God designed a special form of government for the nation that Moses led out of Egypt. We call it a theocracy (Greek for "government by God"). That nation was important to God. He had made a covenant, a solemn contract, with its ancestor Abraham. By that contract, the nation didn't have to earn his favor. Instead, he freely gave it his love. God even put his thoughts down in writing—something he had done for no other nation. He appointed Israel to be the custodian of those precious documents.

The years following the invasion and conquest of Canaan were not good ones for the people of God. Yes, they managed to divide the land among the 12 tribes, carve out homesteads, and make a living. But spiritually they were not different from their heathen neighbors. During the 300-year period of the judges (1380–1050 b.c.), the refrain was repeated: "Everyone did as he saw fit" (Judges 21:25).

And so the worst judgment that can fall on anyone fell on the Israelites: God began to withdraw his word. It was as though he was telling Israel: "Very well. If you don't want my word, I won't bother you with it." The Scriptures describe conditions in Israel with these few terse words, "In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions" (1 Samuel 3:1).

Yet in that dark hour, a merciful God again did the unexpected. His word and vision came to a child not even grown to manhood. The Scripture tells us: "[The Lord] revealed himself to Samuel. . . . And Samuel's word came to all Israel" (1 Samuel 3:21–4:1). Samuel was God's man for one of the darkest hours in the nation's history. He was Israel's leader—not only a political and military leader but also their spiritual leader.

God used Samuel in many important ways. One contribution stands out as perhaps the greatest for the spiritual life of Israel. Samuel provided the theological training of the next generation of God's messengers (the "sons of the prophets"). God used Samuel to prepare a steady supply of young men who were committed to hearing the voice of God and to sharing what they had heard with fellow Israelites.

The golden age of prophecy

In 931 B.C. civil war tore the single nation of Israel apart and ushered in the period we know as the divided kingdom. Ten tribes united to form a different Israel to the north, while two tribes became Judah to the south. In the Northern Kingdom, Elijah and his successor Elisha were God's messengers to kings Omri and Ahab, who had introduced Baal worship into the life of God's nation.