The Books of Samuel are a part of the section of the Bible called he books of History. We don't know who wrote Samuel. We can be sure that Samuel had a hand in it, but some of what is written in these books occurs after Samuel's death. Obviously, someone else was a part of this piece of the Bible. Samuel is a great Prophet and Priest, the greatest in Jewish history since Moses. He is part of the transition between the 400 year period of the Judges and the age of the Jewish Monarchy. His story is one of faithfulness that has its beginnings in the prayers of his mother, Hannah.
One should also note that this is a period in Jewish history when the Philistines are growing in their influence in the area. The Philistines are a war like people who have migrated from the Island of Crete. The have brought with them the military prowess of Greece and the use of iron weapons. The have iron shields, armor, helmets and weapons. The are a growing menace to all who live in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Hannah is barren and to be a woman in that time who is barren is to be viewed as less than whole. Hannah's plight is magnified in that her husband has a 2nd wife who never lets Hannah forget that she is unable to have children. (does that remind you a little bit of Sarah and Haggar?) Each year when Elkanah, Peninnah and Hannah go to Shiloh to make their offering to the Lord, Hannah pours out her heart to God asking that he would bless her with a child. God hears her prayer and Samuel is born. Hannah has made a promise to God that if he grants her a son that she will dedicate him to the Lord and he will be a Nazirite. Hannah keeps her promise and after he is weaned (probably 2 or 3 years old) little Samuel is taken to Shiloh and to the Priest Eli to be dedicated to the Lord and to serve him in the tabernacle.
Eli is the high priest and he has two sons, Hopni and Phineas who also serve in the temple, but they are bad, bad men. They dishonor God and bully those who come to worship. They will come to an untimely end and are a lesson on the importance of parenthood. It is an amazing thing to watch Samuel grow in grace and truth in the shadow of these two evil men.
The 2nd Chapter of 1 Samuel is often called Hannah's song. It is her tribute of praise to a God who hears the prayers and the cries of those who love and serve him. It is interesting to note that Zecharias (the father of John the Baptist) and Mary both quote this song in their great songs of praise as they anticipate the births of their children. Also in verse 10 we may see a bit of prophesy since Israel has no King but Hannah speaks of the strength that will be in God's king or is she speaking of the Messiah yet to come? Just interesting to think about.
In verse 22 we hear of more of the great sins of Phineas and Hopni as they entice the women who serve at the tabernacle door into illicit sexual affairs. I only mention this to remind you that Jephthah's daughter in Judges was dedicated to the tabernacle. These ladies served the Lord at the door to the altar by assisting those who came to worship. Imagine the anger that must have welled up in the heart of God to see these ungodly priests violate the sanctity of this place of worship and adoration. Those who are called to serve God are held to a higher standard of conduct than the world. When they stumble and fail, the church often suffers as well. These men were violating a sacred trust.
Chapter 3 is the beautiful story of Samuels' call. I think I will preach from this text on Sunday so I won't say much today. But It is good to think about what it means to be called by God. How does God call? Who does God call? How do we hear him? When Samuel understood that it was the voice of God that he was hearing, he was prompt to reply, "Here I am, Lord" Would that we would be so prompt in our response. When Samuel responded faithfully to God's call, the bible tells us that God was with him and through his obedience the Lord revealed himself at Shiloh. Our prayer should be that we too would respond faithfully to God's call upon our lives and that the evidence of our obedience would be that all the world would see the Lord revealed in the places where we worship, live, work and play.
verse 8, made me giggle. I know it has a much more profound meaning but the comparison between husband and child was used even back then.
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting that God waited to give Hannah a child until she vowed to dedicate Samuel's life to the church. If she had been given children earlier in life she may not have made that same decision.
What Hannah saw as a time of difficulty God used to prepare her to be a good mom and to do his will.