Explore the Bible Lesson Preview June 5, 2016 Answered! Background: 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11

Transcription

1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview June 5, 2016 Answered! Background: 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11 Lesson: 1 Samuel 1:10-18, 26-28Motivation: 1 Samuel claims no authorship; rabbinical tradition ascribes it to Samuel with supplementary portions possibly being added by the prophets Gad and Nathan following Samuel s death (25:1). The book covers the period from 1120 B.C. (Samuel s birth) to 1010 B. C. (final days of Saul s reign). This is a transitional book closing the period of Judges and introducing the monarchy. Examination: I. Distressing Situation (1:1-9) A. Beginning There was a man from Ramathaim-zophim Elkanah (1) HCSB; p.445: 1:1 The exact location of Ramathaim-zophim is not known, but it is distinct from Ramah, located in the tribal territory of Benjamin (v. 19). It probably designates Elkanah s ancestral home. The name Elkanah means God has acquired. Ephraimite denotes Elkanah s place of residence, not his tribal background, which was that of Levi (1 Ch 6:25-28). B. Bigamy He had two wives (2) The Bible doesn t approve of everything it records. From Genesis 2:34 to Jesus teaching in Matt. 19:9, to Paul s instruction in Ephesians 5:31, the Scriptural ideal remains the same: one man and one woman freely and totally committed to each other for life. 1 / 9

2 C. Belief to worship and to sacrifice to the of Hosts at Shiloh (3) Believer s Study Bible, p, 379: 1:3 The of Hosts (cf. v. 11; 4:4; 15:2) refers in earlier Hebrew history to the God of the armies of Israel (17:45; cf. Josh. 5:13-15). In later times the phrase came to identify the God of the heavenly hosts and eventually the God of all heaven and earth. In these early days of Samuel, the of Hosts was believed uniquely to be enthroned upon the Ark of the Covenant at Shiloh (cf. 4:4), which was the military and religious center for the tribes. Shiloh was located approximately 20 miles north of Jerusalem. D. Barrenness the had kept her from conceiving (5) Male babies were prized because they both continued the lineage as well as insured inheritance of family property. Believer s Study Bible, p. 379: 1:5 The temporary infertility of Hannah is ascribed directly to the will and act of God. Although this momentary limitation was an exceedingly bitter experience for Hannah, her husband s kindness and favor were an immediate compensation. To this was added the favor of God in giving Samuel, who proved to be more than sufficient reward for the faith which Hannah exercised during her barren years of waiting upon the. E. Bitterness Hannah, why are you crying? (8) Believer s Study Bible, 379: 1:8 The extent of Hannah s grief is poignantly depicted. However, the devotion and faithfulness of her husband are beautiful to behold. Elkanah maintained, apparently without fear of refutation, that he was better for Hannah than ten sons. Such devotion is most often the missing cohesive element in the modern domestic scene. II. Hannah s Prayer (1:10-11) Deeply hurt, Hannah prayed to the and wept with many tears. 11 Making a vow, s he pleaded, of Hosts, if You will take notice of Your servant s affliction, remember and not forget me, and give Your servant a son, I will give him to the 2 / 9

3 all the days of his life, and his hair will never be cut. A. Prayer from Deep Need Deeply hurt wept with many tears she pleaded Rarely does an urgent request (James 5:16) result from a sense of sufficiency. It is often in our desperation that we truly draw close to God and recognize our total dependence upon Him. B. Prayer with Deep Respect of Hosts, if you will take notice of your servant s affliction As noted above, of Hosts is an address of deep respect (in contrast to servant) and denotes a healthy fear of the. C. Prayer with a Specific Request give Your servant a son Perhaps encouraged by the examples of miraculous conceptions by older women such as Sarah (Genesis 17:17) and Samson s mother (Judges 13:2-3, 24), Hannah had the faith for a bold request. D. Prayer with a Promise I will give him to the As a token of her complete surrender, she placed the future son under the terms of the Nazirite vow (cf. Num. 6:2; Judg. 13:3). III. Eli s Affirmation (1:19-28) While she continued praying in the s presence, Eli watched her lips. 13 Hannah was praying silently, and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and scolded her, How long are you going to be drunk? Get rid of your wine! 15 No, my lord, Hannah replied. I am a woman with a broken heart. I haven t had any wine or beer; I ve been pouring out my heart before the. 16 Don t think of me as a wicked woman; I ve been praying from the depth of my anguish and resentment. 3 / 9

4 17 Eli responded, Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant the petition you ve requested from Him. 18 May your servant find favor with you, she replied. Then Hannah went on her way; she ate and no longer looked despondent. A. Puzzlement How long are you going to be drunk? (14) It s interesting to note that the disciples at Pentecost were also thought to be under the influence of adult beverages (Acts 2:13). Perhaps the similarity is derived from ones loss of control. B. Pronouncement Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant the petition you ve requested of Him (17) Hannah s desperation is a focal point of the chapter; Her rival would taunt her (6), she wept and would not eat (7) her heart was troubled (8), Deeply hurt, Hannah prayed to the and wept many tears (10). Her vow to God had two provisions: 1) that a male baby would be totally dedicated to Him, and 2) evidently that the son would take a Nazirite vow. HCSB; p. 445: 1:15-16 Hannah immediately clarified the situation with Eli. The depth (lit abundance ) of Hannah s anguish and resentment over her situation had come to the surface. C. Parting May your servant find favor with you (18) In the Hebrew, favor is from the same root as Hannah s name which means grace. BTW-the Greek word for grace is Charis (Karis) which has become a favored name for baby girls in Christian circles. IV. God s Promise (1:19-25) 4 / 9

5 The next morning Elkanah and Hannah got up early to bow in worship before the. Afterward, they returned home to Ramah. Then Elkanah was intimate with his wife Hannah, and the remembered her. 20 After some time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, because she said, I requested him from the. 21 When Elkanah and all his household went up to make the annual sacrifice and his vow offering to the, 22 Hannah did not go and explained to her husband, After the child is weaned, I ll take him to appear in the s presence and to stay there permanently. 23 Her husband Elkanah replied, Do what you think is best, and stay here until you ve weaned him. May the confirm your word. So Hannah stayed there and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24 When she had weaned him, she took him with her to Shiloh, as well as a three-year-old bull, half a bushel of flour, and a jar of wine. Though the boy was still young, she took him to the s house at Shiloh. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull and brought the boy to Eli. (1:19-25) A. Born Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel. Samuel means heard of God. A Chinese pastor claimed this as a verse of promise for my fifth grandchild before my daughter-in-law was even pregnant. Samuel celebrated his 4 th birthday earlier this year. B. Brought She took him to the s house at Shiloh (24) God was faithful to Hannah and Hannah was faithful in fulfilling her promise to God. HCSB; p.446: 1:24 The Masoretic Text, overall the most reliable Hebrew manuscript tradition, reads three bulls here. The HCSB adopted three-year-old bull because of the reference to a single bull in verse 25 and because of the testimony of other early manuscripts. If the Masoretic Text is correct, however, it may be that the one bull constituted Elkanah s sacrifice of thanksgiving for Samuel s birth, while the other two were part of his usual sacrifice, and hence were not mentioned in verse / 9

6 V. Hannah s Presentation (1:26-28) Please, my lord, she said, as sure as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the. 27 I prayed for this boy, and since the gave me what I asked Him for, 28 I now give the boy to the. For as long as he lives, he is given to the. Then she bowed in worship to the there. A. Blessing I prayed for this boy, and since the gave me what I asked for (27) Hannah stood in line with her request and in God s timing, the request was granted. (Luke 11:8). B. Borrowed For as long as he lives, he is given to the (28). All of the first born in Israel belonged to the (Ex. 22:30, Num. 18:15-17; Es. 13:1-2). The priestly tribe of Levi substituted for first born sons (Nu. 3:12), but the parents still made an offering (Luke 2:21-24). The living sacrifice of Samuel should remind us of our reasonable service. (Rom.12:1-2) VI. Joyful Praise (2:1-11) A. God s Strength My mouth boasts over my enemies (1). Another version translated, I smile at my enemies. God is the ultimate big brother who protects us from our enemies. Believer s Study Bible ; p. 380: 2:1 The psalm of Hannah was a spontaneous response of her heart to God for His graciousness. It was later taken up in part by Mary, mother of Jesus, in her so-called Magnificat (Luke 6 / 9

7 1:46-55). The horn was a symbol of strength. Hannah rejoiced that God had strengthened her in the birth of Samuel. Hannah s worth was ready to be assessed by her enemies, who had previously viewed her condescendingly because of her barrenness. B. God s Sanctity There is no one holy like the (2) God s ways and directions for our lives are not to be questioned. He is perfect. C. God s Standard actions are weighed by Him (3) Perhaps Hannah felt ashamed of her bitter attitude. Because He is the God of knowledge, Father knows best. (Col. 2:2-3) D. God s Supply the barren has borne seven (5) Our resources come to an end and ultimately disappoint; God has an inexhaustible supply for our needs (John 15:5; Deut. 8:11-18). E. God s Supremacy The brings death and gives life (6) Hannah s praise is full of messianic overtones. She begins with horn (1) and concludes with horn of His anointed, the first mention of messiah in the Bible; salvation is also mentioned in verse 1, and rock in vs. 2 is a possible allusion to Jesus Christ the cornerstone (Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:6). Verses 5-9 present a series of contrasts highlighting God s power. In the context of a messianic psalm, a reference to resurrection should not be surprising. (Rom.1:4) F. God s Son He will give power to His King; He will lift up the horn of His anointed (10) The word anointed is the Hebrew mashiah 7 / 9

8 which we transliterate as messiah or in the Greek, Christ. One of the recurring themes in I Samuel is the King of Israel. That Jesus, God s Son is to be the final king is without argument. In Revelation 19:16 we find On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: King of Kings and of s. (cf. Rev. 17:14; 11:15). Application: 1. Circumstances which are painful may lead us to seek God s support and direction. 2. God honors our continued earnest prayer (James 5:16). 3. Praise is based on God s character and faithfulness. Leader Pack Item 1: Map: David s Flight from Saul; Item 2: Outline of 1 Samuel; item 3: Poster: Summer 2016 ; item 4: Time Line of 1 Samuel; item 5: Bookmark: Memory Verses Illustrator: p. 14 The Message and Purpose of 1 Samuel ; Insites: Israel, Its Historical Boundaries 8 / 9

9 Notes: **You may access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: g ; also, the Highpoint Bible Study (Downtown) is available on MP3 at the HFBC site under the Highpoint link/downloads. Dates: /29 AMP/WIRED Sunday; 6/3 Summer Kickoff at the Loop; 6/3-4 5 th grade Launch at the Loop; 6/5 Promotion Sunday (all campuses); 6/5-9 Elevate Choir Tour; 6/6 7/5 Pastor Gregg s Sabbatical; 6/12-15 Camp Intersect; 6/18-25 HUB Intl. Mission Trip; 6/19 SPF Father s Day Lunch; 6/25 Men: Serve; 6/27-30 Loop only family night on 6/29. 9 / 9