Well, welcome to a brand-new series of videos. They are going to be some Bible study videos, along with some of our regular weekly videos, and I am going to start today with a study through the book of 1 Samuel. I will read the entire text as we go along, and I will try to share some of it on the screen as we go. We are preaching through this in our church, and I wanted to follow up with some videos to try to help us understand the narratives. Now, narratives are larger chunks of Scripture, and there is usually one broad intention. So when we are starting into 1 Samuel, we are going to see topics like polygamy, and prayer, and tabernacles, and weaning a child, but when we are looking at chapter 1, that is not what this chapter is about. It is more about one idea that we will unpack as we go along, loosely around this: the God of hosts sovereignly responded to Hannah’s prayers, not only for her benefit, but also for the benefit of God’s covenant people.
Dynamite Comes in Small Packages
If we are breaking this entire chapter down, we are going to look at this idea that God works in big ways through small acts, or, dynamite comes in small packages. So let’s look at verses 1 through 3 in 1 Samuel chapter 1: “Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.” When I am looking at this, and we will get into it verse by verse in a little bit, but first: if you had a short friend, you probably made fun of him or her for being short. I had a friend who was always like that. When we would make fun of her, she would say, “Hey, dynamite comes in small packages,” meaning, “I may be small, but I can pack a punch.” And so here is a period of Israel’s history that may seem small and insignificant. Here is a woman named Hannah, a barren woman, who in the grand scheme of things might seem insignificant. Again, this period of Israel’s history might not have been the greatest of their history. There is a small boy and a barren woman. They are small in the nation’s eyes, but this is huge in God’s eyes. This is a story that packs a big punch, so keep that in mind as we go into 1 Samuel.
The Background of the Book
But first we have got to do some background on the book. First of all, when is the book? Well, the book follows Joshua and Judges. In our church we just recently preached through Joshua. They conquered the land in the book of Joshua. They were able to take over and settle the land. But after that they went into this downward spiral. You might call it a cycle: for a while they would do well, and then they would forget God, and God would send enemies to punish them, and they would cry out to God. He would send them a deliverer, or a judge, and they would be delivered from their enemies, and then they would do well for a while again, and that cycle continues. Only it is more than just a cycle. It is more like a downward spiral, so that everything in the book of Judges gets worse and worse and worse, and at the end of Judges, it is almost as if the stories are too horrific to even describe. I mean, disgusting things. The children of Israel are constantly oppressed by these Philistines. They are like the drug cartels, or the gangs, man. These people are scared to go outside. And it is like this for about four hundred years. I mean, four hundred years for us is Plymouth Rock. That is how long Israel has been largely rejecting God. And the remarkable part about this season of history is that God is still faithful to His covenant people. It has never been about them. It has always been about His faithfulness to His Word. So 1 Samuel comes right here at the end of this era of the Judges. Samuel is a judge, and a prophet, and a priest. He is at the end of an era, the end of the era of the judges, and he is ushering in a new era. This is something going from judge, prophet, and priest, ending one era and beginning something new, and God comes in and intervenes for His people. And the way God transitions from one season to the next is with this story about a woman praying: Hannah, this godly lady in the middle of this godless land, praying for a child.
Elkanah, Hannah, and Peninnah
We read of her husband, Elkanah, perhaps not wealthy, but likely not poor either, and a godly man. We see him offering sacrifices, and supporting his wife’s vow, and going on the annual pilgrimage they went on every year. That was not mandatory for the children of Israel, but for these observant Hebrews who loved the Lord, he was following the Lord. But we see this major problem of polygamy. I mean, this is breaking God’s obvious design of one man and one woman for a lifetime. So already within the first few verses, we see some of these problems coming out, in that he loved one of his wives, and it was as if the other wife was just for children. We read in verses 4 through 6: “And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb. And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.” Her adversary, meaning Peninnah. Now, God is the One who gives life. This is just a little side note in here. And He had something wonderful for Hannah. She had been praying for God to give her a child, but it was not God’s timing. So we are seeing these pictures of God’s timing being the best. God’s timing might be never. “God, will You answer this according to the way that I want?” Well, yes, He will answer it, but the answer might be yes, it might be no, it might be wait. The fact is, He does hear our prayers. We just have to trust that the Father knows exactly what is going to be best for us. In Hannah’s case, for these years of praying she had done so far, the answer had been, “Well, wait.” She could not hear that answer, but that was His answer. So she is waiting for the answer, enduring this searing mockery from what the Bible calls her adversary. She is like the villain of the story. And this is not just a one-time thing, that she has to take it from Peninnah just once in a while. No, verse 7 says, “And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.” So this is one of those days when Hannah is feeling really down, and her husband tries to cheer her up. Verse 8, and it is not the best thing to say: “Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?” So he tries to give her some encouraging words, but nothing is helping.
Hannah’s Prayer at the Temple
After dinner on this particularly bad day, she takes a trip to the tabernacle and goes to pray. Verse 9: “So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.” Now, this is not Solomon’s temple; that had not been built yet. In Exodus, remember, God was very particular about how the tabernacle was supposed to be set up. It was temporary, because they moved around so much. It was made of tent material. But now we see that it is more or less a permanent location. There are pillars there. There is a sort of structure there. There is a wooden doorpost referred to in verse 9. It is called the temple here, and this is the temple of the LORD, the structure where the ark of the covenant is kept. But the structure is not necessarily important. It is what Hannah does in this story that is important. She prays, and she weeps sore. Verses 10 and 11: “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.” Now, this is not a bargaining chip. An Old Testament vow like the one she is making here is not a bargaining chip. As a devout follower of God, this was for her a form of worship. It was an act of devotion to God. It was an expression of her love to the Lord. We will see this in the next video and in the next chapter, but this is what the vow is about. Her prayer to God is her devotion to the Lord, and she is praying, “God, give me a son. If You give me a son, I will give him to the Lord.” It was a dedication that all parents might make. At our church we do baby dedications. It is not a confirmation. It is not a baptism or anything like that. It is just following this biblical example of a mom, and in our case a dad too, recognizing, “Look, this child we have received is from God.” So the parents come before the congregation and say, “In front of my church family, I want to be accountable to the rest of my church family to raise these kids in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
Eli Thinks She Is Drunk
So as Hannah is sitting here praying, begging God to give her a child, her lips are moving. She is pouring her heart out to God, and Eli the priest is over there, standing to the side, and he thinks she is drunk. Verses 12 through 15: “And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.” He is going, “Hey, hey, hey, get out of here.” And she is going, “No, no, no, no, that is not what this is about. I am pouring my soul out to the Lord.” Verse 16: “Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.” She is saying, “That is not what this is about. I am not drunk.” He was saying, “No, hey, hey, get out of here,” but then, after realizing what she is doing, verse 17 says, “Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.” So he understands this is from the Lord, and he blesses her and says, “Go in peace,” and she went away super happy. Verses 18 through 21: “And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her. Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD. And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.” So she names him Samuel: “I have asked him of the LORD.” His Hebrew name is a combination of words that mean just that. So in the closing text, Hannah was the one who vowed the vow, but Elkanah was the one who validates the vow and agrees to it. Elkanah and all his house went up to offer unto the LORD, verse 21 says, the yearly sacrifice and his vow. Verse 22: “But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever.” Samuel was weaned much later than children are in our Western culture, so she would have had plenty of time to instill some godly values in him in this culture of worldliness. Eli’s own sons were very worldly and wicked, so we cannot take Eli’s advice on parenting, but she goes to parent Samuel, her son. And then eventually she goes to the house of the Lord. She brings the offerings, and she brings the child she promised, to serve in the house of God. That is what the following verses are about. Verses 23 through 28: “And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him. And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young. And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.”
God Hears Our Prayers
Now, we look at this beautiful story, and we might take a step back and look at what is going on here, and we see that this is a story about a godly woman’s prayer. That is maybe what it looks like on the surface, but again, from that you can learn many lessons: that God hears our prayers; that He desires us to pray; that it is about God’s timing in answering prayers; that His answers to prayers might be different from our own, and that is a wonderful thing. I am confident that there is a God in heaven who hears our prayers, and not only hears our prayers but cares about our prayers. We can put ourselves in the place of Hannah here, and as Christians we have even more than she did; she did not have the same access to God that we do. Jesus Christ has shed His blood for us as Christians. These Old Testament vows and sacrifices were a system they had for accessing God, but we as Christians do not have to go through a priest like Eli. We have a great High Priest who shed His blood for us, and we can go to God Himself, with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, and He can take the utterances of our soul, of our inner prayer. Sometimes, when we do not even know what words to say, there is an agony of soul that the Holy Spirit can take and translate into words. Sometimes, when it is not even words, when we do not even know what to say, God knows exactly where you are. He knows exactly what you are going through, and He knows exactly what is best for you, and He can work those things for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. And it is through Jesus Christ, through His finished work on the cross, through the blood, that we have direct access to God. So we do not have to go through Eli anymore. We are our own priests. So there is that aspect, the story of prayer, that we can learn from this text.
What Does This Text Mean?
But also, what does this text mean? What is all this about prayer supposed to mean? If I step back and look at where chapter 1 is in the course of history, there is the movement of the book of Judges and Israel rejecting God, and now there is this little baby named Samuel, who would guide the kingdom as this godly force, and it is as if all of that is the result of a godly mother’s prayers. She is praying to the LORD of hosts. We read that in verses 3 and 11. You see the LORD of hosts, the Lord who is in control of the hosts, of all the armies. The hymn says, “Lord Sabaoth His name, from age to age the same.” On earth is not His equal. Well, the Lord of hosts is the Lord of Sabaoth, and that is who Hannah is praying to. So it is like, okay, here is a God who is working on your behalf even when you do not always realize it. Stepping back from this picture, we see that there is this great transition happening in the land of Israel, and there is a God who is working through these tiny little prayers of individuals. Now, I see that, and sometimes I look at my own insignificance. I feel like, “Man, I am not making a difference. What am I even here for? I am just one person among many. I do not even know what impact I am making.” But we can learn from the simple prayers. Well, if you are praying for the Los Angeles fires, for example, and depending on when you are watching this video, that might have been within recent history, or maybe it was a long time ago for you, it is like, “How do I pray for that?” Well, we know that God can bring good out of these fires. I believe He will. I do not know what part of life is to be considered bad or good. Calling something bad or good is not really my call. Same thing with praying for our nation. Under the leadership of President Trump, it is not as if he is a godly man seeking the Lord for every decision, and as a whole we are not a godly nation, but we are praying for our nation, and we desperately need the Lord. So I want to pray for God to do His will, and I know God can do His will, and it can be good. I just do not know whether something is good or bad. In my limited view, something might be good now but bad in the long run. There might be something that seems bad right now, but in the long run, God means it for our good. So what I am saying is, we can trust that there is a Lord Sabaoth, that there is a Lord of hosts who sees the beginning from the end and will run things exactly how He wants them to happen.
The Farmer and the Horses
I remember hearing a story about a farmer; you have probably heard this. His horse ran away, and the neighbors said, “Oh, how sad. What a bad thing.” The farmer, maybe he is a Christian, is just trusting God: “Well, I am just trusting God. We will see what happens.” Then the horse returns with more horses with it, wild horses. The neighbors go, “Wow, what a good thing!” And the farmer says, “Well, I am just trusting God. We will see what happens. I do not know if it is good.” The farmer’s son tries to ride one of the wild horses that came in, and he is bucked off and breaks his leg. And the neighbors go, “Oh, how sad. What a bad thing.” And the farmer goes, “Well, it might be bad. I am just trusting God. We will see what happens.” A few days later, some soldiers come through the villages to draft young men into the army, but the boy has a broken leg, and he is passed over. And the neighbors go, “Wow, what a good thing!” And the farmer goes, “That might be good. I am just trusting God. We will see what happens.” Now, that is just an old story, basically making the point that we are not the ones who see the beginning from the end, but God is. So when God hears the prayers of His people, who are under the thumb of the Philistines, it might have felt as though God was ignoring them for a really long time, four hundred years: “God, where are You?” And He might have been working all the way over in Mount Ephraim, with a man named Elkanah and a wife named Hannah, to bring them a child named Samuel as the answer Israel needed. This answer Israel needed was years in the making. It was years in the answering.
Big Ways Through Small Acts
So I believe that a big lesson in this chapter, and one of the reasons for the book of 1 Samuel, is the sovereign design of God for our lives. God was working not only in response to Hannah’s prayers. Yes, it is a picture of God’s answers to Hannah’s prayers, but it is also a picture of His covenant response to His covenant promises to His people. There is this new phase of history coming, and Samuel is going to be the one. He is going to be the prophet who ushers in the monarchy. Here is King David coming. Here is the King of kings who is going to come from the line of David. And here is little Samuel, who is going to be the one to spiritually guide the people into the greatest era Israel had ever seen. I would say it is like dynamite. It is a big explosion in a small package. And here is the big idea again: the God of hosts sovereignly responded to Hannah’s prayers, not only for her benefit, but also for the good of His covenant people. What was God responding to in this story? Well, He is responding to Hannah’s prayers. It does not say so here, but apparently He was also responding to Israel’s prayers. There was always likely a remnant praying for God to bring some deliverance. So God is responding to Hannah’s obedience, knowing she was staying faithful even through all these years of ridicule, but through her faithfulness He was answering some bigger prayers at the same time. Now, I do not know what you are going through. I do not know what kind of prayers you are praying, but your obedience to God is what He is looking for from you right now. And we can look at Hannah and say, “Look, God responded to her sacrificial heart, to her vow.” She gave her only son to God, in service to Him. Verse 28 said, “Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.” He was lent to the Lord, this little child. This may not seem like anything significant: “It is no big deal, man. What is all the fuss about this one boy, Samuel? How does he get his own book in the Bible?” Wow. No, we are talking about the changing of a nation, happening because of this little boy who loved the Lord, as a result of a woman who loved the Lord and was praying and talking to the Lord. Eli’s sons are not fit to take over for their dad, and here is Samuel, the one who was going to turn the spiritual tide of the nation of Israel. I am looking at this story, and at the broad view of the history of Israel, and I am seeing that, man, God works in big ways through small acts and small people. The Lord of hosts is on His throne. He will never be defeated. His will will be accomplished. And it is kind of a simple message that I take from chapter 1: we just need to trust God. He might be working in ways that we cannot see yet. He has called us to be steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as your labour is not in vain. Well, I cannot wait to get into chapter 2. That will be in one of the next videos. We will see you then. God bless you.
