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The Prophet Samuel a Study Guide

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The Prophet Samuel a Study Guide The Prophet Samuel A Study Guide “It is not by strength that one prevails” 1 Samuel 2:9 Introduction It has been a long time since Moses, when God had come personally to fulfil a promise He made generations before. A promise that after a period of time under the oppression of the Egyptians, God would set the nation of Israel free and lead them back to the land that was once theirs. So came the Exodus and the wandering in the desert. Then the crossing of the river Jordan with Joshua and the beginning of the conquest over the land of Canaan. Israel, a nation of twelve large tribes, was nudging its way into a land that was occupied by others. In choosing ‘Judges’ - specific people with particular gifting - to lead the twelve tribes whenever there was crisis, God gave this fledgling nation temporary leaders to unify them against their enemies. The stories and characters we will be looking at in this mini series come from a time of wars and territorial conflicts. They form part of this young nation’s attempts to understand itself, working out how their internal governance would work with God at the helm while other nations had kings. Remember The Bible has a way of concealing deep truths in simple stories. If you read ahead I’m sure you’ll be able to pick up some of these truths. Hopefully we can, together, unearth a good portion of the treasure trove and nourish our lives by it. 1 Samuel 1:1-20 The Birth of Samuel There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. 3Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. 4Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. 6Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 8Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” 9Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. 10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. 11 And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” 12 As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.” 15“Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.” 1 17 Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” 18 She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast. 19 Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. 20 So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,[b] saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.” 2 1 Samuel 1:1-20 Heard by God: Hannah’s prayer “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.” a) Desire Growing up I really badly wanted a bicycle. The situation wasn’t helped by the fact that a few of the kids we played with had bicycles. Though they would let us take turns at riding, there was never any sense of fairness with it. At any point they could decide not to let you have your turn and there would be nothing you could do but watch while others had fun. Hannah’s situation is very awkward. By today’s standards it would be unacceptable to be a second wife but in her context it was the norm. Though her husband loved her, her deeper desire was to bear a child. This was compounded further by the fact that her co-wife seemed to be able to churn them out. She would also add salt to the wound by mocking Hannah fairly regularly. Pause and ponder • What is your deepest desire: that thing that makes your face change shape whenever you are reminded that you don’t have it? • Why do you desire it? • Would you be content in life without it? • Because of what she hoped for, Hannah couldn’t receive the love her husband had for her. Is your desire blinding you from the good things you already have? 3 b) Prayer The temple in Israel stood in a place called Shiloh. It was the one place on earth where God was most present; where the space between heaven and earth was thinnest. All Israelites would have believed it to be true because they would have grown up with the stories of the powerful God who as a pillar fire led their ancestors through the wilderness. This same God had given instructions on how to build the temple. When the temple was finished, his presence like a thick cloud filled it. The temple thus, with all the different purification rituals, was the place where everyone came close to God in order to receive forgiveness or to bring before Him what was on their hearts. Elkanah, Hannah’s husband, made this yearly pilgrimage to Shiloh to offer sacrifices to God. For Hannah, this presented an opportunity to bring before God the anguish of her deep desire. As the story goes, When Eli the priest notices Hannah praying, he assumes that she is drunk because of the manner in which Hannah is pleading before God. Hannah’s description of what she is actually doing is probably the most inspirational way to define what prayer is. “…I was pouring out my soul to the LORD.” A good friend would be present to hear you laugh, and laugh alongside you. They would also be present to hear you weep, and weep alongside you. If they had the power to change your circumstances, they would. A good father might let you fall off your bicycle a few times as you learn how to ride. Pause and ponder • Do you talk to God? If so, how and when? • What would it look like for you to ‘pour our your soul to the LORD’? • Do you have some prayers that have been answered? • Do you have some prayers that have not been answered? 4 c) Response It isn’t always the case that such a prayer is answered positively. The reason Hannah receives this child, I think, is because of the child himself. Once we are done with the mini series looking at his life, look back at this part of the story to see if you agree or disagree. Hannah, in her prayer of anguish, had made a bargain with God. “O LORD Almighty, if you would only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life…” When she finally receives this child, she keeps her vow - uncertain as to whether she would be able to conceive again. The name she gives him is Samuel (Shem HaElohim), which means either ‘God heard’ or ‘name of God’ or - my favourite - ‘God’s reputation’. Because of the peculiarity of the language, it could mean all three. So what are we to do with a God who hears, a God whose reputation is good - even through anguish? Hannah’s example is a good but tough one: we are to return to Him the objects of our desire so that they may be used for his purposes and not ours (its always better when those two align).
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