Ⅲ
There is a contrast in the Scriptures of two Nazarites—Samuel and Samson:
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Samuel is a positive pattern of a faithful Nazarite (1 Sam. 1:11, 28; 2:28, 35; 3:20; 7:15):
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Hannah's prayer was an echo, a speaking out, of the heart's desire of God; it was a human cooperation with the divine move for the carrying out of God's eternal economy:
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God could motivate Hannah as a person who was one with Him on the line of life; as long as God can gain such a person, He has a way on earth.
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Hannah's prayer indicates that God's move with His answer to Hannah's prayer (1:10-17) was to produce a Nazarite who was absolute for the fulfilling of God's desire; a Nazarite is one who is consecrated to God absolutely, one who takes God as the Head, considering God his Husband, and one who has no interest in the enjoyment of worldly pleasures.
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Samuel was one with God on earth; he began to minister as the acting God, the representative of the very God in heaven to rule over His people on earth (7:3).
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In God's ordination Samuel was a new priest and a prophet, whose speaking changed the age, not through revolution but through divine revelation, to bring in the kingship:
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Samuel ministered as a Nazarite consecrated to God absolutely for God's fulfillment of His economy, a volunteer to replace any official and formal serving ones of God (1:11, 28a).
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Samuel ministered as a God-honoring, God-pleasing priest to replace the stale and degraded priesthood (2:30, 35; cf. Judg. 9:9, 13; Deut. 34:7).
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Samuel ministered as a prophet to speak the word of God when the word of Jehovah was rare and visions were not widespread (1 Sam. 3:1-10, 19-21).
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Samuel ministered as a judge in the reality of the kingship to replace the judging of the people by the old and stale priesthood (7:15-17).
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Samuel ministered as a man of prayer, praying for God's elect to be kept in the way of God that God's desire of His will in them might be fulfilled (8:6; 12:20-25; 15:11).
Morning Nourishment
1 Sam. 1:11 And she made a vow and said, O Jehovah of hosts, if You...give to Your female servant a male child, then I will give him to Jehovah for all the days of his life, and no razor will come upon his head.2:35 And I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest...
3:20 And all Israel...knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of Jehovah.
7:15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
On the human side, Samuel's origin was his God-worshipping parents, especially his God-seeking mother with her prayer (cf. 1 Samuel 1:5, footnote 1). In the midst of the chaos of degraded Israel, Elkanah and Hannah remained in the line of life ordained by God for His eternal purpose (see footnote 3, par. 2, on Gen. 2:9). The line of life is a line that brings forth Christ for the enjoyment of God's people (see footnote 1 on Ruth 4:18), that on earth God may have His kingdom, which is the church as the Body of Christ (Matt. 16:18-19; Rom. 14:17; Eph. 1:22b-23), the very organism of the Triune God. Because of God's moving in her, Hannah could not have peace until she prayed for a son. Hannah's prayer was an echo, a speaking out, of the heart's desire of God. It was a human cooperation with the divine move for the carrying out of God's eternal economy. God could motivate Hannah as a person who was one with Him in the line of life. As long as God can gain such a person, He has a way on earth. (1 Sam. 1:10, footnote 1)
Today's Reading
Hannah's prayer indicates that God's move with His answer to Hannah's prayer (1 Sam. 1:19-20) was to produce a Nazarite who was absolute for the fulfilling of God's desire. A Nazarite is one who is consecrated to God absolutely, one who takes God as the Head, considering God his Husband, and one who has no interest in the enjoyment of worldly pleasures (Num. 6:1-5 and footnotes). Even before he was born, Samuel was consecrated by his mother to be such a person. (1 Sam. 1:11, footnote 1)The picture in 1 Samuel 7:2-6 shows a people returning to God, and a man, Samuel, who was one with God on earth. As the acting God on earth, the representative of the very God in heaven to rule over His people on earth, Samuel began to minister.
Samuel, who was by nature a Levite born of one of the descendants of the great rebel Korah (1 Chron. 6:33-38; cf. Num. 16:1-33), ministered in five statuses: (1) as a Nazarite consecrated to God absolutely for God's fulfillment of His economy, a volunteer to replace any official and formal serving ones of God (1 Sam. 1:11, 28a); (2) as a priest faithful to act on behalf of God, even to appoint and establish kings for the divine government on earth (2:35); (3) as a prophet established by God (3:20) to assist the kings appointed by him as a priest, to speak the word of God to replace the teaching of the word of God by the old priesthood; (4) as a judge (7:15-17) established by God to carry out God's governmental administration, to replace the judging of the people by the old priesthood; and (5) as a man of prayer who prayed for God's elect, the children of Israel (vv. 3-14; 8:6; 15:11b; cf. 12:23), that they would be kept in the way of God, would be one with God, would not be ensnared by the idols of the nations, and would enjoy God as Ebenezer (7:12) that God's desire in His will regarding His elect might be fulfilled. God admitted to Jeremiah that Samuel, like Moses, was a man standing before Him for His people (Jer. 15:1). Moses was a priest (Exo. 29), a prophet (Deut. 18:15, 18), and a judge (Exo. 18:13, 16), and he always prayed for God's people (e.g., Exo. 32:11-13, 31-32). In these matters Samuel was the same. In the Old Testament only Moses and Samuel were qualified to participate fully in the priesthood, the prophethood, and the judgeship. (1 Sam. 7:3, footnote 1)
Further Reading: Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, msg. 5