1 Samuel 1:1-10 | Part 1
1st Chronicles 29:10a-13
And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
All:
Greatness
Power
Glory
Victory
Majesty
Kingdoms
Riches
Honor
Rule
Strength
Gratitude
Praise
The Nation in Transition
Chapters 1-7
The end of the judges (last one Samuel)
The beginning of the prophets (first one Samuel)
Key theme in these 7 chapters:
The one and only sovereign God does not serve us.
We serve Him.
1st Samuel, part 1
There was a man from Ramathaim-zophim in the hill country of Ephraim. His name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives, the first named Hannah and the second Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless.
Elkanah. Who is this guy?
Similarities between Elkanah and Manoah
Judges 13:2-5
There was a certain man: Manoah
Name of hometown:Zorah
The tribe he comes from: Dan
wife was childless
son called to be Nazarite (1025bc)
1st Samuel 1:1-3
There was a certain man: Elkanah
Name of hometown: Ramathaim
The tribe he comes from: Levi
wife was childless
son called to be Nazarite (1100bc)
Why is this important?
It is the beginning theme of God’s sovereignty in this book study
His plan, not your plan. Our life as believers MUST be what is your plan, oh God! Not, Bless my plan…
3 This man would go up from his town every year to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of Armies at Shiloh, where Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were the Lord’s priests.
Lived in Ramathaim-zophim, traveled to Shiloh
Twelve miles west of Shiloh
Higher up in the mountains
4 Whenever Elkanah offered a sacrifice, he always gave portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to each of her sons and daughters.
Elkanah was a well-off man
Two wives and multiple children, able to give generously to the temple
5 But he gave a double portion to Hannah, for he loved her even though the Lord had kept her from conceiving.
Hannah was his favorite
When you play favorites, trouble ensues
Abraham with Isaac and Ishmael
Isaac with Jacob and Esau
Jacob with Joseph and his brothers
Favoritism (prosopolepsia)
Outward appearance, social ranking, talent capacity, abilities
Which means…this is prejudice. It is discrimination.
This is why The NT never encouraged polygamy
Comparison, prejudice…discrimination is unavoidable
This why PORN is a killer
This is why emotional ties with the opposite sex outside of your marriage is not a good thing. Comparisons will kill you.
We discriminate against ourselves with comparisons to others instead of a focus on Christ and His call over our lives
6 Her rival would taunt her severely just to provoke her, because the Lord had kept Hannah from conceiving.
If you have been blessed, its nothing you have accomplished yourself. It is a gift from God
Hardship can be brought on through bad choices, but what about this situation?
In this day, lack of conception was solely the issue of the woman
God kept Hannah from having a baby. Why?
We don’t know. We do know God is completely sovereign and allows/does things for His own glory
John 9:1-3
As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him.
Blind from birth
Did the baby deserve this?
Why was he blind?
So that God’s works might be displayed in him…
We must follow this to its conclusion…
ALL THINGS are allowed or caused by God’s sovereignty for His glory
Romans 8:28
We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
7 Year after year, when she went up to the Lord’s house, her rival taunted her in this way. Hannah would weep and would not eat.
Real pain, real issues
Real tears, real suffering
Was Hannah ever told by God why she suffered?
Neither was Job
What they did not have, we do have today. Their story. God is sovereign and will glorify His name. He may let us know why, He may not
8 “Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband, Elkanah, would ask. “Why won’t you eat? Why are you troubled? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
Elkanah let Hannah know that He is worth more than 10 sons, but evidently, Hannah was not worth more than children because Elkanah married Penninah when Hannah couldn’t conceive.
9 On one occasion, Hannah got up after they ate and drank at Shiloh. The priest Eli was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s temple. 10 Deeply hurt, Hannah prayed to the Lord and wept with many tears.
Hannah takes her pain and suffering to the Lord