Memorial Day of the Prophet Samuel

On September 2, Orthodox Christians celebrate the day of the prophet Samuel In Rus', his name was adapted and they began to call the servant of God Samoil According to biblical tradition, it is believed that it was Samuel who was the author of the book of Judges, which tells about a large period in the history of the Israeli people The prophet lived 1146 years before the birth of Christ Samuel was the fifteenth and last judge of Israel It was he who brought one of the most famous Israeli kings to power According to legend, it is believed that the prophet’s parents did not have children for a long time The birth of a boy was a real miracle in his family The child, whom the parents begged from God, was subsequently given into his service Even his name meant “asked for” or “heard by God” When Samuel was born, the people of Israel were going through difficult times Moses' successor led the Jews to conquer what is now Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and Syria These lands were then called Canaan The great victory soon turned into spiritual defeat Jews began to live side by side with local peoples, and their faith was shaken Many of them began to violate the first commandment and indulge in the sin of idolatry According to the Bible, when Jews renounce God and recognize the gods of other nations, they turn into slaves To get out of this trap, they need to admit their mistakes and repent God does not abandon his people, sending them a judge who helps them return to their former faith and gain spiritual freedom until they again renounce the true God Samuel was born in a troubled time for the Jews When the boy was three years old, his parents sent him to church to study His mentor was the high priest Elijah, who was spiritually weak and led the Jews to decline When Samuel was twelve years old, he had a revelation The boy learned that Elijah would soon be overtaken by God's punishment for failing to guide his sons, who were mired in sin, on the true path The prophecy actually came true Elijah and his wife died when they learned that the Philistines had killed tens of thousands of Israelites and taken the tablets containing the commandments of Moses Samuel became a judge and his rise to power marked the beginning of a new era for the Jewish people He ruled wisely, enlightened the people, and helped the Israelites return to the true faith Samuel himself had sons, but ironically he suffered the same fate as Elijah His children are also mired in the sin of greed When the prophet grew old, he wanted to put one of the heirs in his place, but he never did this, because none of them was worthy The people were frightened by the thought that Samuel would soon pass away and they would fall into slavery again The people asked the prophet to choose a king for them Samuel did not like this idea, since only God himself could rule the Jews, but the people were tired of unrest and anarchy, so they needed a strong hand The Prophet succumbed to persuasion and chose Saul, who was a talented commander, but turned out to be a useless ruler The new king was possessed by an evil spirit and began to fall into madness Then Samuel secretly anointed David as king, who subsequently reigned for forty years and became one of the best kings in the history of the Jewish people It was from his family that the Messiah emerged a thousand years later Samuel lived to a ripe old age His relics were subsequently transferred to the capital of Byzantium In Christianity, the last judge of Israel is revered in the same way as Abraham or Moses Samoilov Day is considered a men's holiday The men dressed up in beautiful shirts, which were served to them by their daughters in the morning, and the women prepared delicious dishes for them On this day, the peasants prayed to God for a good harvest and a late winter, so that field work could be completed in time before the onset of frost After a hearty breakfast, the peasants went to work Although this day was considered a holiday, no one rested At this time, the first winter honey mushrooms appeared in the forests, which children collected in baskets, so fried potatoes with mushrooms were often served for dinner On this day you can go to church, pray and turn to Samuel