Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved down into the Desert of Paran. – 1 Samuel 25:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 10, 2016): 1 Samuel 25

British Actor A. E. Matthews is credited with saying “When I get up in the morning I read the obituaries. If I don’t see my name there, I go to the office.” The joke has taken many forms over the years, but it still retains its humor. I have to admit that I don’t ever read the obituaries, and often the deaths of people that I know catch me by surprise. But having said that, I do read the news online and the lists of those who have died continues to grow. Maybe it is just the evidence of an aging society, but it seems that every week we add more people who have made an incredible impact on our culture to the list of those who have passed away. As a result, we are a culture that almost continuously seems to be in mourning. Maybe one of the bright spots is that at least we are still alive. The question is, will we be able to make a difference like those who have gone before.

Samuel is dead. The statement is simply inserted here because this was the time period in which the event took place. And all of Israel mourned his death. The truth was that while many of the Judges were local heroes, Samuel, the last judge, was a universal hero for the entire nation. Samuel’s hard work had not been just on behalf of one region of the nation, it was to the benefit of everyone.

There might be two things that we need to be understand as we prepare to say goodbye to Samuel and close the chapter on this great man’s life. The first is that he was the original king maker. He was responsible, through the power of God, for the both of the first two kings of Israel, and therefore, he was responsible for the establishment of the Davidic dynasty. The book that bears his name, Samuel parts 1 and 2, is really just a record of his legacy.

But the second thing that we need to realize in our moment of mourning for Samuel, is that he was the first of only two people who occupied the all three of the major offices in Israel – Samuel was prophet, priest, and king (ruler). The only other person to occupy those three offices was Jesus, and so Samuel becomes a type of Christ or a forerunner of Christ model.

So it was probably no wonder that all of Israel turned out to say good-bye. There is no doubt that Samuel would be greatly missed by the nation that he shaped.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 26