From Priest To Prophet

At the close of the time of the Judges the priesthood fails with Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas. The Lord then moves to bring in Samuel as the beginning (not forgetting Abraham, Moses, and Joshua) of a long line of prophets which finally culminates in John the Baptist. We observe the beginning of this transition in the context of the deplorable condition of the nation of Israel in a day when there was "no open vision."