撒上七15　　撒母耳一生的日子作以色列的士师。

　　十二23　　至于我，断不停止为你们祷告，免得我得罪耶和华；我必以善与正的道路指教你们。

　　撒母耳…的申言，是在耶和华的言语稀少，不常有异象的时候。〔撒上三1下。〕…撒母耳第一次申言，也是在衰微的以利眼目昏花，不能看见的时候。〔2。〕…不仅如此，撒母耳开始申言，也是在神殿中的灯还没有熄灭的时候。（3。）神的说话已经停止，但仍有些亮光。

　　撒母耳是士师供职。祭司事奉神，申言者为神说话，而士师施行神行政的管理。撒母耳立在地上，在他的祭司职分、申言者职分和士师职分里，作代理的神，代表神并为神行动。在今日主恢复的召会生活中，我们有祭司职分、申言者职分和君王职分；结果，一切就不再颠倒，而是直立的。（撒母耳记生命读经，四○至四二页。）

　　1 Sam. 7:15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

　　12:23 …As for me, far be it from me that I would sin against Jehovah by ceasing to pray for you, but I will instruct you in the good and right way.

　　Samuel’s prophesying…was at the time when the word of Jehovah was rare and visions were not widespread [1 Sam. 3:1b]…. Samuel’s first prophesying was also at a time when the waning Eli’s eyesight was so dim that he could not see [v. 2]. Furthermore, Samuel began to prophesy at a time when the lamp of God had not yet gone out in the temple (v. 3). God’s speaking had stopped, but there was still some light.

　　Samuel ministered as a judge. A priest served God, a prophet spoke for God, and a judge carried out God’s governmental administration. Samuel stood on the earth to be the acting God— the one representing God and acting for Him—in his priesthood, prophethood, and judgeship. In the church life in the Lord’s recovery today, we have the priesthood, the prophethood, and the kingship. As a result, things are not upside-down but right-side-up. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, pp. 31-32)

　　撒母耳被设立作士师，以顶替老旧祭司职分审断百姓。士师职分事实上是属于祭司职分，因为祭司职分包括为神说话以及为神治理两部分。但因着老旧的亚伦祭司职分衰微了，神就兴起撒母耳作新的祭司、新的申言者、和新的士师。

　　借着撒母耳和他在祭司职分、申言者职分、并士师职分中的三重责任，带进了良好的次序，非利士人也被击败、制伏。在这种情形里，神吩咐撒母耳膏大卫作神所拣选的王。撒母耳带进大卫，就是基督一位重要的先祖。基督来到地上，是宇宙间最大的事，这功劳该归给撒母耳。

　　今天基督乃是我们的美地；现今我们正在开发基督，在祂身上劳苦。我们是基督的肢体，是祂身体（召会）的构成分子；神乃是这样完成祂永远的经纶，以终极完成于新耶路撒冷。神要完成祂永远的经纶，就需要撒母耳。

　　撒母耳作为祷告的人供职。…撒母耳为神的选民以色列人祷告。（撒上七3~14，八6，十五11下。）…撒母耳为以色列人祷告，使他们蒙保守在神的道路上，与神是一，不落在外邦偶像的网罗里，却享受神作以便以谢；以便以谢的意思是“帮助的石头”。“撒母耳将一块石头立在米斯巴和善的中间，给石头起名叫以便以谢，说，到如今耶和华都帮助我们。”（七12。）

　　撒母耳为神的选民祷告，使神对祂选民旨意中的愿望得以成全。到如今神都帮助我们，但祂为什么帮助我们？神帮助我们，乃是要使祂的愿望得以成全。我们需要看见，神帮助我们，是为着成就祂的经纶，而使我们在神经纶的成就里享受祝福。今天神在每一面都祝福我们，为着成就祂的经纶，以建造基督的身体。…在撒母耳的考量里，停止为神的选民祷告是得罪耶和华的。（十二23。）我们也需要为神的子民祷告，尤其同工和长老需要每天为众召会祷告。

　　神向耶利米承认，撒母耳像摩西一样，是站在神面前为祂百姓代求的人。（耶十五1。）摩西是祭司、申言者，（申十八15，18，）也是士师；他一直为神的百姓祷告。在这些事上，撒母耳也是如此；他是祭司、申言者和士师，为神的百姓祷告。在旧约里，只有摩西和撒母耳够资格完全有分于祭司职分、申言者职分和士师职分。（撒母耳记生命读经，四二至四四页。）

　　Samuel was established as a judge to replace the judging of the people by the old priesthood. The judgeship actually belonged to the priesthood, for the priesthood included the two matters of speaking for God and administrating for God. But because the old Aaronic priesthood was waning, God raised up Samuel to be a new priest, a new prophet, and a new judge.

　　Through Samuel and his threefold responsibility in the priesthood, prophethood, and judgeship, a good order was brought in, and the Philistines were defeated and subdued. In this situation, God commanded Samuel to anoint David to be God’s chosen king. Samuel brought in David, a crucial ancestor of Christ. Christ’s coming to earth was the greatest event in the universe, and credit for this should be given to Samuel.

　　Today Christ is our good land, and now we are developing Him and laboring on Him. We are the members of Christ and the constituents of His Body, the church. This is God’s accomplishment of His eternal economy, which will consummate in the New Jerusalem. In order to accomplish His eternal economy, God needed a Samuel.

　　Samuel ministered as a man of prayer…. Samuel prayed for God’s elect, the children of Israel (1 Sam. 7:3-14; 8:6; 15:11b). Samuel prayed for the children of Israel to be kept in the way of God, to be one with God, not to be ensnared by the idols of the nations, and to enjoy God as Ebenezer, which means “the stone of help.” “Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen; and he called its name Ebenezer and said, Thus far Jehovah has helped us” (7:12).

　　Samuel prayed for God’s elect that God’s desire of His will in His elect might be fulfilled. Up to this day God has helped us, but why has He helped us? God has helped us that His desire might be fulfilled. We need to realize that God’s helping us is for His fulfillment of His economy and that we are enjoying the blessing in this fulfillment. Today God is blessing us in every way for the fulfillment of His economy to build up the Body of Christ. In Samuel’s consideration, ceasing to pray for God’s elect was to sin against Jehovah (12:23). We also need to pray for God’s people. In particular, the co-workers and elders need to pray for the churches every day.

　　God admitted to Jeremiah that Samuel, like Moses, was a man standing before Him for His people (Jer. 15:1). Moses was a priest, a prophet (Deut. 18:15, 18), and a judge, and he always prayed for God’s people. In these matters Samuel was the same. He was a priest, a prophet, and a judge who prayed for God’s people. In the Old Testament, only Moses and Samuel were qualified to participate fully in the priesthood, the prophethood, and the judgeship. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, pp. 32-34)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1954, vol. 1, pp. 418-421