1 Samuel – Page 3 – Old Testament Survey

1 Samuel 5-7

Samuel begins his role as the spiritual leader of Israel in a context of war, defeat, and embarrassment as we saw these last two days.

The reading for today, chapters 5-7 offers a glimpse into the humor of God. In Deuteronomy 28.27 God speaks of ulcers or hemorrhoids as a plague for those from the nation of Israel who rebel against Him. Here it is a curse brought on by God against those who stood against Him. The Philistines were afflicted with hemorrhoids as long as they held onto the Ark. Chapter five shows the inability of man to understand the difference between a living God and a manmade idol (read Jeremiah 10). Their idol, Dagon-a fish, fell over the first night and they picked-up the statue and place it where it belonged. The next night, the idol fell and broke with its head and hands severed, they again replaced it. After this, fear spreads in Ashdod. They then shipped the Ark to varied Philistine cities. Wherever the Ark went, the plagues followed. The people lived in fear of what might happen yet held on to their idols.

What are we holding on to even though it is evident it is worthless and powerless to help and actually stunts our growth? Could it be an actual idol made of stone? Ideas? Beliefs about God that are not true? Beliefs about ourselves that are not accurate?

Chapter six tells us this went on for seven months. The spiritual leaders of the Philistines decide to send the Ark back home. They place the Ark on an ox cart and the Spirit leads the Ark back to Shiloh. They include items that represented the judgment on the cart too. Golden mice and hemorrhoids. Chapter five excludes the mice. It doesn’t mean that they were not there, it means that chapter five didn’t mention them. Each city makes a golden mouse and a hemorrhoid. Five of each were included with the Ark.

The Philistines knew the history of Israel in Egypt and realized how great Israel’s God is and they did not want to live under His judgment. They hedge their bets in this chapter. If the cows that were yoked to the cart went toward Israel then the judgment was from God, if not then chance happened. Chance is not a biblical word. God is in control of all things or else He is not God. What area of your life do you attribute to “chance” and are not giving God His sovereign due? How well do you know your spiritual heritage from the Scriptures and your family?

Back to the story, the cart and cows head straight to Israel, to the city of Beth-Shemesh. The priests in this city slaughtered the cows for sacrifice to the Lord that day and the Philistines returned home realizing that the God of Israel is truly powerful.

It seems internal strife raged as the inhabitants of Beth-Shemesh were slaughtered by the city of Kiriath-jearim. The Ark was placed in the latter city for 20 years. Israel mourned this even though the Ark was in an Israelite city with a Levite in charge of it.

Samuel is introduced in chapter seven as a judge. He is the last judge of Israel, as we will see in the next chapter. All his days were successful because he leaned on God for help in all situations. Not all was pleasant but all was successful because he was faithful to God (1 Corinthians 4.1–2). He judged/ruled as a circuit judge. Looking at a map, we see that these four cities are in an east-west position in central Israel (think Samaria) just above the Dead Sea and Jerusalem (see the map).

The name of the stone is interesting. It is “Ebenezer,” which means the “Stone of Help.” It also refers to the place from which we will not back down. Where in your life have you decided not to back down?

How have you shown yourself faithful? Remember, it is not accomplishing goals or achieving accolades, it is being faithful through good and bad times to what He has called you to accomplish.

1 Samuel 3-4

After Eli is given the bad news of his children’s judgment and impending death, we again switch scenes to Samuel in the temple with Eli and God. Chapter three shows us how far gone the Israelites were. In verse one we are informed that Samuel was serving God under the training of Eli, the one who raised the children who just rebelled, and that God did not speak with people during those days. Prior to Judges, God spoke, it seems, daily to Moses and Joshua. Now, He rarely speaks. We know in these days God does not speak as He once did. This, however, is not in judgment against the world but because He finished speaking in His Son (Hebrews 1). He speaks to us daily through His Word and the indwelling Holy Spirit. His Word gives us direction and His Spirit convicts us of sin and gifts and strengthens us to carry out His work in this world. Our prayers are kind of like reporting back to the commander, talking with Dad, and pleading before our King.

However, in those days, until chapter three, there was little communication by God to His people. In this chapter and the following ones, God communicates with and through Samuel to bring hope, judgment, discipline, and a future to God’s people. God calls Samuel three times, which is significant. When God says something three times, what follows is of great importance. He calls Samuel the first two times and neither he nor the priest Eli understood what was happening. Finally, Eli realizes that God is calling Samuel. He instructs Samuel in what to do. When God calls, do we have the heart as Samuel does? “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.” This third time that God called it was intimate. When God speaks a name twice it is as a father would speak to his son. He calls “Samuel, Samuel.”

God calls him to a difficult first job. He must inform his mentor of the quickly coming judgment. He obeys and Eli agrees with the judgment and relieves Samuel by telling him it is of the Lord. This is significant because of what we read in chapter four. When God judges us, are we more like Adam and Eve or Samuel and Eli? Do we blame the other or do we give the word and accept the discipline?

The end of chapter three and the beginning of chapter four stand in apposition to the opening of chapter three. God is now speaking to Israel on a regular basis, the whole of Israel knew that Samuel was God’s prophet, priest, and judge. In 1 Samuel 3.4-21 he is set aside as prophet. God called Samuel as he had called other prophets. Samuel would bring God’s word to Eli and to Israel. In 1 Samuel 3.1 he is consecrated as priest. Samuel ministered before the Lord in the temple at Shiloh. In 1 Samuel 7, we will see, he rules as “king” after the manner of the judges. Samuel did not serve as a king in Israel, but he did serve as a judge. He brought the people to God and victory over the Philistines. He was never crowned as king, but he, unlike the other judges, judged over all Israel. He also anointed Israel’s first two kings.
Chapter four the judgment comes in the defeat of the Israelites in battle, the deaths of Eli, the sons of Eli, the daughter-in-law of Eli, and the most significant loss was that of the loss of the Ark of the Covenant.

In the first few verses God’s judgment comes against Israel, Hophni and Phinehas, and the priests (the Ark being taken). The people considered the Ark as an idol; as God not a representation of His presence. Much like Samson and his hair. The Philistines also believed this. They were disheartened but became victorious because God had allowed it to occur as His judgment/discipline of His people.

After Eli’s sons are killed, the same day in battle, he receives the news. He was quite old, ninety-eight years old, he could not see, could not hear to well, and he was quite overweight. He fell backward and died. He is considered a judge in that he ruled for forty years.

Eli s daughter-in-law dies in childbirth and names her child Ichabod meaning “no glory” or “the glory has departed,” for the Ark of the Covenant had been captured by the Philistines.
In these four chapters there is quite an emotional rollercoaster ride. We have the lows and highs of Hannah, Eli, Israel, and Samuel. This is like our lives. We go through great times and hard times. What would our lives be like if we accepted direction like Samuel, plead our cause like Hannah, and accepted discipline like Eli? Would we change our way of living, our way of thinking?

Have a great day at the place God has placed you (Acts 17.26). And, remember, wherever you are the presence of the God who indwells you is there. This means the glory will never leave, although we can cover it with our sinfulness. How bright is God shining today?

1 Samuel 1-2

The book of 1 Samuel is a continuation of the book of Judges with Samuel being the last and greatest judge. There are few others as venerated in Israel as is Samuel.

The book of 1 Samuel presents great stories involving Samuel, Saul, and David all the while presenting a portrait of the greatness of God.

First Samuel 1 presents us with problem concerning yet another barren woman. She is loved by her husband, despised by the others, and living a life of misery because she is unable to bear children. We think of Sarai and Rachel as examples of this nature.

Her husband loves her, even though she is barren. She continually goes to the house of God at Shiloh seeking an answer to her prayer. One time she is in the house of God and she is weeping so hard that Eli, the priest, thinks she has been drinking and is drunk. He reprimands her. All through this story Hannah is being reprimanded by her husband, his wives, and, now the one who is to support her in her time of need, the priest. Whom do we know like this? How do we react to them?

After noticing she was weeping due to her barrenness, Eli pronounced a blessing of birth to her. She had a son, named him Samuel, raised him as a nazarite (remember Samson), and delivered him to work in the house of God at age twelve (according to Josephus). It was then and there that God called him to be the last judge over Israel.

As you read through 1 Samuel 2.1-10, read through Luke 1:46-55. The prayer of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2 is very similar to the Magnificat sung by Mary in Luke 1:46-55 with regard to the birth of Jesus.

Directly after Hannah’s song, Eli’s wicked sons are introduced. Here their sin was to extort meals from the sacrifices. Later they attempt to offer a sacrifice that God rejected. From these incidents, God will destroy them on the same day.

What are we doing that is offensive to the Lord? Why hasn’t He destroyed us?

The end of chapter 2 sets the stage for the priest who will be faithful and that priest will be Samuel.