Old Testament - 1 Samuel 2 - June 8, 2022

 6/8/2022 – 1 Samuel 2

Hannah has given Samuel to Eli and Samuel will devote his life to the Lord, and she now sings praises to the Lord for answering her prayer to bear a son: “My heart rejoiceth in the Lord…There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee…neither is there any rock like our God…He will keep the feet of his saints…” (v’s 1-3, 9)

In v 10 we learn that Samuel did truly, even as a young person, devote himself to the Lord: “And the child did minister unto the Lord before Eli the priest.”

Samuel was doing well, but Eli’s sons were not doing well.  V 12 confirms the actions of Eli’s sons: “Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.” They did not handle the sacrifices as they should, for they took the best portions for themselves, thus “they thereby brought the sacrifice of the Lord into contempt”. If the person who brought the sacrifice confronted Eli’s sons for their stealing the sacrifice to the Lord, and taking it for themselves, the sons would answer “Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.” (v 16). Eli’s sons also seduced women and engaged in adulterous acts at the very door of the tabernacle, evidently by misusing their office of priest to entice the women. 

Hannah continued to love and care for Samuel, as he worked, and was trained, by Eli. “Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.” (v 19) Things continued well with Hannah. “And Eli blessed Elkannah and his wife, and said, The Lord give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the Lord…and the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters.” (v 21)

Eli is very old now, and he is hearing from the people all the evil things his two sons are doing. He went to his sons telling them not only that what they were doing was very wrong, but they were also turning the people away from the Lord and His commandments.  Unfortunately, his sons continued in their actions.

On the other hand, “the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord, and also with men.” (v 26)

The next thing we learn (v27) is that “a man of God’ (an unnamed prophet) came to Eli and pronounced the Lord’s curse upon Eli’s house. “Wherefore kick [treat with scorn] ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation and honourest  thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? ” Eli had rebuked his sons, but he had taken no action to see that the abominations in his family and at the tabernacle were corrected. Was his relationship with his sons of more value to him than his relationship with God?  The prophet went on to tell him that both of his sons would die on the same day, but that the Lord would raise up a faithful priest “that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.” (v 35)

The Lord doesn’t keep all the difficult times from coming upon us, but He does promise that He is always there to help us to learn and grow and go forward, with His help. He turns those hard times into what can be steps forward and upward in our schooling in this world.


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