1_Samuel 1:1~3:21
GOD CALLS SAMUEL, Dr. Samuel Lee
HANNAH'S PRAYER
Passage: 1Samuel 1:1~18
Key verse: 18
INTRODUCTION TO 1 & 2 SAMUEL
The books of 1 and 2 Samuel document the period from the Judges through the kingship of David. During the time of the Judges Israel was a loose confederation of tribes. 'In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit' (Jdg 21:25) The books of Samuel, who is considered the last of the Judges in Israel, show how Israel wanted a king in order to be like the other nations. Their request was viewed by the Lord as their rejection of him as their king. Still, the Lord granted their request. The first king was Saul. He was an excellent looking person, but he was rejected by the Lord because he didn't obey the commands of God. The Lord sought someone after his own heart, and he chose David. David was a good king because he loved the Lord. He was not without sin, but the Lord accepted him and forgave his sin when he offered himself to God. During the time of David there was a spirit of unity, and Israel grew to be more like a nation. It is considered the golden age of Old Testament Israel. But David was actually the bearer of the throne that looked ahead to the Messiah-to Christ. The key verses of these books can be 2 Samuel 7:12-16, 'When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.' These books teach us that we have a King, the son of David and the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. His throne endures for all eternity, and he rules with love.
HANNAH'S PRAYER
Prayer: Lord, this world is full of struggles. Help me to see your face in each of them.
One Word: Her face was no longer downcast
The books of 1 and 2 Samuel document the period from the Judges through the kingship of David. During the time of the Judges Israel was a loose confederation of tribes. 'In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit' (Jdg 21:25) The books of Samuel, who is considered the last of the Judges in Israel, show how Israel wanted a king in order to be like the other nations. Their request was viewed by the Lord as their rejection of him as their king. Still, the Lord granted their request. The first king was Saul. He was an excellent looking person, but he was rejected by the Lord because he didn't obey the commands of God. The Lord sought someone after his own heart, and he chose David. David was a good king because he loved the Lord. He was not without sin, but the Lord accepted him and forgave his sin when he offered himself to God. During the time of David there was a spirit of unity, and Israel grew to be more like a nation. It is considered the golden age of Old Testament Israel. But David was actually the bearer of the throne that looked ahead to the Messiah-to Christ. The key verses of these books can be 2 Samuel 7:12-16, 'When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.' These books teach us that we have a King, the son of David and the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. His throne endures for all eternity, and he rules with love.
HANNAH'S PRAYER
1. Elkanah and his family (1-8)
The period of the Judges was a time where Israel had no king, and everyone did as they saw fit. The worship of the Lord however continued through those like Elkanah. He had two wives and many sons and daughters. On this occasion he went up to worship, as he did every year. But there was a problem. The Lord had closed the womb of his wife Hannah. Though Eli loved her as best he could, Hannah was downhearted because she remained childless.
2. Hannah's prayer (9-18)
Hannah was childless, and she was always provoked by Eli's other wife, Peninnah, the mother of Elkanah's children. She took this before the Lord in prayer. This was her worship. She offered herself to the Lord in prayer for a son, then by faith offered her son to the Lord forever. Though the priest originally thought she was drunk, when he heard her story he blessed her. Hannah accepted this as the word of God. She struggled and suffered before the Lord.
Prayer: Lord, this world is full of struggles. Help me to see your face in each of them.
One Word: Her face was no longer downcast
