After Joshua died and after the people of Israel were settled in the Promised Land, God raised up judges who would be the administrators in His kingdom.  They were to rule over the people and represent God to the people.  During this period there were a few good judges, such as Deborah and Gideon; but over all, they were not good.  It was a time in history where “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25).  Nonetheless, God used the judges to lead and protect Israel in spite of their sin (Sampson is a good example).

But there was another, Samuel, who was both a judge and a prophet, who came on the scene at the end of this period.  He was probably one of the most God fearing and holy men that there ever was.  The fact that Israel accepted him as God’s…