1 Samuel 1

LINK:1 Samuel 1
BACKGROUND: Judges ends, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” Beginning in 1 Samuel, one part of that statement changes as God allows the Israelites to incorporate a monarchy into their covenantal relationship with him. The priest Samuel is instrumental in negotiating this transition, similar to the role Moses played earlier in Israel’s history.

1 Samuel begins with a normal, everyday family living in the time of the Judges. In what apparently was a common occurrence, a childless woman endured years of sorrow, longing, and ridicule by her husband’s fertile second wife. In spite of loving treatment by her husband, Hannah didn’t join in the feasting and rejoicing when the family went up to Shiloh each year to worship the Lord. Instead, she wept because of her barrenness.

One year, as she prayed fervently in the tabernacle for a son and made a vow to dedicate that son to the Lord, the priest Eli saw her and thought she was drunk. She assured him she was not but had been pouring out her soul to the Lord. Eli then blessed her and joined his prayer to hers by saying, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him,” This comforted Hannah, and when she returned home with her husband, she became pregnant and gave birth to Samuel, whose name means “heard of God.”

Later, after Samuel was weaned, Hannah kept her vow and brought her son to Eli to be trained in service to the Lord. Hannah said, “I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.”

REFLECTION: There are many similarities here to Samson’s birth: two families living while Israel wandered from God, two barren women, two surprise births, two sons upon which “no razor will ever be used,” two children marked for special service and dedication to the Lord. These similarities highlight a frequently-repeated pattern in Israel’s history: God blesses the Israelites, but they eventually fall away and become rebellious. Soon God allows trouble to find them, and in their misery they cry out to God (or maybe don’t even have the sense to cry out to him), who then rescues them, thus beginning the rescue/falling away/rescue cycle that typifies Israel’s relationship to God. Both Samuel and Samson are on God’s “Rescue Squad” and are used by him to help and bless the Israelites.

There are differences between Samuel’s story and Samson’s, though, especially later in their lives when Samson was pretty much a jerk while Samuel was much more faithful and teachable. That’s kind of like God’s people now—we, like Samson and Samuel, are “set aside” (sanctified) for God’s purposes. We’re his people; the church of Christ is today’s Israel. We’re stewards and conduits of God’s message of salvation, just like Samson and Samuel were. We can be wayward, sensual, and cavalier like Samson or we can by loyal, listening, and bold like Samuel will show himself to be in coming chapters. Sometimes I’m a little of each at the same time. And if the story were primarily about people, we could talk about how important it is to be more like Samuel than like Samson, but since the big story is God, let’s talk about him—how he is always the same, always the rescuer, always faithful, always finding a way to work in the lives of his people whether those people are strong, weak, healthy, sick, rich, poor, aware, or unaware. God called Samson to save his people from the Philistines. God called Samuel to lead his people through a tough time of transition to a monarchy. But the ultimate call of God and work of God fell on the shoulders of his only son, Jesus, who once and for all defeated the sin that so easily entangles us and pulls us away from our Lord. The temporary blessings given to Israel through Samson and Samuel were made permanent for us by Jesus. In the same way that God “remembered” Hannah and granted her most treasured wish, God remembers us and grants us our greatest need—to be in fellowship with him.

APPLICATION: Look at Hannah’s responses:
V. 18 & 19—she went her way…and her face was no longer downcast….they arose and worshiped before the Lord.
V. 28—“So now I give him to the Lord.”

What better application can there be than that? Rejoice, worship, and in thanksgiving return to the Lord what is his anyway—ourselves and everything he has given us.

PRAYER: Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord, that you are faithful to rescue us.