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idolatry and all rebellion, an d pour words of com fort into th e h ea rts of all who were faith fu l to th e ir God and looked for redemption in Israel. Of th is order of God’s servants, Samuel was th e first. Often th e finger of God Is seen dlearly in connection w ith th e b irth and early train ing of those who are to be come H is g reatest agents. Often th e fam ily from which th e great man is raised up is among th e obscurest of the country. The “ certain man” who lived in some quiet cottage a t Eama- thaim-Zophin would never probably have emerged from his native obscurity b u t for God’s purpose to m ake a chosen vessel of His Son. In th e cir cumstances of Samuel’s b irth we see a rem arkable overruling of hum an in firm ity to th e purposes of the divine will. If P eninnah had been kind to Hannah, Samuel m ight never have been born. It was th e unbearable h arsh ness of P eninnah th a t drove Hannah to the th ron e of grace, and brought to h er w restling faith th e blessing she so eagerly sought. W hat must have seemed to Hannah at' th e tim e a most painful dispensation became th e oc casion of a glorious rejoicing. She no doubt wondered why God seemed to care for h er so little. But like Job “ she saw th e end of the Lord,” the mystery cleared away, and to h er as to th e p atriarch it appeared clearly th a t “ th e Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy.” Inside E lk an ah ’s house we see two strang e arrangem ents of Providence. F irs t we see a woman em inently fitted to bring up children, bu t having none to bring up. On th e other hand, we see ano ther woman, whose tem per and ways are fitted to ru in children, en tru ste d w ith th e rearing of a family. We often see a sim ilar arrangem ent. We see riches in th e very worst hands, while those who from th e ir principles and character are fitted to m ake the best use of them have difficulty in se curing th e b are necessities. How is this? Does God really govern or do tim e and chance regu late all? If it were God’s purpose to d istribu te His gifts exactly as men are able to esti mate and use them aright, we should doubtless see a very different d istri bution, b u t God’s aim in th is world is much more to try and to tra in th a n to rew ard and fulfill. All these anomalies of Providence point to a fu tu re state.
th ing and fra u g h t w ith disaster to pu t those uncalled of God in to places of prominence and service among God’s people. Samuel’s failu re w ith his own sons is an astonishing th ing in th e light of his observance and experience in E li’s family. Example and precept are 'o f little use w ithout the help of God. The prophet Samuel, like th e book which bears his name, comes in as a connecting link between th e judges and th e kings of Israel. He belonged to a tran sitio n pe- COMMENTS riod. It was ap- SELEOTED pointed to him By K eith L. B rooks -to pilot th e n a tion between two stages of Its history: from a republic to a monarchy. The g réât object of his life was to secure th a t th is change should be made in th e way most bene ficial for th e nation and especially in th e way most beneficial for its sp irit ual interests. Care m u st be ta k en th a t while becoming iike the nations in having a king, Israel should not be come like them in religion bu t should continue to stand ou t In unswerving allegiance to th e law and covenant of th e ir fath ers’ God. Samuel was th e last of the judges and in a sense th e first of th e prophets. The last of th e judges, bu t not a mil ita ry judge; no t ruling like Samson by physical strength, bu t by high sp iritu al qualities and prayer; not so much w restling against flesh and blood as against principalities an d powers and th e ru lers of darkness in this world. In th is respect his function as a judge blended w ith his work as a prophet. He was th e first of a succession of prophets whom God placed side by side w ith th e kings and priests of Israel to supply th a t fresh moral and sp irit ual force which th e prevailing world liness of the one and formalism of the other rendered so necessary for the great ends for which Israel was chosen. W ith some fine exceptions th e kings and priests would have allowed th e seed of Abraham to d rift away from th e noble purpose for which God had called them. The prophets were raised up to hold the nation firmly to th e covenant, to vindicate th e claims of its heavenly King, to thund er judgm ents against
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