David, a Type of Jesus Christ
Volume 2, Number 44Davids witness of faith - Part 1:The Spirit of the Lord came upon David when Samuel anointed him with oil, 1 Samuel 16:13. (According to The Students Commentary by George Williams, page 152, it is generally accepted that David was about 15 years at this time.) The next verse states that the Spirit departed from Saul and an evil spirit began to trouble him, 1 Samuel 16:14. The Scripture then informs that Sauls servants told him they should seek out someone to play the harp when the evil spirit came upon him and this would make him well. Saul told... Continue reading →
Samuel & David - Types of Jesus Christ
Volume 2, Number 43The Sovereignty of God and the Faith of Man:Over the course of these studies we've observed God's miraculous work in the affairs of mankind. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews gives examples of men and women who were chosen for various tasks. Each faced various circumstances when the Word of God communicated to them and each responded by faith and thus was born witness thereby. However they all died not having received the complete fulfillment of God's promise, a Kingdom which is permanent, (everlasting) Hebrews 11:2, 13 - 16, 39 & 40; 12:27 & 28. The last two men mentioned by... Continue reading →
Samuel, Israel's Priest, Judge & Prophet, a Type of Christ
Volume 2, Number 42Samuel's Faith - Part 8:In our studies of Samuel's witness of faith it has been noted that the Lord appointed him to serve as Israel's Priest, Judge and Prophet. In these three offices he was a type of and as such pointed to the faith that was to come, Jesus Christ. In this study we will examine the specifics of Samuel's faith as types pointing to Jesus.First of all, Samuel's conception was miraculous. His mother Hannah had been barren. She prayed for a son, promising his life would be dedicated to God's service. When the High Priest Eli told her... Continue reading →
The Witness of Samuel's Faith
Volume 2, Number 41The witness of Samuel's Faith - Part 7:"And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:" - Hebrews 11:32. The last person identified by name in Hebrews 11 is Samuel who was chosen before he was born to be Israel's priest, the last of Israel's Judges and the first great prophet, Acts 3:24 & 13:20. Beginning when he was a boy God spoke directly to him. He obeyed God's Word to the letter. His witness... Continue reading →
Samuel & the Appointment & Blessing of King Saul
Volume 2, Number 40The witness of Samuel's Faith - Part 6:Our last study ended with Israel rejecting God as their ruler and protector because they wanted a king like other nations around them: "And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them." - 1 Samuel 8:7. But in spite of Israel's rejection God continued to work in their affairs through Samuel, His chosen prophet, priest and judge, by elevating and making known Saul, the... Continue reading →
Samuel & the Four other Godly Judges in Israel
Volume 2, Number 39The witness of Samuel's Faith - Part 5:In our last study the Lord unilaterally destroyed a great number of the idolatrous Philistines in the land of Canaan and rendered the rest helpless because they had captured and demeaned Israel's Ark of the Covenant. He subsequently destroyed a number of Israelites who violated His holiness by looking into the ark after it was returned to them by the Philistines - 1 Samuel 5:1 - 7:1.Now we find the Philistines, after recovering from the plague of hemorrhoids, a continuing threat to Israel's safety and freedom in Canaan. However the actions of the... Continue reading →
God Unilaterally Protects His Ark from the Philistines
Volume 2, Number 38Vol 2 - No 38, August 20, 2007Samuel - Part 4: Jehovah's HolinessIn our last study the Glory departed Israel when the Philistines captured the ark of God. Thirty thousand Israeli soldiers were killed in a battle with the Philistines at Ebenezer, Israel's judge and high priest Eli and his two wicked sons died. Israel remained under Philistine subjection - 1 Samuel 4:10 - 22. Since God's law was revealed through Moses the manifestation of His presence on earth had been in the ark housed in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. It was the focal point of the... Continue reading →
God Speaks to Samuel about the death of Eli & His Sons
Volume 2, Number 37The witness of Samuel's Faith - Part 3:After Hannah placed her young son Samuel to work in the Lord's service at the Tabernacle in Shiloh she brought him a new coat each year when she and her husband came to worship - 1 Samuel 2:19. Eli again blessed she and her husband and she bore three (3) more sons and two (2) daughters - 1 Samuel 2:20 & 21.The Priesthood - Eli was priest and judge of Israel for 40 years, 1 Samuel 4:18b, and it appears he knew right from wrong in God's sight but he allowed his sons... Continue reading →
Samuel Dedicated to The Lord's Work under Eli in the Tabernacle
Volume 2, Number 36Vol 2 - No 36, June 10, 2007The witness of Samuel's Faith - Part 2In Part 1 we examined God's grace and provision to Samuel's mother Hannah who by faith conceived and bore him, I Samuel 1:1 - 19, and the similarity of Samuel's conception with four (4) of his Hebrew predecessors, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Samson. This study will examine the condition of National Israel during Samuel's time and a brief look at God's plan/purpose for his life.Samuel's Background: His father Elkanah was a Levite, I Chronicles 6:23 - 27, the priestly tribe of Israel. The Tabernacle of Moses... Continue reading →
Samuel & Four Others Born to Barren Women
Volume 2, Number 35Vol 2 - No 35, May 13, 2007Samuel, Part 1 - the Roots & Purpose of the Hebrew Nation:David and Samuel are the last of 16 people named in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews borne witness to by their faith - Hebrews 11:32. In this study we will examine another aspect of God's provision for the Hebrew Nation in the similarity of Samuel's conception with that of four (4) previous Hebrews mentioned in that chapter.Samuel's mother was Hannah, one of two (2) wives of Elkanah who lived in Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim. Elkanah loved Hannah but his other wife Peninnah... Continue reading →