The king being now established; the judgeship of Samuel was at an end. It was moreover the close of an era. Paul, when addressing his audience in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia tracing God's ways with Israel, said, “He gave unto them judges...until Samuel the prophet” (Acts 13:20).
Samuel, accordingly, now retired from the active leadership of the people. The responsibility now rested upon the shoulders of the king. Henceforward he would act simply as the power behind the throne. He would pray for the people, indeed they asked him to do so (1 Sam. 12:19), and he would instruct them as opportunity might be afforded. “God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way” (vs. 23). Such quiet service is not to be undervalued in any age. The men who stand forth the most prominently in the work and testimony of God are not the only factors that count. Even sick persons, who have learned the value of intercession and who can only serve in the privacy of the home, are a precious asset to the church of God. The day of Christ will declare how much of the blessing experienced publicly is due in part to the supplications and prayers of those whose faces are never seen and whose voices are never heard. The time may come when both the writer and the reader of these pages may be denied the honor and privilege of public service for the Lord Jesus, but the time will not come when the honor and privilege of prayer will be taken from us. Epaphras in the Roman prison is an illustration of this (Col. 4:12-13).