1 Samuel 1-3
In one sense, the book of Ruth was an introduction to the story of Israel’s greatest king, David! In it, we learned how David’s great grandmother was grafted into Israel by faith.
Here in 1 Samuel, we begin David’s story in earnest. We won’t meet him for several days, yet it is important that we back up and tell the story of Samuel. Samuel was to David what John the Baptist was to Jesus. As Elizabeth, John’s mother, was childless, so was Hannah, Samuel’s mother. As John’s parents prayed for a child, so did Hannah. God answered both parents’ prayers; and sons were born! Both sons were set apart in a special way for the Lord. As John was the conscience of Israel and her kings in Jesus’ day, so Samuel was the conscience of Israel in the days of her first kings. As John prepared the way for Jesus, so Samuel prepared the way for David.
When Samuel was weaned, Hannah took him to Shiloh and the priest, Eli, where he learned to minister to the Lord. Hannah’s prayer is a great foreshadowing of Mary’s prayer in Luke 1:46-55. They show the same joy, the same humility and the same awe of God!
The saddest section of today’s reading concerns Eli’s worthless sons. Though Eli rebukes them, he fails to do anything to back up his rebuke (2:23-25). As a result, the Lord rejects Eli’s house by sending a prophet of doom: “Your two sons…shall die on the same day.” (2:34) Sometime later, the boy Samuel is awakened in the night by the voice of the Lord. Though the story of Samuel’s mistaking God’s voice for Eli’s is precious; the message he is given for Eli confirms the unhappy words of the prophet.
Those words will be fulfilled in 1 Samuel 4.
Until Monday, when the glory departs from Israel!
Pastor Gary
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