David: God's own heart Chapter 2: As a priest

 

As a priest

When God blessed Hannah, she kept her promise by sending back his son Samuel around 5 years old to the temple and this is how it was vividly described: Samuel was ministering before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod” (1 Samuel 2:18).

Samuel was trained and under the custody of Eli the High Priest at the temple he is ministering. However, Eli's sons whose supposed to serve and follow their father's task did unpardonable sin before the Lord which is blasphemy. Evil ways would mean being unjust and unfair in their governance of serving God before its tabernacle. Hence, deliberately blaspheming God, He swears to judge Eli's entire family line from start to end. Because of this, God  entrusted the priesthood to Samuel and slowly transitioned him as the new spiritual leader of Israel over Eli. 

Uncovering the events would lead us to the Philistines battles to Israel and Samuel was still a priest at that time, this involved the captured Ark of the covenant of God. Its a serious scene to expose the Ark of the covenant of God as it kills anyone who is not allowed or have the auhtority to touch nor carry it. The capture was more of God's dealing to Eli as a punishment. God made it so difficult for the High Priest Eli and its son to recover the Ark from the Philistines camp. It resulted to the deaths of Eli's son, also death of Eli and subsequent tragedies in both camps with the captor Philistines and owner Israel. It ruined both sides and having no peace at all.

Samuel steps in. For 20 years after its last scene of pandemic-like spread of diseases in Phiistines camp, the Ark of the covenant was found its resting place in Kiriath Jearim. Samuel the temple boy now a priest attends to it. The Ark of the covenant developed Samuel's ability to be become Israel's judge. Next scene would force Israelites to be more devoted to God by worshipping only Him and give up all other gods.

AC

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