FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL
continued
CHAPTER 2  VERSES 18 – 26
If you wish to see the Scripture passage of this study please see the previous posting

VERSE 18

Elkanah and Hannah continue to visit their son Samuel. They honour Eli and bring their yearly sacrifice to God at Shiloh. This is significant in that the sins of Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas are precisely the dishonouring of the sacrifices brought by the people to God. Hannah and Elkanah would also bring every year a new coat to their son Samuel. Thus even at Shiloh the parents of Samuel would continue to influence him. While their influence would be just once a year the influence of Eli upon his sons would be daily. What a marked contrast though in how their sons turned out in faith. Also in this verse we hear how Samuel even as a child would be ‘in God’s service.’A contrast to the adult Hophni and Phinehas.

VERSE 19

Eli speaks to his two sons and yet he has a lack of influence upon them.They persist in their sins. There is a warning by Eli towards his two sons – that since they are breaking God’s laws they will be punished by God. This warning must be acknowledged and yet he cannot change their ways. Eli’s influence over his two sons was daily and yet he could not influence them at all. See also verse  29 below.

This contrast between Samuel and Eli’s sons will persist as a theme in the Books of Samuel.
The proud are brought down and the lowly raised up.   

It will be most manifested in the contrast between King Saul and King David. As prophesied  by Hannah ( and repeated by Mary ) – God brings down the proud and raises the lowly.

VERSE 20

While Samuel grows in ‘ statue and favour’ the sons of Eli grow in wickedness.

VERSE 27 – 30

VERSE 27

The family of Eli did not appreciate God’s graces. Here a man of God appears to Eli and reminds him of the blessings from God – from the time of Exodus when the Jewish Levi Priesthood was begun until the present time. Had they forgotten their history of blessings ?  Did they forget how they were singled out for service to God and the nation ?     

VERSE 29

Eli’s guilt lay in his failure to severely rebuke his sons for their sins ( 3:15 ) although he did  warn them of God’s judgement ( 2:25 ). Perhaps he should have been stronger in his rebuke ?

Also in later chapters there are further insights. Chapter 3 verse 13 God says to Samuel – ‘I condemn this family for ever since he was aware that his sons have been cursing God and yet has not corrected them.’ Perhaps Eli was weaker in his advice than it appears. That is certainly God’s opinion. How strongly did Eli rebuke his sons ? It appears not so strongly in that Eli even had the power as Jewish Priest to have stopped ( fired ? ) his sons as priests. He did not do this.  Also Chapter 4 verse 18 describes Eli as ‘ old and heavy’. It is not a matter of being overweight but how did Eli get so heavy. Perhaps he too ate too much of the meat of the sacrificial offering ?

VERSE 31

God states His judgement:                       

‘ Those who honour me I will honour in turn; those who despise me will be an object of contempt.’ For many this is a summary of this chapter.  God will now cut off Eli’s branch of the tree of Levi. They will no longer be priests of the Lord. Indeed under King Solomon Eli’s descendants will cease to be priests. This is 150 years later. This is when Abiathar, the high priest will be dismissed and defrocked. This was to be the last of the   serving priests from Eli’s family as predicted in verse 33, only one will be left.

To be cut off as a Jewish Priest one’s life would suffer both spiritually and materially.

Here is the prophecy that

a.     Eli and his sons will die

b.     Their lineage of priesthood would be cut off. The ‘ powers ‘ that they enjoyed would be diminished as the Kings of Israel would supplant their ‘power’.

c.      Their wealth would disappear.

         So much so that they soon will be begging for a scrap of bread.

Thus God’s judgement is definitive and all encompassing.

The faithful priest, prophet and judge Samuel would now arise.

CHAPTER 3

VERSES 1 – 21

VERSE 1

The Hebrew word to describe the age of Samuel now is ‘naar’ or a young teenager. Imagine a young teen that you know ! In those days visions and revelations from God were rare. This makes the following revelation to Samuel even more significant.

VERSE 2

Eli is now growing blind. The physical ‘ growing dim ’ of his eyes was a symbol of his and the nations blindness. But now – here – Samuel was to see and hear.

VERES 3 – 9

Samuel is found sleeping in the sanctuary of the Lord where the Ten Commandments were. This was indeed a privileged position. Samuel then shows his complete and absolute obedience. Three times he responds to the call ( he thinks is Eli but is indeed the Lord calling him )  Others may have been agitated, frustrated or angry if one’s sleep was disrupted three times. But Samuel is selfless and quietly obedient.

Verse 6 states that ‘ As yet, Samuel had no knowledge of God and the word of God had not yet been revealed to him.’ This does not mean that Samuel did not know God yet but rather that Samuel had not yet had any direct communication with God.

The three-fold call also shows us both an urgency and as a biblical number ‘three’ is a complete number. After the three-fold call Samuel answers – ‘Speak Lord for your servant is listening.’

VERSE 17 – 18

From the beginning Samuel is a faithful prophet. Although it is terrible news that Samuel must tell Eli that God has told him and it must have pained him to do so Samuel must and does report the death sentence and the cutting off of the priesthood of Eli and his sons.

VERSE 20

“All Israel knew him from Dan to Beersheba.’ became a proverbial during the united monarchy and described the land of Israel. See Judges 20:1; 2 Samuel 3:10; 17:11; 24:2 and 1 Kings 4:25)

CHAPTER 4

VERSE 1

It was the word of the Lord that Samuel attested to. So much so that Samuel’s word amounted to the Lord’s word

See Samuel 4:1; Jeremiah 1:2; 4 ; 11; 13; Hosea 1:1; Micah 1:1 )

QUESTIONS

1.     Why do you think that Samuel had difficulty in discerning God’s voice from Eli’s ?   

         Has slow and surprising discernment ever happened to you?

2.     ‘Speak Lord for you servant is listening.’ is a wonderful spiritual attitude.             

         What does this mean ? For Samuel ? For you ?

3.     Samuel is obedient in ever revealing ‘bad news’ ( to say the least ) to Eli.

        Are you ever tempted to hide God’s word from others?

4.     What are the obstacles that prevent you from hearing God’s voice ?