1 Samuel 1:1-20 The Birth of Samuel
Notes
Transcript
Today we start the message series in 1st and 2nd Samuel
and
the title of this series is “A Prophet and 2 Kings”
I am not going to dig to deep in the background of Israel at this time,
but I do want to give you a quick synopsis of where Israel is at as a nation.
For Israel it has been some time now since they entered the promise land
and
As we see in Judges that there is a continued struggle where Israel follows the ways of the nations around them instead of following the ways of God.
2 versus that capture how Israel has postured their hearts…
Judges 17:6 and Judges 21:25 says the same exact thing…
6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
This attitude really describes the condition of Israel,
which we are going to see play out as God is going to deal with Israels sin condition.
Also, because of this condition of Israel the voice of the Lord has grown faint.
1 Samuel 3:1b (NLT)
1 Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.
We will unpack more throughout this book,
but this gives you an idea of where Isreal is at spiritually.
The book of Samuel picks up with a man named Elkanah and his 2 wives Hannah and Peninnah.
1 Samuel 1:1–2 (ESV)
1 There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 2 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.
Having no children at this time would bring much shame to a women.
(Women’s value was put into how many children they would have, especially boys)
[Boys worked on the farm and carry on the family name]
Kid’s were people’s retirement package... 401k
Hannah’s inability to have children,
was likely the reason why Elkanah married this other women Peninnah.
Here we have man’s solution to solve the problem of having no children...
How many know that usually,
if not always,
our man made fixes to problems cause more problems in the future?
1 Samuel 1:3–8 (ESV)
3 Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. 4 On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. 6 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. 7 So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. 8 And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
This man made solution has backfired on Elkanah.
(Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar) [Issac and Ishmael]
Here Elkanah thinks he is going to fix something… (Guys like to do that)
but his fix has caused great turmoil in his home.
The second wife, Peninnah,
who is refereed as Hannah’s rival,
would provoke Hannah to hurt her. (Joke imagine how she provoked Hannah)
(Jealousy) [Jealousy plays a big part in the book of Samuel]
Hurt people hurt people....
Elkanah, is in a position were he is trying to fix another problem because his first solution did not work…
His new solution is to give Hannah more food and say an arrogant statement like “Am I not more to you than ten sons? (V8)
Not helpful…
In fairness to Elkanah,
men don’t understand women because we think so much different.
(he probably thought he was helping) [Trying]
Story of Highway to Hawaii
1 Samuel 1:9–11 (ESV)
9 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. 10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. 11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”
We see a picture of a women who is broken and desperate....
(What does she do? prays) [We have a choice]
Elkanah own Solution
Hannah prays
Verse 5 & 6 it says 2 times that “The Lord had closed her womb”
That does not seem fair… faith comes into play...
Is my faith built on my ability to explain why this bad thing is happening ?
or
is my faith solely built on the Jesus?
story of the man born blind… John 9
Jesus said this happened that the works of God would be displayed in him.
I have found that there is my time table…
and there is God’s time table…
Hannah goes into the temple as a women desperate before God for help. Life not fair
1 Samuel 1:12–16 (ESV)
12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” 15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.”
I want to say that when you get real before the Lord and pour out your heart to Him,
people are going to misunderstand you.
And Unfortunately those who misunderstand you,
can be people that you would think would understand you the most.
Eli, who is the high priest, (Senior Global Pastor status)
and he completely missed what was happening in front of him.
Just because someone has a title that they should know God well,
does not mean that they always will.
Here Eli, see’s Hannah pouring out her heart to God,
and he thinks she is drunk. (get it any more wrong?)
1 Samuel 1:9b (ESV)
9b Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.
1 Samuel 1:12 (ESV)
12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth.
Eli’s posture here is that he is watching what is going on in the temple,
instead of actively participating in worship of God in the temple.
What I have found is that it is much easier to find faults in people,
when you come as a spectator and watch others worship.
Whereas when you have your gaze set on Jesus,
you tend not to see people's flows because you are not looking to people but to God.
A few weeks ago I preached on missing the point....
Eli missed it bad here...
Eli confronts Hannah about being drunk or what he perceives to be drunk,
which demonstrates another point here and that is,
when things are not right in our own lives we will perceive things wrong in others lives…
(This will come up later as well in the book of Samuel)
When things are not right in our own homes,
then we began to project things that are not true in other people.
Hannah is crying out to God for help and because Eli is not doing well right now spiritually,
he attacks Hannah and condemns Hannah for something that is not happening. (drunk)
Eli should have been right beside Hannah weeping before God in his own mess he had going on in his own home,
but instead he is looking at Hannah with a critical eye.
Next week we are going to cover some of things that was happening in Eli’s home,
but just know that he had some major issues going on
Instead of dealing with his own issues,
he projects other issue’s on someone else that is not even there.
Hannah explains to Eli that she is not drunk,
but rather praying out of anxiety and vexation.
Hannah is crying out to God needing help! (Desperate)
Hannah does the right thing,
though she is accused of getting drunk at the temple.
But after Eli hears what is really happening he says this…
1 Samuel 1:17–20 (ESV)
17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.” 18 And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
(praying for breakthrough… finally lifted...)
19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. 20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”
The Lord remembered Hannah and it says “in due time” she conceived and bore a son.
(God’s timing vs my timing)
The story of Samuel’s birth demonstrates a reality that all of us face,
and that reality is how do we respond when life does not seem fair and nothing is going right.
Not Fair?… 3 postures we can take…
Elkanah (own solution)
Eli (complacent [callousness]
Hannah (pray)[authenticity and realness]