THE BOOK OF 1 SAMUEL
A gift to God; a Gift
from God
1 Samuel 1:12-20 SCC
9/21/14
The Historical and
Theological background of the book
1. First
Samuel records Israel's transition from rule by judges to rule by kings. Two
statements from chapter 8 are especially significant. (1). The
human desire that produced the transition expressed itself in verse 5: "Now appoint a king for us to judge us like
all the nations." God had brought Israel into existence as a nation to
be unlike all the nations (Exod. 19:5-6; Eze 16). (2).
The real meaning of the people's request comes out in
verse 7: "they have rejected Me from
being king over them." During the period of the judges, religious
apostasy spread and characterized Israel. The people refused to obey their King.
Every idol is a witness to man's need of
God. When people reject the true God, they must put something in His place.
2. First
Samuel begins by contrasting Israel's last two judges (Eli: a failure; and
Samuel: a success) and then Israel's first two kings (Saul: a failure; and
David: a success). Eli was a man who failed with his sons and was removed by
God. But his failure with the sons was part of a much larger picture.
There were serious spiritual problems in the land, and Eli did not have the
spiritual discernment or courage to deal with them. The story of Eli is not told for its own purpose; it is reported as the
background for the birth and rise to power of Samuel.
3. Problems for Eli were multiplied by the difficult times
in which he lived. The context is near the end of the time of the judges,
near the time of Samuel who would anoint Saul and then David. Those were dark
days in Israel, witnessed by acts of idolatry and depravity. But the
major spiritual difficulty of the times was that the word of the LORD was rare in
those days; there was no frequent vision (1 Sam. 3:2). Without
much divine guidance there would be little priestly instruction, so that every
man did that which was right in his own eyes. It was in the midst of this
chaos that Eli served for a generation (1 Sam. 4:19 40 years). It was in this chaos that he lost his family
and his ministry.
4. The nation plummeted in the time of Eli, both spiritually
and politically, the political problems being the result of spiritual ones.
In his lifetime the nation would be defeated at the battle of Aphek capturing The Ark of the Covenant by the enemies and
stored in their temples. The times were reflected in the naming of Eli’s
grandson, Ichabod, the glory has departed 1 Sam 4:21. It was time for a change in the
spiritual leadership of the country. But the spiritual leadership needed
more than a strong military leader or a righteous priest. It needed a
prophet to restore the religious order and ensure that the word of the LORD was
heard throughout the land. Samuel was that man.
5. Everything we learn
about Eli we learn from seeing him in contrast with other people. God was replacing the corrupt order with a
faithful order. Eli was caught in the middle as the last of the old order.
There are four contrasting episodes: Eli and Hannah, Eli and his sons, Eli and
the man of God, and Eli and Samuel.
Godly People will still be faithful even when apostasy’s
influences spreads all around 1:1-17
1. We see this
reflected in the deep piety of Hannah.
It is often the case that spiritual leaders will have some
folks who have a much deeper piety and devotion to the LORD than they do.
That is expected and that can be a tremendous blessing for those in his care.
But when a spiritual leader does not even have the spiritual
understanding to recognize it that is a disaster.
2. There was a man name Elkanah
who had two wives, Peninah, who had children, and
Hannah who did not v 1-2. In
this family, though, during their pilgrimages to the Tabernacle, the one wife
would mock Hannah and provoke her, causing much grief and sorrow v 6-7. On such occasions after
they celebrated the sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah would rise up and go to
pray to the LORD. She was in bitterness of soul, and wept as she
prayed. She continued for some time in prayer; she poured out her heart
to the LORD, the giver of life v 9-12.
NB: As believers, when we find ourselves
in difficult situations, we should commit our desires to God in prayer. In
prayer we seek what is best for God primarily because the purpose of prayer is
to enable us to accomplish God's will, not to get Him to do our will. When we
feel a need greatly, we should also pray earnestly. When we pray this way, God
will enable us to feel peace in our problem.
A
couple of observations are in order here.
First:
Hannah was a Godly woman who recognized that the solution to her dilemma was in
God. Second: the horrible times
did not deter her in her faithfulness to God--none can blame the lack of
spirituality or unfaithfulness in their lives on the times in which they
live.
Third:
Samuel would be an answer to prayer v 20.
That would mark him out as a Godsend. In the Bible the births of the
great servants of the LORD are often the results of prayerful waiting on the
LORD, so that everyone would know the birth was a provision from him.
A Spiritual Leaders lack of Spiritual Perception is a
contributing factor to the presence of apostasy
1. For a high priest,
Eli responded to Hannah’s praying rather badly v 13-14. While she was praying Eli marked her lips, which
must have been actively involved in the praying. He concluded that she
was drunk, like one of the worthless women who hung around the tabernacle 2:22. Their presence there,
which in itself was a major problem, had so distorted his perception that he
concluded Hannah was one of them. His
remarks to Hannah were base and unspiritual. He was looking on the outward
appearance alone and could not perceive her spiritual burden and fervent
prayer.
2. Here, Hannah was thought to be drunk, but in fact she was
fervent in prayer. One cannot help but think of the events on the Day of
Pentecost when the disciples, filled with the Spirit, preached and prayed in
different languages. The leaders of the people who observed this thought
they were drunk as well Acts 2:5-13. Eli
is in bad company in the Bible for his lack of perception of spirituality.
3. If something was lacking in the perception of Eli, it
certainly surfaces in his stinging rebuke that must have cut her deeply v15. It was harsh. He said to her,
how long will you be drunken
(a drunken spectacle)? Put away your wine (go
away and sleep it off). This came from the priest, the one who should have
understood. Peninah’s rebuke had driven her to
deeper prayer. Eli’s rebuke could have driven her away from prayer, if she had
been less devout. Eli was rude and profane.
4. The background of Eli and his comments yells us he was a
heavy man and that his sons were gluttons (2:12; 16-17; 22, 29, 4:18).
There were a lot of worthless women who stayed around the Tabernacle, which
indicates the depth of their promiscuousness. It was a corrupt group, so corrupt that they did not recognize true
piety when they saw it.
NB: Even though
mocked by her rival and maligned by her priest, she did not pray for relief but
for glory to the lord—that a child may bring praise to his name.
The Faithful will forcefully expose lack of spiritual
perception of spiritual leaders
1. There is nothing that violates a forceful exposure of unspiritual
spiritual leadership. We are not to respect the position. We must respect the
truth. Politely, but forcefully, Hannah quickly denied the priest’s
charge. No my Lord. Her
actions were due to her being in deep sorrow (hard of spirit) v 15. The
strong denial comes in the form of a request; Count not your handmaid to be a daughter of worthlessness.
2. The words of a righteous person rebuking a spiritually
ignorant priest might hit their mark, but they might not if he is too far-gone.
Too often today people in ministry are just that dull in their spiritual
senses. Here Hannah saw the reference to her by Eli as a terrible degradation
that had to be challenged. What
kind of ministry could this man have had if he cannot even recognize true
spirituality? Eli, spiritually dull and slow to discern truth, had a hard
time distinguishing good from evil.
It is only after she protested and rebuked him that he pronounced a blessing on
her: Go in peace v 17. But
what value would that have had now, coming from him?
NB: It is
when spiritual leaders lose touch with spiritual things themselves that they
begin to confuse spirituality and wickedness, failing to rebuke the wickedness
and falsely accusing the righteous. We live in such a time. We have
far too many Elis in spiritual leadership today. For it is by reason of
use that the mature in the faith have their
senses exercised to discern good and evil (Heb. 5:14). When spiritual
leaders no longer have that, the people they shepherd will be deprived of the
truth.
So
What?
1. Spiritual Leaders must guard against
becoming spiritually insensitive. The word of God was rare in those days,
so there was no regular revelation from God 3:1. But what the priest had he was supposed to use
regularly, so that the skill of discerning right from wrong would never be
lost.
2. When a person and spiritual leaders are living apart from
the word of God, they become tolerant of sin, especially in those they love,
mistaking that permission with love 2:29.
When tolerant of sin, he becomes dull of perception with regard to true
spirituality.
3. Our text reveals the godliness of both Hannah and Elkanah
as a backdrop against the poor parenting of Eli and the worthlessness of his
sons, Hophni and Phinehas. Elkanah is a godly husband who is sensitive to his wife’s
agony of soul. God is pleased that wives are loved well by their husbands.
4. Hannah is an example of a godly woman and wife. She endures years of
silent suffering because of her barrenness and cruel harassment at the hand of
her rival, Peninnah. But she takes her grief to the
Lord recognizing that God is in charge of the situation and he alone can
provide what she desires.
5. Hannah’s worship provides great insight into the role of women in
worship in the Old Testament times. Her role is not a public or official one,
yet she demonstrates how the devout, no matter who they are, have access to the
Lord.
6. Knowing God is in charge of our circumstances, can you praise him,
worship him, adore him, even when those same
circumstances are the source of your greatest personal pain, fear, anxiety,
loss, or hopelessness? It was the Lord who closed her womb.