Midrasch zu Tehillim 99:6

Another thing asked R. Nachman of R. Isaac: What is the meaning of the passage (I Sam. 8, 1) And it came to pass, when Samuel was old. Did he indeed become old? Behold, he was then only fifty-two years of age; for the master said elsewhere, "Whoever dies at the age of fifty-two, is like Samuel of Ramathi (the prophet)." "Thus it was explained by R. Jochanan," replied R. Isaac: "He (Samuel) became old before his time, as it is written (Ib. 15, 11) It repented Me that I have set up Saul to be king. Samuel said before Him: 'Sovereign of the Universe, you have considered me equal in importance to Moses and Aaron, as it is written (Ps. 99, 6) Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among them that call upon His name. Just as Moses' and Aaron's work had not been destroyed during their own life, so do also I wish that my work should not be destroyed during my life.' Whereupon the Holy One, praised be He! argued with Himself, saying: 'What shall I do? Shall I cause the death of Saul? Samuel would not allow me to. Shall I cause the death of Samuel? Since he is so young, people will murmur that he was not righteous. Shall neither Saul nor Samuel die? This is impossible; for the Kingdom of David already reached its appointed time, and one reign cannot touch upon the other even by a hair breadth.' " The Holy One, praised be He! thereupon decided to cause Samuel to become old before his time. Thus the passage becomes clear (I Sam. 22, 6) Now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk-tree in Ramah, What relation has Gibeah to Ramah? The relation intends to inform: What caused Saul to sit in Gibeah two and one-half years? The prayer of Samuel, the Ramathite. Is one man displaced for the sake of another? Yea, for R. Samuel b. Nachmaini said, in the name of R. Jochanan: "What is the meaning of the passage (Hos. 6, 5) Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of my mouth. It does not say by their acts but it says by the words of my mouth; this, therefore, means that one man is displaced for the sake of another."

Our Rabbis were taught [concerning the passage]: And seventy of the elders of Israel. What is the reason that the names of those elders are not mentioned? Because one should not say: "Is so-and-so like Moses and Aaron? Is so-and-so like Nadab and Abihu? Is so-and-so like Eldad and Medad?" And it is also said (Sam. 12, 6) And Samuel said unto the people the Lord that appointed Moses and Aaron; in the same connection it is said (Ib. 11) And the Lord sent Jerubaal and B'dan and Jephtha and Samuel; i.e., Jerubaal is Gideon. And why is he called Jerubaal? Because he incited a quarrel against Baal. B'dan is Sampson. And why is he called B'dan? Because he came from Dan. Jephtha, in its usual sense. (Ib. b) And it is also said (Ps. 99, 6) Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among those who called upon His name. Scripture regards the three smallest [leaders] in Israel's history equal to the three greatest; to teach us that Jerubaal was in his own generation like Moses in his; B'dan was in his own generation like Aaron in his; Jephtha was in his own generation, like Samuel in his. Infer from this that even the most worthless of worthless men, if once appointed a leader, should be respected as the highest of the nobility. And it is also said (Deut. 17, 9) And thou shall come unto the priests, the Levites, and unto the judges that shall be in those days. Can you imagine that one could go to a judge who did not live in his days? This means that a man must heed the judge of his own generation. And it is further said (Ecc. 7, 10) Say not thou: 'How was it that the former days were better than these!'

R. Hanina said: A proof of this is the fact that though Moses served Israel in Egypt and in the desert for forty years and lived one hundred and twenty years, while Samuel lived only fifty-two years, and bore the burdens and pains of Israel (for only part of that time), Scripture treats them equally, as it is said: Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among them that called upon His name (Ps. 99:6). Hence, Sweet is the sleep of the laboring man, whether he eat little or much.