Introduction
The Book of Samuel takes us back in history about 3000 years. It does not have the most interesting opening words.
There was a certain man of a Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah.
Nor does it immediately appeal to our western minds that are so hungry for “how to” solutions. It tells a story. This is the way God chose to reveal His master plan. He used stories and He inspired the writers of old to combine these stories in a way that masterfully shows how He providentially used the lives of people to prepare the way for His Messiah to step onto the scene.
First Samuel is such a book full of wonderful narratives, skillfully woven into each other to form one big redemption story.
In fact, the Hebrew text combines First and Second Samuel into one even larger narrative. The Greek version, called the Septuagint, calls it the first book of the kingdom.
The backdrop of chaos and rebellion
The book is written against the backdrop of Judges. This is important to remember. Samuel himself will be the last Judge raised up by God. A key to understanding this book then is to understand Israel’s situation.
From Judges three things are clear:
First, Israel is off course. As a nation they are far from being recognised as a holy people and royal priesthood chosen by God to reveal Him to the surrounding nations (Exodus 19:6; Deuteronomy 26:19). On the contrary, they were focused on themselves, each busy with their own lives. They craved the lifestyle of the very nations to whom they were called to proclaim the name of God.
This brings us to the second point from Judges. They were totally given over to their sinful desires. This we don’t only see from Judges, but it is clear even in the first few chapters of 1Samuel. Chapter 2 from verse 12 describes the corruption in their priesthood.
Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the LORD (verse 12)…. Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the LORD, for the men treated the offering of the LORD with contempt (verse 17)…. They lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting (verse 22).
The shocking reality is God did not want them to repent. Their time of grace was expired, so to speak:
But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the LORD to put them to death (2:25).
And thirdly, Israel was in anarchy. What was meant to be a Theocracy under the rule of their God, they rejected God and his rule, and each followed his own heart and purpose (Judges 21:25).
This was the state of the nation at the start of this book.
An ordinary, insignificant, and dysfunctional family
Against this backdrop we are introduced to an ordinary, insignificant, and undeniably dysfunctional family – much like ours. Once again, a Levite from the hill country of Ephraim is introduced to us. Once again, he had had two wives, which caused a lot of pain. But this Levite did not start his own mega church or pushed responsibility away from him. He was religious, at least this is what we gather from his actions. Once a year, most probably during the Feast of Unleavened Bread or Passover, he would go to Shiloh to bring sacrifices and worship. In this he was consistent, and this consistency would create favorable circumstances for the unfolding of God’s (yet unknown) plan.
He had two wives. The reason for this is clear from the text. It was customary for the wealthier to take a second wife (or concubine as they were also called) if the first proved to be barren. This was indeed the case. Hannah was barren because God closed her womb (verses 5 and 6). This led him to take Peninnah as his second wife, and as with Jacob and Leah, and Abraham and Hagar, she had children, while the beloved wife stayed barren.
Peninnah is pictured as arrogant, self-centred, and jealous. This is clear from the way she acts toward Hannah. She is even called Hannah’s rival.
And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb. So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she used to provoke her (verse 6-7).
Surely it is manageable if it happens once or twice, but this emotional battering kept going year after year. It clearly had a very bad effect on Hannah emotionally and physically. She was depressed and ate nothing. Not even her husband could comfort her (verses 7b-8).
Now Hannah was not the same as Peninnah. Her name meant “grace”. Although we see an emotionally depressed and wounded woman, she is portrayed as a woman with a deep spiritual relationship with God. Although He closed her womb, and she had to endure Peninnah’s scorn, she trusted God for a miracle. And in her trust, she prayed continuously and earnestly that God would open her womb.
She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly (verse 10).
Without trying to manipulate God’s hand, she made a double vow regarding the child God would give her. This spiritual encounter brought comfort, and rightly so.
Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad (verse 18).
She found comfort and satisfaction in God.
Let’s examine her vow. Levites were by birth consecrated to service to God, but this would be from age 30-50/60. She promised that he would be dedicated from birth to death as a perpetual Nazarite (verse 11). She also promised that he will serve in God’s temple (or at that time the Tabernacle).
That this was not a superficial vow is described later when she brings Samuel to Eli to fulfil her vow she made. She knew that to make a vow was something serious. She knew God despised it if a vow was made, but not fulfilled. And with a glad heart, she dedicated the young Samuel to the Lord when he was still a young boy.
An ordinary family. No fancies or anything. Seemingly insignificant. A certain man, with two wives in constant battle, doing the same thing every year. Dysfunctional in their internal relationships. Toxic could describe it best.
And yet, this is the family God uses to bring about a major turnaround.
God’s word revealed in the darkness
God answered Hannah’s prayer. He opened her womb and Samuel is born (verse 20). We encounter a handful of similar incidents in Scripture. Sara could not have children and in God’s time His words to Abraham came true. Isaac is born to a barren woman. Rachel’s womb was closed and in God’s time His promises were fulfilled. Judah and Benjamin were born. Significantly Judah, the tribe carrying the seed of the coming Messiah! Manoah’s wife was barren (Judges 13:3), and after the Angel of the Lord appeared to her, His words became true and Samson, a perpetual Nazarite, was born as a mighty deliverer for God’s people. Elizabeth was barren and God opened her womb in His time. John the Baptist was born, a perpetual Nazarite from birth. And then Mary. Although not barren, she could not have a baby as there were no sexual relations. And the Christ, Jesus, was born in the fulness of time as the fulfilment of all God’s promises through the ages. Dedicated to the service of His Heavenly Father from birth. Mary’s question still echoes through history:
How will this be, since I am a virgin? (Luke 1:34)
And in response the angel’s answer reverberates even louder:
Nothing will be impossible with God (Luke 1:37).
All of these were the beginning of major shifts in history, and all these direction-changing events had as their ultimate purpose the fulfilment of God’s promises of salvation from the clutches of sin and death.
Elkanah does what he does every year: He goes to Shiloh. Hannah declines this for now to wean Samuel and Elkanah agrees with these words:
Only, may the LORD establish his word (verse 23).
Now, nowhere in the immediate text was there a word regarding Samuel and his future. Therefore, this must be understood as a prophetic word from a man who probably did not even realise what he just said would in due time prove to be just that. God establishing His word.
Fast forward to chapter 3:1:
And the word of the LORD was rare in those days.
This is followed by verses 19-21:
And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the LORD. And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.
Closing
Samuel’s role from hereon was momentous. Born as a priest, his life changed to be a lifelong dedication to God. Later he was also called to be a Judge. But most significantly he was gripped by the Word of God and served as a Prophet to the nation that led them from Anarchy to Monarchy. From rebellion to control under a king, and this kingdom would be established by God from the tribe of Judah and the Messiah would ultimately take up His reign and rule forever over God’s people.
Indeed, in a dark time, God revealed His word as a light to overpower the darkness. One cannot but think about the words of the Apostle John when he wrote:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world…. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
God did indeed establish His word, and eventually displayed the true Word for all to see, touch, and hear.