[wildandblue]

Can you explain how Samuel becomes the priest at the temple? He was not a Levite, his parents were Ephraimites, from the descendants of Joseph.

[Fr_Chuck]

1 Sam 1 and 2 describe the agreement with the Lord for the birth and him being set aside, to his being asigned to Eli.

[sndbay]

Can you explain how Samuel becomes the priest at the temple? He was not a Levite, his parents were Ephraimites, from the descendants of Joseph.

Samuel's father was Elkanah, ruler of Jerusalem in the time of king Ahaz, one of David's mighty warriors, son of Korah, who were Korhites. Descendants of Korah are son of Levi (Exdus 6:24) Samuel's mother was Hannah who was the wife/maid servant of Elkanah. He loved her very much.

As written Elkanah would go up before The Lord to worship yearly. There were two priests which were Eli sons..
Eli was judge and ruler of the house of Israel, who was descendand of Aaron through Ithamar and high priest, judge of Israel when Samuel entered service a child.

Samuel's mother Hannah had prayed to the Lord for a man child. She promised the Lord that this child would be a servant unto Him,( 1 Samuel 1:11 ) God blessed her with Samuel. Hannah rejoiced unto The Lord ( 1 Samuel 2:1-10 ) Samuel grew up and was favored by the people of Israel and by The Lord.

As Eli grew old and his sons did evil, ( 1 Samuel 2:22) The Lord told Eli of his shame, and said he would raise a faithful priest. Thus came the calling of the Lord for Samuel ( 1 Samuel 2: 35 )
Sammuel heard the call of his name 3 different times. Each time thinking it was Eli calling for him. Eli told him to lay and listen for The Lord had called him. ( 1 Samuel 3:3-10 )

The story goes on to tell how the people would no longer listen to The Lord. And that the favor they found in Samuel would aid as a servant unto The Lord.( 1 Samuel 8:7 ) Samuel was told to listen to the people, and show them the manner in which a king reigns over and judges.

Samuel
1.) judge or prophet of Israel during the days of Saul and David
2.) son Ammihud and the prince of the tribe of Simeon who was chosen to divide the land of Canaan between the tribes. Spelled 'Shemuel'
3) son of Tola and grandson of Issachar. Spelled 'Shemuel'

[wildandblue]

Now in Sam I it tells that his parents were from the territory of Ephraim and specifically says they were Ephraimites. Now that in itself would not prevent his being a Judge or a prophet but I thought only Levites could be priests. Yes, Eli and his sons were no longer serving but there must have been some Levite around, you know? Is what you are saying, Father Chuck, that he became a Levite when his parents dedicated him?

[sndbay]

now in Sam I it tells that his parents were from the territory of Ephraim and specifically says they were Ephraimites. Now that in itself would not prevent his being a Judge or a prophet but I thought only Levites could be priests. Yes, Eli and his sons were no longer serving but there must have been some Levite around, you know? Is what you are saying, Father Chuck, that he became a Levite when his parents dedicated him?

1 Samuel 1:1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite:

Ephrathite means fruitful in Hebrew, an inhabitant of Bethlehem

1Sam 17:12 Now David was the son of that [Ephrathite] of Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.
Judges 12:5 And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;

Korahite = "one of Korah" descendants of Korah the son of Levi

Exodus 6:24 And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these [are] the families of the Korhites.

[wildandblue]

Sndbay, Thank you very much, I studied the scriptures you pointed out and they do indeed say he was a Levite. I guess on my first reading since he lived in Shiloh in territory of Ephraim I was assuming that meant he was Ephraimite, I forgot all about each territory having dedicated Levitical cities in it.

[Samia7]

Hi!

Samuel was a descendant of Kohath son of Levi (1Chronicles 6:16-28; there are many by the name of Elkanah but Samuel father is mentioned in v27). He was called an Ephraimite in 1Sam 1:1 because his family was allotted to live in towns of the clan of Ephraim (Josh 21:5; 1Chro 6:66)

[dwashbur]

Samuel didn't actually serve as a priest. The wording of 1 Sam 2:11 indicates that he was basically an assistant to Eli; the word that the NIV translates "minister" basically means "help," i.e. he was more or less Eli's go-fer. The events of chapter 3 chronicle Samuel's calling as a prophet, not a priest. In that capacity, he also served as the last judge of Israel, but he wasn't actually a priest.

[happyintheWord]

Samuel must have served in some capacity as a priest, for even as a child he wore a linen ephod. The Nazarite vow might also have come into play.

[dwashbur]

Samuel must have served in some capacity as a priest, for even as a child he wore a linen ephod. The Nazarite vow might also have come into play.

Wearing an ephod didn't necessarily make one a priest. David wore one when he was celebrating the entry of the Ark into Jerusalem (2 Sam 6:14; 1 Chron 15:27)

[marcmorcos]

I believe that samuel was called to be a prophet and last judge for the people of israel but indeed he was levite according to 1 chor 6:22-28. But as you all know that every priest needs to be a levite but not every levite is a priest. As levi did have 3 sons and the priests only are descendants of aaron not levi so the other levites serve other jobs. Indeed samuel offered sacrifice in chapter 3 but it was an extraordinary case directed by God and accepted.also if you read in 1 chor you will find that grandson of samuel was appointed by david as a musician in the house of lord 1 chor 6:33 so if samuel was a descendant of the line of priesthood thus his grandson would serve as a priest not as a musician and also his sons as mentioned in 1 sa were appointed to be priests not judges.

[SusannaCalgary]

It is because of God's special selection (I Samuel 2: 30-31 and 35).
30 “Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: 'I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.' But now the LORD declares: 'Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. 31 The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age.
35 I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always.

The family of Eli, even though were supposed to be priest by birth, did not honor their God-given duty as priests by birth. So God raised up Samuel, an Ephrathite, a non-Levite, to become a priest. In NT times, when the Israelite rejected the gospel, their birth as God's chosen nation as priests for the world was given to Gentiles.
Acts 13:46
Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.

[SusannaCalgary]

Samuel's grandson, Heman, became a musician, serving together with other Levites. Heman is the author of Psalm 88. This confirms what God said that He will firmly establish Samuel`s priestly house and that they will always minister to God`s anointed ones (I Samuel 2: 35).

1 Chronicles 6:33
Here are the men who served, together with their sons: From the Kohathites: Heman, the musician, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,

[SusannaCalgary]

From I Chronicles we have:
I Chronicles 6: 1 "The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari."
I Chronicles 6: 33-38 "Here are the men who served, together with their sons:From the Kohathites: Heman, the musician,the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, the son of Tahath, the son of Assir,the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel;"

These scriptures indicated that Samuel is a Levite, as pointed out by Sndbay and others.

[drdroubay]

The firstborn of every womb was 'the LORD's', the levites were taken 'in place of the firstborn' as priests. But if a firstborn son is not redeemed, but given to the LORD as Hannah did, he is a priest. Jesus was firstborn and given to God for us, and he is Prophet Priest and King; and we who have found refuge in Him are also kings and priests. We are also priests 'in the order of Melchizidek', who was priest of God most high but no mention of his tribe but was from Salem.
So Samuel was firstborn given to God, not redeemed, and also a type of Christ as he was offered up by his mother;s vow to the service of the LORD.

[calvin1999]

David did many things that were not approved of God. He sang before the Lord with instrumental music. He wore the ephod when moving the Ark. At least he was wise not to touch it. Maybe he wanted to show the repect of a priest, so he put on the ephod. He danced as he was bring back the Ark, so David got away with a lot of things since he had a special part in God's own heart. Most people today think because David did it, it is right. See Amos 6:5 where the prophet Amos condemned David for many things the people believe were right and one of the condemnation was using instrument within his prasies.

[dwashbur]

He sang before the Lord with intrumental music...See Amos 6:5 where the prophet Amos condemmed David for many things the people believe were right and one of the condemnation was using instrument within his prasies.

Amos 6:5 (NIV84)
5 You strum away on your harps like David
And improvise on musical instruments.

I'm not sure how you get any of that out of this verse. First, the verse isn't addressing David, it's addressing the "complacent in Zion" (verse 1), the rich folks in Jerusalem who sleep in the nice beds, play their music and all the rest, when they should "grieve over the ruin of Joseph" (verse 6). It never says that anyone was doing "praises" at all, and it sure doesn't condemn David for anything. David's first job in the royal court was playing the harp to help calm Saul's manic episodes, so playing like David would be playing soothing music, probably rather skillfully. So they play nicely, and they improvise on their instruments, and they enjoy good food and all that, when they should be repenting and hoping they don't go into exile like the northern kingdom did. That's what the verse is about. It says nothing about God not liking instrumental music.

[EnochBethany]

The explanation is that
1) Samuel's family was of the territory of Ephraim; Levy had no such territory. Thus Samuel was from the territory of Ephraim, though he was a Kohathite Levite, as the genealogy lists tell us.

Kohath was one of the 3 sons of Levi. Aaron came from Kohath. To be a Kohathite Levite was the closest you could come to being a priest without being a priest, only a priest helper.

1 Chronicles 6:
The sons of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, 23 Elkanah his son, and Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son, 24 Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. 25 And the sons of Elkanah: Amasai, and Ahimoth. 26 As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah: Zophai his son, and Nahath his son, 27 Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son. 28 And the sons of Samuel: the first-born Joel, and the second Abijah. 29 The sons of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son,

32 And they ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem: and they waited on their office according to their order. 33 And these are they that waited, and their sons. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, 34 the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, 35 the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, 36 the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, 37 the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, 38 the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.

The place where Samuel served as a child was the Tabernacle (Solomon much later built the Temple).

Though Samuel by birth would not have been a priest, since he was not a descendant of Aaron, it does appear that he acted as a priest. My conclusion is that Eli adopted Samuel and that adoption is legitimate, making Samuel then a legal son of Aaron.

IMHO:
The same thing comes into play with the Lord Jesus. Matthew traces his line back through JOSEPH through the line of the Kings of Judah (including David) to the Tribe of Judah. The Lord Jesus was a natural descendant of Judah through Mary. But the Lord Jesus was also a legal descendant of Judah through Joseph his adopted father. Apparently adoption gave full legal rights as if you were a biological son of the man who adopted you.

[EnochBethany]

Levy should be "Levi."

The explanation is that
1) Samuel's family was of the territory of Ephraim; Levi had no such territory. Thus Samuel was from the territory of Ephraim, though he was a Kohathite Levite, as the genealogy lists tell us.

Kohath was one of the 3 sons of Levi. Aaron came from Kohath. To be a Kohathite Levite was the closest you could come to being a priest without being a priest, only a priest helper.

1 Chronicles 6:
The sons of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, 23 Elkanah his son, and Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son, 24 Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. 25 And the sons of Elkanah: Amasai, and Ahimoth. 26 As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah: Zophai his son, and Nahath his son, 27 Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son. 28 And the sons of Samuel: the first-born Joel, and the second Abijah. 29 The sons of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son,

32 And they ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem: and they waited on their office according to their order. 33 And these are they that waited, and their sons. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, 34 the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, 35 the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, 36 the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, 37 the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, 38 the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.

The place where Samuel served as a child was the Tabernacle (Solomon much later built the Temple).

Though Samuel by birth would not have been a priest, since he was not a descendant of Aaron, it does appear that he acted as a priest. My conclusion is that Eli adopted Samuel and that adoption is legitimate, making Samuel then a legal son of Aaron.

IMHO:
The same thing comes into play with the Lord Jesus. Matthew traces his line back through JOSEPH through the line of the Kings of Judah (including David) to the Tribe of Judah. The Lord Jesus was a natural descendant of Judah through Mary. But the Lord Jesus was also a legal descendant of Judah through Joseph his adopted father. Apparently adoption gave full legal rights as if you were a biological son of the man who adopted you.