撒上十三14　……现在你的国必不得继续存立。耶和华已经为自己寻着一个合乎祂心的人，耶和华已经立他作百姓的领袖，因为你没有遵守耶和华所吩咐你的。

　　耶十五1　耶和华对我说，虽有摩西和撒母耳站在我面前代求，我也不转向这百姓。你将他们从我眼前打发走，叫他们去吧。

　　撒母耳……知道在神的心中有一个愿望，要得着国度。神要借着大卫，而不是借着撒母耳，带进国度。……你若是撒母耳，你会容让任何人与你同等或在你之上么？撒母耳是纯洁单一的。他照着他母亲所许的愿，是个拿细耳人；他完全不为自己寻求什么。他从不想为自己得利，他的心只为着神和神的选民，此外别无所顾。神爱以色列人，神的心复制在撒母耳里面（撒母耳记生命读经，五四至五五页）。

　　1 Sam. 13:14 ...Your kingdom will not continue. Jehovah has sought a man according to His heart for Himself, and Jehovah has appointed him ruler over His people; for you have not kept that which Jehovah commanded you.

　　Jer. 15:1 And Jehovah said to me, Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My soul would not turn toward this people. Send them out of My sight and let them go.

　　Samuel knew that within God's heart there was a desire for a kingdom. God wanted the kingdom to be brought in not through Samuel but through David.

　　If you had been Samuel, would you have given any ground for someone to match you or be above you? Samuel was pure and single. He was a Nazarite according to his mother's vow and was altogether not self-seeking. He never sought to gain anything for himself. He had no heart for anything besides God and God's elect. God loved Israel, and His heart was duplicated in Samuel. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, p. 44)

　　因着神的心复制在撒母耳里面，撒母耳就不顾自己的利益或得着。……因着当时的情形，撒母耳立自己的儿子作士师，但与扫罗相反，他无意为他们建立国度。撒母耳的儿子不行他的道路，贪图不义之财，收受贿赂，屈枉公理（撒上八1~3）。当百姓要求撒母耳立王时，撒母耳被冒犯了，不是因着他儿子的缘故，而是因着百姓想要顶替神（4~7）。……撒母耳……所关心的，不是自己的儿女，乃是神的百姓。在这样的光景中，神就很容易把国度带进来。

　　撒母耳若是个为自己寻求什么的人，他就绝不会与神合作。……神对他说，“明日大约这时候，我必使一个人从便雅悯地到你这里来，你要膏他作我民以色列的领袖。”（九16上）当扫罗和他的仆人到撒母耳那里去的时候，撒母耳就完全照着神的指示去行。

　　现在我们能看见，为什么撒母耳在神的手中如此有用。他不为自己寻求什么，也从不想为自己得利。反之，他是个拿细耳人，不用剃刀剃他的头，也不喝任何酒；他完完全全是为着神。神要他去那里，要他作什么事，他都乐意去行。他是一个照着神，合乎神心的人。因此，他能为神所用，以完成祂的经纶。……许多人有高尚的品格，但他们只是为着他们自己、他们的事业和他们的天下；他们不是为着神的国。撒母耳不只品格高，他的高乃在于他拿细耳人的愿。

　　我们很值得将撒母耳和另一个拿细耳人—参孙—作比较。参孙也是因着母亲的愿而成为拿细耳人，但他与撒母耳大不相同。圣经说到参孙和其他士师时，常说到神的灵冲击他们（士十四6、19）；但说到撒母耳时没有这样的话。拿细耳人不需要冲击的能力；反之，拿细耳人需要有一颗心，作神心的返照。……虽然撒母耳在他那特别的环境中，并不容易为神站住，但他顾到神的权益，并且转移了时代。照着旧约，撒母耳在为着神和神权益的事上，是与摩西并列的（耶十五1）。

　　神用撒母耳首先膏扫罗，然后膏大卫。……扫罗只有自己的王国。当神的宝座在耶路撒冷建立时，神的国才在大卫之下被带进来（撒母耳记生命读经，五五至五八页）。

　　耶和华的灵临到参孙（士十三25，十四6、19）；毫无疑问，他有神真正的能力。然而，他和许多士师都放纵情欲，无法控制（路得记生命读经，四八至四九页）。

　　参读：撒母耳记生命读经，第七篇；士师记生命读经，第八篇；路得记生命读经，第八篇。

　　Because God's heart was duplicated in Samuel, Samuel did not care for his own interest or gain....Due to the situation at the time, Samuel appointed his sons to be judges, but, contrary to Saul, he had no intention to build up a kingdom for them. His sons did not follow in his ways but went after unjust gain, took bribes, and perverted justice (1 Sam. 8:1-3). When the people asked Samuel to appoint a king, he was not offended by anything related to his sons; on the contrary, he was offended by their desire to replace God (vv. 4-7)....Samuel's concern was not for his children but for God's people. In such a situation it was easy for God to bring in the kingdom.

　　Samuel would never have cooperated with God if he had been a self-seeking person....God said to him, "At about this time tomorrow I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him ruler over My people Israel" (9:16). When Saul and his servant came to Samuel, Samuel did exactly as God had instructed.

　　Now we can see why Samuel was so useful in the hand of God. He had no self-seeking nor any thought of self-gain. Instead, as a Nazarite, who allowed no razor to come upon his head and who did not drink any wine, he was absolutely for God. He was happy to go wherever God wanted him to go and to do whatever God wanted him to do. He was a man according to God, a man according to God's heart. Therefore, he was a man whom God could use to carry out His economy.

　　Many people have a high character, but they are just for themselves, their enterprise, and their kingdom. They are not for God's kingdom. Samuel was not only high in character; he was high in the Nazarite vow.

　　It is worthwhile to compare Samuel with another Nazarite—Samson. Samson also was a Nazarite by his mother's vow, but he was very different from Samuel. When the Bible speaks of Samson and the other judges, it often says that the Spirit of God rushed upon them (Judg. 14:6, 19). But there is no such word about Samuel. A Nazarite does not need rushing power; rather, a Nazarite needs a heart that is a reflection of God's heart.

　　Although it was not easy for Samuel to stand for God in his particular environment, he cared for God's interest and he turned the age. According to the Old Testament, Samuel is ranked with Moses in being for God and for God's interest (Jer. 15:1).

　　God used Samuel to anoint first Saul and then David....Saul only had a monarchy. The kingdom of God came first under David, when God's throne was established in Jerusalem. (Life-study of 1 & 2Samuel, pp. 44-47)

　　Jehovah's Spirit came upon Samson (Judg. 13:25; 14:6, 19); there is no doubt that he had the real power of God. Nevertheless, he and so many of the judges had no control over their indulgence in lust. (Life-study of Ruth, p. 38)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, msg. 7; Life-study of Judges, msg. 8; Life-study of Ruth, msg. 8