1 Samuel 1:1-2:21
1 Samuel 1
So, just
thinking out loud regarding this time in Israel's history, it is said that
Samuel and Samson were alive at the same time. In this area of Israel, they
were under Philistine dominance. Samson kept the Philistines at bay for 20
years and then destroyed the Philistine leadership at his death. No wars with
the Philistines are mentioned during Samson's lifetime. No wars are mentioned
during the early years of Samuel either. Later in Samuel's life, God used the
wars with the Philistines to clear out the evil in the priesthood and to test
the reign of King Saul. I would guess that Samson was older than Samuel and
that Samuel became known in Israel during the later years of Samson's life,
during which time Samuel became established as a leader in Israel, though under
Eli. After Samson died, in the vacuum of power following the deaths of the
Philistine leadership, Israel probably began breaking way from Philistine
control and the Philistines fought Israel to regain that control. These wars
would have been the occasion of Hophni and Phinehas dying in battle (in chapter
4) and losing the ark of the covenant to the Philistines. By this time Samuel
was already well established as both a prophet and priest; and when the death
of Eli (chapter 4) came immediately after the battle, Samuel was the only
leader in Israel and was probably in his 20's or 30's. Samuel then led Israel
against the Philistines as a judge.
So, I
would guess that at the time of Samuel's birth, Samson was in his teenage years
and beginning to notice girls.
It is
interesting that the final two stories in Judges, then Ruth, and now this story
all take place in the area around Jerusalem. Also, three of the stories involve
Levites. In 1 Chronicles 6:35 Elkanah is said to be a Levite, even though he is
not identified here as a Levite. This would make it possible for Samuel to be a
priest. Elkanah was an Ephrathite by virtue of where he lived.
Ramah,
where Elkanah lived, was just north of Jerusalem and south of Shiloh.
Vs. 1-2
Elkanah apparently had two wives because of Hannah being barren. He thought he
needed an heir. Otherwise, it looks like Hannah would have been his one and
only.
V. 3 Eli
and his two sons will figure into the dysfunctional part of this story.
Vs. 4-11
There are a lot of things here, but notice that this awful situation is from
the Lord.
V. 11
Again, the similarity to Samson can't be missed in that this, too, is an
unusual birth situation. Notice also that she is vowing that the son will be
dedicated to the Lord as a Nazirite, just like Samson. The only stipulation she
mentions, like with Samson, was the razor. How cool would it be as a boy to
know that you never ever had to have a haircut?
All of
what God led Hannah through was to produce this kind of intensity in her life.
As disciples, this is why we need to keep our eyes on the Lord and bear up
under trials. He is trying to produce something in us that cannot be produced
any other way. If we become bitter over the "right and wrong" in a
situation, or if we are defeated by our own sorrow, we miss the point. He is
working, and very likely, to produce a kind of resolve or passion or dedication
in us. There is no other way to burn certain things on our hearts apart from
the blazing heat of failure, rejection and trial.
Vs. 12-18
Eli is included as a judge of Israel and he will be judged because of his
failure to correct his sons. Still, his blessing here holds for Hannah. Notice,
like Samson's mother, Hannah doesn't drink wine or strong drink.
Vs. 19-28
Ramah was about 15 miles south of Shiloh. This was not a distance that meant
Hannah could only see him once a year, but they didn't have cars back then and
15 miles of hilly country was a trip you didn't make every day.
V. 22 This
sounds like what David says in his psalms, dwelling in the presence of the Lord
forever.
V. 28 This
was an incredible thing for Hannah to do.
In this
time of the judges, Elkanah, like Boaz, comes away as a godly man. Hannah was
obviously a godly woman, pushed closer to God by her God-given trial. I know
the story is about Hannah, but still, it was Elkanah who took his family up to
worship at Shiloh every year.
1 Samuel 2
Like so
many of The Psalms, and like the Third Day song, you must go through the valley
(trials) to stand upon the mountain of God (praising). What do you understand
from this praise from Hannah? From things I have experienced and in the
situation I find myself now, I sense the strong confidence in God's
sovereignty. God's control is something that we as disciples can never lose
sight of, even in uncertainty and suffering.
If you
have time, compare this song with Mary's song when she visited Elizabeth in
Luke, chapter 1. There are some great similarities.
Vs. 1-2
This sounds just like Mary's song.
Vs. 3-8
This is how God will honor those who set their hope in Him.
Vs. 9-10
God is the judge who judges the proud but helps His people.
Vs. 11-17
This gets us back to the description of the time of the judges we are used to.
It is amazing that anyone came to Shiloh to worship. When you read this, you
can understand how this would have created bitterness and disappointment among
the devout, and it would have given reasons to the rebellious to avoid Shiloh
and to make God in their own image. Eli's sons were doing this to everyone and
every sacrifice.
Note that what is mentioned here is how Eli's
sons got food for themselves. That seems minor, but I think it is a big issue
in this story, as we'll see later. Paul talks about guys like these and other
false disciples and servants of the church, when he warns Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:5,
people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that
godliness is a means of gain.
When our
lives as disciples are about anything more than following Christ in the harvest
to save the lost and make disciples, not only are we prone to error, but we can
pervert the good that God has given to assist us in our service in the harvest.
Vs. 18-21
Samuel was becoming true to God, in contrast to Eli and his sons. That Hannah
brought Samuel a robe each year means that's when she brought him the robe, not
the only time when she saw him. Remember, they only lived 15 miles apart. I
don't know about you, but if my kid only lived 15 miles away, I'd see them more
than once a year. And besides, according to the law, all males had to appear
before the Lord at the tabernacle three times a year.
God
blessed Elkanah and Hannah. Hannah had five more kids and Elkanah had a happy
wife, and both were in love with each other and with God. Oh yeah, and the hand
of God was on Samuel.
John 5:1-23
Commentators
usually see this feast as Jesus' second Passover. That would mean John is
giving us a very abbreviated history here, just touching major points. It would
mean that between the end of chapter 3 and here, a complete year has passed by
in John. During this time, Jesus' popularity has skyrocketed. Jesus has
recently healed the paralytic carried by four friends and He has preached
through all of Galilee. At this point, Jesus still has not chosen the Twelve.
When you
think about what it means to abide in Christ, the best example of seeing what
this means is to look at Jesus abiding in the Father. Jesus lived His life,
conscious every moment that He was walking with the Father and therefore
looking to see what the Father was doing. This chapter is like a lesson in
abiding.
Vs. 1-9
Notice, that if Jesus had been to Jerusalem three times a year, He had seen
this man often. This pool was very near to the temple. Verse 4 is an editorial
note put into the Bible years later. According to the Bible Knowledge
Commentary-NT, p. 298, this verse doesn't appear in any manuscripts until
after 400 A.D.
Now, in v.
6, Jesus is led by the Spirit to notice this particular man. This is an example
of Jesus abiding in the Father. Jesus was aware that the Father was pointing to
this man to be healed, although Jesus had seen this man many times before.
V. 8 Jesus
did this quickly and quietly so as not to draw attention to Himself (v. 13).
What will overshadow this miracle is that it took place on the Sabbath.
Vs. 10-13
Now the remark of the Pharisees in v. 12 should shock you. Their problem was
they couldn't conceive of God breaking His own law. But really, there were laws
the Pharisees had made in addition to God's laws. But the situation is even
deeper. Shortly before this, some of these Pharisees had been in Capernaum and
heard Jesus say He was the Son of Man (the Messiah) and say He had the
authority to forgive sins. He proved this by saying to the paralytic, Get
up, take up your bed, and walk (v. 8). These guys
were officially members of the "I don't like Jesus, regardless of who He
is" fan club.
Vs. 14-18
This is the reason why John is including this event, to show why the Pharisees
hated Jesus and why they wanted to kill Him. They understood that Jesus was
calling Himself God's Son, and thus, God.
V. 17 You
notice what Jesus said about abiding in the Father. The Father was always
working. Jesus was always looking for the Father to show Him what to do. He
noticed this man and noticed that the Father wanted this man to be healed on
the Sabbath. The Son had to be obedient. If the Pharisees wanted to get mad at
someone, it should have been at the Father.
Vs. 19-20
This entire chapter is a very tight, logical argument. It is worth looking at
it, finding the transitions in what Jesus says and then trying to figure out
why He went from one theme to the next. This is probably Jesus' most ambitious
try to win over the Pharisees and save them. In the course of this chapter,
Jesus will declare Himself to be both the Son of God and the Son of Man.
Vs. 21-23
The relationship is established between the Father and Son, and therefore, the
signs are given to the Son to perform when the Father says to perform them,
regardless of the day and time. The Father is working and Jesus sees that.
Jesus moves on to describe why the Father has done this. The raising of the
dead is seen here as authority to judge. The Son has been given that authority
so that everyone may honor the Son as they do the Father. Jesus is saying here,
that He is a pretty important person. You can't say you honor God, if you don't
honor Jesus as the Son of God.
In the
harvest, regardless of how good people seem, if they don't honor the Son (who,
by the way, created all things), that becomes the ultimate sin. The good news
isn't just about forgiveness or connecting with God. It is about Jesus, who
loved us and gave Himself for us.
Psalm 105:37-45
Keep
underlining he. Notice that v. 45
appears to be the point of the psalm and of God's actions.
Vs. 37-38
This is the redemption of Israel out of the house of slavery.
Vs. 39-42
The miracles of God's provision in the wilderness came because of God's
faithfulness to the promise to Abraham.
Vs. 43-45
Israel was blessed by God to obey Him and thereby be a witness and blessing to
the world in accordance with the promise to Abraham.
Proverbs 14:28-29
It looks like the success of v. 28 is determined by the
character of v. 29. Someone with a hot head doesn't become a godly leader of
people. Kind of cool, huh?
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year
Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't
work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/
and click on “Every
Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are
following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple,
following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship
culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging
each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make
disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here
or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some
explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My
comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on
Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups
will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with
and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the
harvest.
If you would like a complete description of this model
of being and making disciples you can find it in my book: Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is
still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's
keyed to the NIV, so the result is the commentators are constantly telling you
what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in
fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is
encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the
comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding,
that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but
only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
Send comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like documents containing an entire month
of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download
these to use on your computer or to print.
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