Introduction to 1 Samuel

Of the book of samuel.

Right here say what which i will show you just a second. This here would have been the closing of second samuel in the hebrew bible. First first and second samuel was one book. It was the book of samuel.

So it would have taken place at the farewell speech of david before he dies david would have died around nine seventy one. So just kind of give you a time frame of what we're going to do and how it's going to take place.

We're only going to cover samuel right now to about right here because that would have been uh... chapter thirty one stops and then it goes on. So that's the time frame in which we're going to take place.

The reason why we have the overlap here in time is if you go over to chapter four you hear of hoppius and phineas. They were the wicked. They were the dirt bags of the book of samuel. They were the ones that extorted god's people had sex with the women at the front all kinds of immorality.

That took place when those men haul off the they take the uh... the ark of the covenant into a battle. When they took that to a battle it was captured. It comes back. Eli was the acting priest at the time at shiloh.

He has basically had a heart attack falls over backwards breaks his neck. He dies. That takes place right here. But if you read that and once we get there i think it's around chapter four verse eight twelve somewhere around there it says that eli was the judge over israel.

So although the book of judges only covers up to the time of samuel there were other judges eli being one which would have been about right here which would have been the overlap until the rise of samuel.

And then when samuel samuel rules from here on questions comments before we go any further who was the last judge of israel. It would be samuel. Samuel is the last judge of israel. It was a transitional time from samson which would have been from samson to samuel it would be eli.

And we're going to show why. In the province of god there was nobody to take eli's place. There was no. There was no priests that were faithful. There was nobody to take the place of the priesthood. So can i erase this.

No please put it back if you disagree with my timeline or your study bible does we can talk about it. Like i said some say thirteen fifty. Some say uh... ten fifty. And we just don't have exact precise because they weren't keeping times quite the same.

But we know it was around four hundred years now. Who's the author of samuel. We don't know. Be honest we don't a lot like hebrews. We don't know. We know that it covers the time frame of eleven hundred nine seventy.

Therefore samuel could not have wrote the book because samuel dies in chapter twenty four twenty five somewhere around there now and uh... i think it's second chronicles. Twenty nine twenty nine. You have this.

Uh... you have the book of samuel is mentioned gad. We don't know much about this dude. He actually told the truth about david. He didn't accuse him. He actually yes i know what you said. Yes he pointed his finger to man and all that.

And he actually when you get into uh... second samuel and kings. He's the one that actually anoints solomon to be the new king. He tells who needs to be basically who needs to be whacked off who needs to be killed because of their who do we think wrote samuel.

We know it wasn't this guy. History says we're not sure that these men could have made a collective statement to writing the book. Could have. We don't know. I'm not saying i don't know. Historians say these are good assessments because it is connected in the chronicles passage of those three men being connected together.

And that they obviously did make writings these books here. We don't know where they're at. Therefore they were not inspired. Any questions so far. Before i go any further if i write any more on here i'm going to have to use the cleaner.

So let's get into the book. Read chapter one. Now there was a certain man from athaim zophaim from the hill of the country of ephraim. His name was elkanah the son of jehoram the son of elihu the son of tohu the son of zeph the son of who was an ephraimite.

And he had two wives and the name of one was hannah and the other was penina. And penina had children but hannah had no children. Now this man would go up from his city yearly to worship to the sacrifice to the lord of host of shiloh.

And the two sons of eli hophia and phineas were priest to the lord there. We need to keep keep that in mind. Just remember we we have nothing at this point. We don't know who those dudes are but those are the two dirtbags.

Okay so just remember when you like when you're watching a tv show or a mystery and you see a gun they pan across. There's a gun sitting on the nightstand or on a counter or something. These are those guys in the book here.

Okay these were priest to the lord there. And when the day of elkanah sack uh... i'm sorry. And when the day came that elkanah sacrificed he would give portions to penina his wife and to all her sons and her daughters.

But to hannah he would give a double portion for he loved hannah but the lord had closed her womb. Her rival however would provoke her bitterly to irritate her because the lord had closed her womb. And it happened year after year as often as she went up to the house of the lord that she would provoke her.

So she wept and would not eat. Then elkanah her husband said to her hannah why do you weep. Why do you not eat. And why is your heart sad. Am i not better for you than ten sons. Then hannah rose up after eating and drinking in shiloh.

Now eli the priest was sitting at the seat of the door post of the temple of the lord. And she being greatly distressed prayed to the lord and wept bitterly. She made a vow and said oh lord of hosts if you will indeed look at the affliction of your maidservant and remember me and not forget your maidservant but will give your maidservant a son.

Then i will give him to the lord all the days of his life. And a razor shall not meet his head. Now it came about as she continued praying before the lord that eli was watching her mouth. And as for hannah she was not she was.

She was speaking in her heart only her lips were moving and he could not hear her voice. So eli thought she was drunk. Then eli said to her how long will you make yourself drunk. Put away your wine from you.

But hannah replied no my lord. I'm a woman oppressed in spirit. I have not. I have not drunk either wine or strong drink but i have poured out my soul before the lord. Do not consider your maidservant as a worthless woman for i for i have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation.

Then eli answered and said go in peace and may the god of israel grant your petition that you have asked of him. And she said let your maidservant find favor in your sight. So the woman went her way and ate and her face was no longer sad.

Then they rose up early in the morning and worshiped before the lord and returned again to their house in rama and elk. And i had relations with hannah his wife and the lord remembered her. And it came about in due time that after hannah had conceived that she gave birth to a son and his name was she am sorry and she named him samuel saying because i have asked him of the lord.

Then the man of elk and i then the man elk and i went up with all of his household to offer to the lord the yearly sacrifice and pay his vow. But hannah did not go up for she said to her husband i will go.

I will not go up until the child is weaned. And when i bring him then he will appear before the lord and stay there forever. Elk and i. Her husband said to her do what seems best to you. Remain until you have weaned him only may the lord confirm his word.

So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. Now when she had weaned him she took him up with her with a three-year-old bull one efef of flower and a jug of wine and brought him to the house of the lord in shiloh although the child was young.

Then they slaughtered. The bull brought the boy to eli and she said oh my lord as my soul as your soul lives my lord as i am the woman who stood before you here beside you praying to the lord. For this boy i prayed and the lord has given me my petition which i asked of him.

So i have also dedicated him to the lord as long as he lives he is dedicated to the lord and he he worshiped the lord here. So here it is. We have the the birth of samuel the prayer for samuel as we look through the book real quick let me go ahead and say this chapters one through seven will handle samuel.

Eight through fifteen will handle the rise of saul and sixteen through thirty one will be the rise and kingship of david. Interestingly enough we don't have any of their birth narratives these two men and this man becomes very significant in the book.

David. No but samuel. We do because it's a transitional time we're going from judge to prophet and priest. So when it says here in verse one that elkanai elkanai was his name means el meaning god. Kanai meaning to obtain meaning obtained from the lord.

So these people were named after piety. So we would say that elkanai was a pious man he was an ephraimite. And it says in verse two that he had two wives one hannah and one panina. Hannah means either favored or graced and panina means ruby coral or some say had the idea of pearl.

So you basically have elkanai and he's dealing with grace and ruby. So there's going to be some conflict between these two and anytime you see that a man had two wives just know that it's not going to work out.

Well because anytime we see two wives in the scripture there's always conflict. One's always favored over the other, one's able to do something the other can't, it's been that way from the beginning when this happens.

And it says that panina had children but hannah had none. And in verse three it says now this man would go up yearly to worship and sacrifice to the lord of hosts at Shiloh what was required under the mosaic legislation for men to do three times a year or the tabernacle, wherever it was at correct, this will be correct, there will be a time when they were supposed to go to the tabernacle whether it was at, sometimes it was at Shiloh, first it was at Gilgal but it will be at Shiloh here now until David brings it to Jerusalem.

But yes, they were supposed to appear before the lord wherever that was at three times a year to worship under the mosaic legislation that was the law so it says that he would go up yearly to worship the lord and to sacrifice to the lord, the two sons of Eli Hophias and Phineas were priests to the lord.

Ok, Hophias and Phineas were the acting priests that would as they came to the tabernacle where the brazen altar would be they would receive these people's sacrifice and as they would receive the sacrifice they would either take their portion or take whatever was necessary for them under the mosaic legislation for them to eat and have their provisions.

These were the men that were supposedly doing that but these were wicked men very wicked men and we'll get into that in the weeks ahead. In verse 4 it says. And when the day had come that Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Panina his wife and to all of her sons and her daughters.

But to Hannah he would give a double portion for he loved Hannah. Now, we see here already some favoritism between Panina or Panana however you want to pronounce it and Hannah he loved Hannah he her name favored or graced actually is very appropriate because he did favor her.

He gave her a double portion of the sacrifice for her to go because he cared more about her. The only thing she was lacking was she was unable to give him offspring and if you remember in Middle Eastern culture, if a woman could not produce offspring, she was looked as either being cursed by God or under some condemnation of sin before God.

That's just how it was looked although at times it could have been the man's fault it was always the woman's fault. Her job was to produce male children for offspring. I know we don't like to hear that but that was their job.

Hey and the women, that was what they wanted to do, their desire was to produce male children so that their offspring could be promulgated. So she did not have any, so he would give her a double portion and it says Hannah would get a double portion for he loved her more but the Lord had closed her womb.

So it was the Lord I say this, it's the Lord's fault she ain't having kids at this point the Lord's culpable for her not having children and it says that her rival, interesting that he uses that word, rival.

Her rival, however, would provoke her bitterly to irritate her because the Lord had closed her womb. It happened year after year and often she went up to the Lord, she would provoke her so she would weep and would not eat, so look here this ruby chick would mock her would ridicule her would stand and say look what I have and you don't.

I mean if you've ever had, counseled anyone men or women that had or talked to a woman that wanted children and they were unable and that is a grievous thing. I have a friend of mine, him and his wife could never have children and it was a constant conflict within their marriage because they both desired and they were never able to obtain it, so imagine what was going on in this blended family per se obviously Penina was we can imagine she would be saying look the Lord loves me more than he loves you because he's given me not only daughters but has given me men for the offspring for our husband.

And it said she would provoke her and she wept and would not eat, she would irritate her to the point that she was grieving so much that she would lose her appetite. Has anybody in here been grieved to that?

Obviously not to the point where just nothing tastes good. You just don't want to do anything but weep. Well that's where she was at. And then you get to verse 8 Elkanah her husband said to her Hannah why do you weep?

Why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons? As true as that may be as he is good to her she didn't need another husband. She wanted children and that's what she wanted.

Hey was he loving to her. Did he treat her with care and compassion. And did he demonstrate the love to her in such a way that obviously Penina knew that she was the favored one as well. But he says look am I not better than all of these.

And from his perspective I'm doing everything for you that ten sons could not do. But that's not what she wanted. She wanted a child. So when we get to verse 9 it says that Hannah rose up after eating and drinking at Shiloh.

That would have been a time of worship. Now Eli the priest was sitting at the seat by the door post of the temple at the Lord. Now Eli would sit there as being the acting high priest and would basically guard what was coming in in and out of the that would have been the tabernacle would have been sort of like you had the screen where you came in.

You had the brazen altar here. You had the tabernacle here with all the little things open up. You had some slaughter tables. Probably he would be sitting here so as they came in he could keep an eye on what was going here before it went on to here.

And at the time of this this was going on and we'll learn a little bit more as we go through this it would be Hophias and Phineas that would catch the women here and extort the men out of food here to do their immorality.

And in just a second you'll go. Oh well maybe this is why he accused her of being drunk because what took place with Hophias and Phineas' sons was drunkenness and immorality right here verse 10 she greatly distressed prayed to the Lord and she wept bitterly.

And she made a vow and said oh Lord if you will indeed look on the affliction of your maid servant and remember me and not forget your maid servant but will give your maid servant a son. Then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life.

And a razor shall not come upon his head. Was she making a deal with the Lord? Anybody? Yeah yeah. That's a deal. Is that a wrong deal? You think she's trying to manipulate God first of all does anybody think God can be manipulated in here?

No God's a debtor to nobody. But in her cry was Lord I want you to give me a child. And if you give me that child all the days of his life I will dedicate him to you for the service of whatever it is.

You would have him to do now under the Mosaic legislation every firstborn son was supposed to be redeemed by a bull or a turtle dove or whatever. Okay. Do you remember when after Jesus was born that his father and mother had to go to the temple and make a sacrifice.

The firstborn was to be redeemed back all of that. That's just how the Mosaic legislation you understand what she's saying here. I don't. I'm not going to redeem him back. You give him to me after I wean him.

After I wean him I'm going to give him to you and Lord he's yours all the days of his life. And we do understand this that a razor shall not come upon his head as being that of a Nazirite vow. It does not say Nazirite vow.

If you want to you know pin me down and try to take me to the mat. Well it doesn't say that. Okay all right. But we know this a razor never touched his head. Is there any other vow in the Bible that we know that a razor never touched his head.

That would be the only one. And we as we see Samuel's life and I've tried to go back. There's a time when he goes to David he makes a sacrifice and he says take something to eat. He didn't take wine with him.

He didn't take any strong drink. So we take that. It's called an inference which is drawing a conclusion from the biblical evidence. That's not explicit. That's implicit. And we would say we never see where Samuel drank wine or strong drink.

Nor do we see where the man cut his hair all the days of his life. So we would say he was under the Nazirite vow. And in verse 12 it said now it came about that as she continued praying before the Lord that Eli was watching her mouth.

And as for Hannah she was speaking in her heart but only her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. How many of us pray that way. I do. I do. I mean sometimes when we're in there and we're singing.

Sometimes I'm praying and my lips are moving but you can't hear me. You know this is what Hannah's doing. She's praying to the Lord and her lips are moving. But Eli can't hear what she's saying. And I think Eli's bothered by that.

He wants to know what is what is this woman doing once she came by herself she's there by herself. So Eli thought she was drunk now. Would that to us. We go. Oh nobody comes to the church here drunk. Okay.

Nobody came to. The nobody comes to this assembly drunk. We'd probably stop them at the door and tell them to go. Certainly if they were a member a you're not welcome here today. Have we had some vagrant show up here.

Half lit. Sure we have. But in her case he thought she was drunk based on what was going on here. You remember I told you about hot five Phineas. And what was going on the immorality. That probably was not uncommon to have someone a woman show up knowing that hot fears and Phineas were committing immorality and acts in the temple doorways of the temple tabernacle of the doorway.

And we'll when we get further on in the book you'll see it says where was that. So Eli thought she was drunk. Verse 14. Then Eli said to her how long will you make yourself drunk. Put away your wine from you.

And Hannah replied to him no my lord I am a woman and I'm oppressed in the spirit. Why was she oppressed in her spirit doing a baby. She wanted a baby. So I'm oppressed in my spirit. Should I have drink either wine or strong drink.

But I've poured out my soul to the Lord. And do not consider your maid servant as a worthless woman. For I have spoken until now. For I have spoken until now out of my great concern and of provocation.

She is trying to provoke the Lord. Understand that she is trying to get the Lord to give her a child. And it is a that desire for her to have offspring is a good desire. God created women to have children.

Okay not to be barren. She said I'm here trying to provoke the Lord with great concern that he would give me a child. And Eli answered and said to her go in peace and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of him.

So Eli knowing that she has made this great petition in tears and sorrows and that she's not a drunken monkey at the tabernacle. He's like man. Well you know what. I hope that the Lord gives you what your desire is.

Your desire is sincere. You have sincerely entreated of the Lord. And he wants the same thing to happen to her so that the Lord have favor. So the woman went up ate and her face was no longer sad in verse 19.

And we've got to move pretty quickly. Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord. And they returned again to their house in Ramah. So they worshiped at the tabernacle one more time.

They headed home. Elk and I had relations with Hannah his wife. The Lord remembered her in a due time. She conceived and she gave birth to a son and she named him Samuel meaning because I have asked him of the Lord.

Anybody know what Samuel means. Remember El means God Shema which is where that would come from meanings to hear. She's saying the Lord has heard my cry and she named him after that. And you understand too that the word here or we have a saying in Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4 I think it is or 4 verse 6 the Shema which is hear oh Israel.

Yeah hear oh Israel. That's actually what she saying. The Lord has heard my cry and he has given me exactly what I have asked for. Then the man Elk and I went up with all of his household to offer to the Lord yearly.

Remember this man is a faithful man to go to the house of the Lord to sacrifice to pay. But Hannah did not go for she said to her husband I will not go until the child is weaned that when I bring him that he may appear before the Lord and stay forever.

She knows in her mind that the next time she goes to Shiloh and that she makes an offering before the Lord that Samuel stays. She's going to walk his little hand there. She's going to make her sacrifice and she's going to hand him to Eli and she's not going to see him.

She'll see him again but she's not going to take him back home. She's not going to be able to nurture him anymore. He's going to be given into the hands of the priesthood. So she's saying hey I'm not going to do that now.

I'm going to wait. She said I will go up. I will not go up until the child is weaned. Then I will bring him weaning obviously breastfeeding. And we're going to see that he's probably around 3 years old 11.

He's having his bar mitzvah right after he's weaned. That's a little perverted. Yes she did. She's dragging it out. Ain't she. She's like alright Lord here it is. I agree to this but can I have some more time.

So verse 23 Elkanah her husband said to her do what seems best to you. Remain until you have weaned him only may the Lord confirm his words. So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.

Now when she had weaned him she took him up with her with a 3 year old bull and an ephah of flour a jug of wine and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh although the child was young. Then they slaughtered the bull and brought the boy to Eli and she said oh my Lord as my soul lives my Lord.

I am the woman who stood beside you praying to the Lord for this boy I have prayed for and the Lord has given me my petition which I have asked. So I have also dedicated him to the Lord as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord and he will worship the Lord here.

So here it is. Here's the moment of truth. She brings him he's weaned. She makes the sacrifice whether it was for a sacrifice of the vow or just a sacrifice of worship and gives him to the Lord. And she says here he is.

He's yours. From here on out. Now as we go through the book you'll see that she does come see him yearly. She makes him a coat or a cloak however you want to call it and she continues to take care of him and come see him and visit him.

But know this when she goes back to Ramah she doesn't have her son with her anymore. She wants to see her son. She's got to go to the tabernacle to do so this is the beginning of the rise of Samuel. Samuel is now going to be a prophet.

He's going to be a priest and he's going to be the judge of Israel. And he's going to be a faithful man all the days of his life. And we're seeing that right now in the beginning stages with faithful parents that brought him to the house of the Lord to the tabernacle that he would be trained and be equipped to do the work of the ministry of a priest.

That's an amazing thing to take your child to drop him off and say Lord he's yours and whatever you do with him I'm fine with that's where we end today. Any questions we got I didn't take long go ahead.

Yes sir. Verse 26 she's addressing him as lowered and in my bible lowercase l-o-r-d twice and the last time it's uppercase lowered.

Is it like that in yours? Well she brought the boy. If you take it in my English make sure I'm saying this. Right. Yeah. Well that point where it says oh my Lord actually points back to Eli. Ok. Meaning she saw him in submission to him.

Correct me if I'm wrong. My English. Ok. I thought so. So that points back to Eli. As your soul lives my Lord. I am the woman who stood here praying beside you. Remember she was praying and Eli was looking at her her lips moving and goes hey your lips are moving.

I can't hear you. I think you're drunk. Ok. Hang on at the end. Hang on. Let me finish real quick. Then at the end it says. I was the woman standing here beside you praying to who. Yahweh. So she's addressing him as a person.

She's under his authority. But she was praying to Yahweh. Is both of your. Is all three of the Lords in that verse. Capitalized. Ok. That's right. It's capitalized. Go ahead. It is because in the Hebrew that's the word Yahweh.

Ok so anytime you see that I just wanted to make sure that I understood that she's actually talking about two different people.

She's speaking to Eli saying hey when I was here standing before you my Lord meaning man in submission to as the authority of the person at the tabernacle I was praying beside you but I was praying to Yahweh.

I can see where the confusion.

Is if it really would have been confusing but I just wanted to make sure that I knew what I was thinking was right.

Well when you go back to verse 15 you'll see she addressed him as well. Yes.

Speaking directly to him yeah in verse 15 she says no my Lord I am a woman oppressed yep so just speaking to him not as Yahweh anytime and everybody does go ahead yes sir Jesus said and he was the embodiment of the old covenant and the inaugurating of the new and he says let your yes be yes and your no be no because if you remember he makes a statement to them in that same passage hey you go to it's actually in Matthew 23 when he gives the scathing rebuke to the pharisees and the scribes the last time he actually speaks with them and he says you say I'll swear you swear on the gold of the temple you swear on all of these things so that you can try to get yourself out of the actual vow of not swearing to Yahweh himself Jesus said don't do that let your yes be yes and your no be no and we don't see anywhere from that point on and I'm going to make just one exception to where we see any any any Gentiles making those types of vows with the exception of Paul and I think it was in Ephesus when he did the Nazarite vow which was a short term and he went to cut his hair and he went to pay his vow and then a riot broke out.

You remember what I'm talking about? Okay. Make sure somebody knows what I'm talking about in here. That was a vow. But understand they were doing that as an act of worship under the Jewish culture. Understand?

Jewish culture. Hey, can somebody worship, let's say if anybody was in here was full-blooded Jewish ethnic Israelite if they wanted to worship the Lord on the Sabbath on Saturday as an act of worship but not as an act of thinking they're keeping the Mosaic Law for righteousness, no problem.

If they want to go and they want to make a vow to the Lord as an act of worship to their to Yahweh or to God as an act of worship not thinking it makes them any better or achieving some type of righteousness, I don't have a problem with that.

But we don't see the vows the way that they were taken out in the Old Testament anywhere in the new with the exception of a couple. And it was with Paul. It's a good question though. Very good question.

We should know that when they made these vows they weren't manipulating. Yes, sir?

And we see that, you know, Jesus said we have by her giving the child back and dedicating it. I think she might have been in the right means of receiving. So would it be safe to say was she really bargaining or was she asking.

The way she ought to? I don't have that answer because I I'm seeing it from a theological providential way that God was giving her the desire of her heart that God would raise up someone because of, I mean, like I said we got to remember Hoppy and Phineas come right here at the beginning.

You don't think that she knows that these are wicked men? And that Eli will learn, dude, he doesn't do anything to his sons and the reason why Eli falls off and breaks his neck is because God says you'll die because you didn't take care of what your sons did and you didn't rebuke them and put them out.

You're going to die the same day they die. So I see it providentially that God is giving her the desire of her heart that God would raise up a godly man and she wants to be that one. Just like every every Jewish woman was hoping and praying that they would have a child that would be the deliverer of Israel.

I mean, we would agree with that. It's also interesting too that like the Lord blesses the Lord withholds that and then it happens and then Eli blesses her woman in the next chapter and she has five more kids.

Sure. So it's like there's that aspect of it. It was truly the Lord that was stopping it.

And I do believe when he says let the Lord confirm to you, I think I don't know if this is my opinion okay, that that's what he's talking about, Eli. Is that he's going hey you, okay you go, you do that.

I mean Elkanah, he says let the Lord confirm that to you. You're going to give this child and he's going to give her all these other children that God rewards her for giving her son then he rewards her with more children.

If that's what you're trying to say I agree with that. Yes. No, we can only go on midrash you know what midrash is? It's what the Jewish people give us interpretations of not here, but interpretations in like the Tanakh and all that of when was the child actually weaned?

Okay, and it was somewhere between two and three because it's no longer looked as an infant. He's looked as a child. An infant was something up to about a toddler where they could bounce around and fall down.

A child you know, a walking kid so that's how we come to that conclusion and he was obviously old enough that he could feed himself this way. Not sufficient for you? No. Yeah, we don't know, but it's interesting that it does use the word in although at 24 and the child was young the child was young so that's all we know.

I don't think she handed I don't think he was weaned at nine months old and she handed him off. Yes, ma 'am. No, he had to be part of that line. You couldn't just go, hey, you know what? I'm a Benjamite and I want my son to be a priest.

Here you go. No, no, no. It didn't work that way. You could not go in you could not make a sacrifice here. You could not help this take place unless you were a descendant of Levi. You couldn't go in here unless you were a descendant of a Levi and Aaron.

That's it. Benjamites, any other ites that were part of the 12 tribes of Israel could not do anything but the Levites. Anybody got one more question before we have to go? Good, good, good. Tim, you'll pray for us?

For those who lead us into worship today. As we worship you, we worship you in spirit and in truth. We ask your blessings upon this day. We ask you to remain with us above everything. Amen.