this misrepresentation?
Samuel: (Laughs). Obviously, the person thought along the lines of the priesthood being the sole preserve of the Levites. Of course, he was right in a sense. God Himself ordained me as a priest in response to the situation in Israel at the time of my birth. When my mother offered me to God in fulfilment of her vow, the incumbent priest, Eli, had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. By tradition, one of them should have succeeded their father. However, they lost out in God’s scheme of things due to their corrupt conduct.
Shepherd Heart: This might sound speculative. Would the history of ancient Israel have been different if Eli’s children had respect for God and His ways?
Samuel: Hmmm. This raises the question of where God’s sovereignty stops and where man’s free will begins. Did God answer my mother’s prayer because He knew that I would be a fitting replacement for either Hophni or Phinehas? Did the Lord stir up my mother’s heart to cry out for a child? There are things about God’s providence that are clearly beyond our understanding. All I can say is that Eli had the opportunity to train up his children to succeed him in the priesthood but chose to let them play the fool. Of course, the history of Israel would have been different in a very negative sense if either of the two young men were allowed to occupy the exalted position of Chief Priest.
Shepherd Heart: Now, we come to your relationship with David. From the Scriptural narrative, you initially had eyes for his eldest brothers whom you thought were physically qualified to be king. What was your reaction when the Lord asked you to anoint a youth as king instead of his more physically qualified siblings?
Samuel: (Laughs) Even prophets make mistakes by letting their emotions run wild sometimes. Until I heard the Lord speak categorically that David was His choice, I thought I could use my own discernment to pick a king for Israel. Once God spoke, I let go of my emotions and acted in accordance with His will. I never had a problem yielding to God’s will and He knew that.
Shepherd Heart: What was your relationship with David like?
Samuel: I had no issue with the young man. Apart from his deep relationship with God, he was very respectable and courteous around everyone. Most people in Israel loved David. His major rival was king Saul who wanted him dead for obvious reasons.
Shepherd Heart: Clearly, you had a strong relationship with God as well. How did you nourish it?
Samuel: Let me tell you something. God is the easiest Personality to relate with. Most people think that all He is interested in is finding fault with humans in order to punish them. That is a misconception peddled by satan. Unfortunately, most people do not take time to study the character of the devil. All he wants to do is pollute humans to the extent that God would get angry enough to wipe all of them out like it happened in Noah’s days. That is the thrust of satan’s operations. By presenting God as the villain and man as the victim, he succeeds in wooing many gullible people to his side. Right now, many people on earth deny the existence of God but engage in occult practices. How do you explain that? Then, there are others who openly call themselves “Satanists”; with some operating places of worship dedicated to satan. God loves humans with passion. He has demonstrated this repeatedly all through history, culminating in the sacrifice of His Son on the cross to atone for their sin.
Shepherd Heart: Well, some people are not too happy that God makes Himself so inaccessible by insisting on humans knowing Him by faith. On the other hand, the devil has convinced humans that they can live by sight. That is why people who engage in occult practices interact with demons and fallen angels. You were not only a prophet, but also a seer. What this means is that you were able to interact with God in ways that most humans do not. Is it too much to expect God to reveal Himself more to us?
Samuel: Before Adam and Eve fell into sin, they had that kind of relationship with God. They could behold His form and glory. Sin and God’s glory cannot be in the same boat. They chose sin by believing the devil and they paid for it with the relationship they lost. It is true that God did not immediately cut of all links with humans: He still appeared to Cain to ask him why he murdered Abel. God withdrew His presence gradually until He no longer interacted with humans directly. The earliest recorded instance of prayer is in Genesis 4:26, “…Then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.” God is more desirous of revealing Himself to humans more than you think, but on His terms. According to Hebrews 11 verse 6, God has designed faith to be the channel of His revelation to humans on earth. You must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him.
Shepherd Heart: We have a situation in Christendom where many people claim to have angelic visitations. Some even boast of having frequent visits from either the Father or the Lord Jesus Christ. What do you make of such claims from your vantage position as a cloud of witness in heaven?
Samuel: It would be difficult for me to use one brush to paint everyone that has made such claims as a heretic or a liar. We should always try to take each case on its merit. One of the ways to assess the validity of such assertions is to judge the fruits of the person’s life. What fruit is the person bearing? How has the supposed angelic or other visitations impacted on the person’s life? Is he or she manifesting Christ in his life and interactions with others?
Shepherd Heart: Is the interaction with angelic hosts something to be encouraged in the church? I ask this because there are certain Christian denominations who like the Sadducees do not believe in operations of the Holy Spirit or visits by celestial bodies to the earth.
Samuel: The life of faith is not something anyone can teleguide or muzzle successfully. The Communists tried it in several nations and failed woefully. God created humans with the ability to engage in the spirit realm. Man comprises of spirit, soul and body. How can you stop people from being who they were created to be? It is true that the dark kingdom also manifests its presence through demons and fallen angels; with some of them pretending to be angels of light. Those who desire the truth will be delivered from such delusions. Only those who reject the truth would face the same judgment awaiting satan and his demons.
Shepherd Heart: Thank you very much Sir for this enlightening discourse. Do you have a final word for humans?
Samuel: My candid advice to the people of your generation is that they should seek God while He may be found. The time is coming when nobody can be saved. When the curtain falls on humanity, there would be no mercy for sinners. Then, the wrath of God would be poured on the unbelieving world. The time for repentance is NOW!
Shepherd Heart: We appreciate your warning Sir. We pray that our readers would take it to heart and run into the Ark of God, the eternal Son of God before it is too late. Thank you once again for honouring our invitation.
Samuel: The pleasure is mine. I enjoyed the chat.