Samuel was the messenger of God’s liberation of the seed of Abraham from bondage to the corrupt priests, the sons of Eli, and from the Philistines, who had slaughtered the Israelites in battle. He is traditionally named alongside Moses as a great intercessor. When the nation faced continuing threats from the Philistines, he courageously led the people in a spiritual revival, exhorting them to “return unto the LORD with all your hearts” and to “put away the strange gods.”[4] The people repented and beseeched Samuel not to cease calling upon the LORD to save them. As he was praying and offering sacrifices, a violent thunderstorm was unleashed, allowing the Israelites to overtake their enemies. The Philistines never rose again in the days of Samuel.
The prophet spent the rest of his life administering justice throughout the land. When he grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel; but they were corrupt, and the people demanded that Samuel give them “a king to judge us like all the nations.”[5] Deeply grieved, he prayed to the LORD and received the direction that he must carry out the mandate of the people. The LORD told him, “They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.”[6]
Samuel warned the Israelites of the dangers that would befall them through their rulers, but they still clamored for a king. Thus he anointed Saul as their leader and charged him and the people to always obey the voice of the LORD. But when Saul proved to be an unfaithful servant, Samuel pronounced the LORD’s judgment upon him for his disobedience and secretly anointed David as king. When the prophet died, he was buried at Ramah; all of Israel mourned his passing.
Saint Germain was also embodied as Saint Joseph, the father of Jesus and husband of Mary. There are few references to him in the New Testament. The Bible traces his lineage back to David. It also recounts how when the angel of the LORD warned him in a dream that Herod planned to kill Jesus, Joseph heeded the warning and took his family to Egypt, returning after Herod’s death.
Joseph is said to have been a carpenter and is thought to have passed on before Jesus began his public ministry. In Catholic tradition, Saint Joseph is revered as Patron of the Universal Church and his feast is celebrated on March 19.
The ascended master Jesus has said that Saint Joseph taught him much more than carpentry: “He taught me the sacred labor of the alchemy of the Holy Ghost, the changing of the water into wine. Truly I am the son of Joseph, the great miracle alchemist of all time. And truly my works show forth his handiwork and the blessed grace of my mother.”[7]