1 Samuel 2

[00:00:01] You are listening to the Through the Bible Studio series with Pastor Nate Holdridge.

[00:00:06] Join us as we continue our study through the whole Testament book of 1 Samuel.

[00:00:12] Here's Nate.

[00:00:14] The beginning of 1 Samuel 2 is one of the most beautiful, heartfelt and touching sections

[00:00:22] of God's Word because what you have here is a song, a poem coming from the heart

[00:00:29] of a mother who has just donated her son to the service of the Lord.

[00:00:36] She is giving him away in fulfillment of the vow that she had made to God that if God would

[00:00:42] give her a son, that son would be given and lent to the Lord for the service of the Lord,

[00:00:51] especially there in the Tabernacle.

[00:00:54] And so Hannah had done just what she said she would do.

[00:00:58] She weaned her son, took him up to Shiloh, gave a sacrifice, gave him to Eli and praised

[00:01:09] the Lord.

[00:01:10] And what follows in 1 Samuel 2, the first 10 or so verses is the praise and the song

[00:01:18] that comes from the lips of Hannah.

[00:01:22] And it really is a song that is borrowed in so many senses later on in Divine Revelation.

[00:01:31] It seems that both Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist who was quite the miraculous

[00:01:39] child, but then the most miraculous child Jesus, his mother Mary, it seems that both

[00:01:47] Mary and Zechariah borrowed from this song of Hannah in order to cry out to the Lord in

[00:01:57] celebration for the blessing that he put upon their lives.

[00:02:03] And so let's observe for a moment with awe and reverence this song or prayer from

[00:02:09] Hannah.

[00:02:10] It says in verse 1 that Hannah prayed and said, My heart exalts in the Lord.

[00:02:18] My horn is exalted in the Lord.

[00:02:22] My mouth derides my enemies because I rejoice in your salvation.

[00:02:32] Notice first of all that this is worship.

[00:02:35] They're singing there.

[00:02:36] The last verse of chapter 1 ends with a scene of worship, but in verse 1 of chapter 2 it

[00:02:44] is referred to as prayer.

[00:02:47] Worship is prayer.

[00:02:49] There is a sameness, a similarity between the two.

[00:02:54] She says, My heart exalts in the Lord.

[00:02:57] That's her beginning cry.

[00:03:00] One thing it's important to note that Hannah was thankful to God for answering her prayer.

[00:03:08] She did not forget that it was God who had heard her cry.

[00:03:13] She was a thankful woman.

[00:03:16] She was like the one of the 10 lepers that Jesus healed coming back to say thank you

[00:03:23] for that healing.

[00:03:24] She was willing to first Thessalonians 5.18 give thanks in everything to the Lord.

[00:03:32] She was going to be a thankful person unto God.

[00:03:37] And really in one sense, this is all that God asks for.

[00:03:41] He works in our lives.

[00:03:43] He moves in our lives.

[00:03:44] What does he desire?

[00:03:46] He wants a thankful heart and that's what Hannah had.

[00:03:50] But secondly, notice this about Hannah.

[00:03:53] She immediately sings and who is she rejoicing over?

[00:03:58] Who is she praising?

[00:04:00] Who is she blown away by?

[00:04:02] Not Samuel, not this promised son.

[00:04:06] Her heart exalted in the Lord.

[00:04:08] She rejoices in God and not in Samuel.

[00:04:13] She knew that Samuel was a gift but she knew that the giver of the gift was far

[00:04:18] greater than the gift himself.

[00:04:21] God was Hannah's hero.

[00:04:24] She was in love with God and I think in one sense was able to be comforted by Samuel's

[00:04:29] departure and that sacrifice by the reality that God would go with her.

[00:04:35] She still belonged to the Lord and the Lord belonged to her.

[00:04:39] Now she says my horn is exalted in the Lord.

[00:04:42] This is not the kind of language that we might use in our modern times but of

[00:04:48] course horns would be used by animals for defense and attack and in that era they

[00:04:55] came to symbolize a person's strength.

[00:04:59] She says my strength has been lifted up, my strength has been exalted because of

[00:05:05] the Lord and my mouth derives literally broadens, it smiles at my enemies because I

[00:05:13] rejoice God in your salvation.

[00:05:17] There is none holy like the Lord for there is none besides you.

[00:05:23] There's no rock like our God.

[00:05:26] She's realizing here that there is no one like God, that God was more rare than the son

[00:05:35] of a previously barren womb.

[00:05:38] God was more rare than Samuel.

[00:05:41] No one was holy like the Lord.

[00:05:44] No rock she says like our God and what a beautiful description of God.

[00:05:50] She refers to him as a rock, a place of safety, a place of refuge.

[00:05:56] Often you'll see the phrase or the term rock attached to God as a fortress as well.

[00:06:02] A place of refuge, a place of safety, a place of defense against attack.

[00:06:07] That is who God is.

[00:06:11] She says now in verse 3 she almost really is turning her attention from the Lord to

[00:06:18] her accuser, Panina, and to accusers in general.

[00:06:24] She says talk no more so very proudly.

[00:06:27] Verse 3, let not arrogance come from your mouth for the Lord is a God of knowledge

[00:06:33] and by him actions are weighed.

[00:06:36] In other words, God is the judge and he sees all.

[00:06:40] The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength.

[00:06:45] Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry

[00:06:51] have ceased to hunger.

[00:06:53] The barren has born seven, but she who has many children is forlorn.

[00:07:00] The Lord kills and brings to life.

[00:07:02] He brings down to shield and raises up.

[00:07:05] He makes the poor.

[00:07:07] The Lord makes poor and makes rich.

[00:07:10] He brings low and exalts.

[00:07:13] He raises up the poor from the dust.

[00:07:16] He lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat

[00:07:23] of honor for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's and on them he has set the world.

[00:07:31] This is an incredible and beautiful prayer from Hannah.

[00:07:36] Really at the beginning or the front of the paragraph I just read, it's mostly just a

[00:07:43] role reversal kind of prayer.

[00:07:46] She gives God and ascribes His majesty and His power, but then she gives a warning.

[00:07:53] Listen, those who were mighty are broken.

[00:07:57] Those who are full are begging for bread.

[00:08:00] Those who are barren have born seven and those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.

[00:08:08] Those who are feeble have put on strength and she gives a warning.

[00:08:12] She says, listen, it's the Lord who makes poor.

[00:08:14] It's the Lord who makes rich.

[00:08:16] It's the Lord who brings low and it's the Lord who exalts.

[00:08:20] She wants it to be very clear here that it was God who had blessed her life.

[00:08:25] It was God who had cared for her.

[00:08:28] It was God who had opened the womb and was now prospering her life.

[00:08:36] And she even says there at the end of verse 8, the pillars of the earth are the Lord's

[00:08:41] and on Him he has set the world.

[00:08:44] In other words, God is in charge here.

[00:08:47] Everything in creation is under His sovereign control.

[00:08:52] And if that's His nature, if that's His character, then surely He can protect His

[00:08:57] people and He can confound their enemies.

[00:09:01] He will, verse 9, guard the feet of His faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness

[00:09:08] for not by might shall a man prevail.

[00:09:12] That's a wonderful phrase from Hannah.

[00:09:15] She just says, listen, the strength of mankind is so limited.

[00:09:19] But when God is in the equation, it's not by might that a man shall prevail.

[00:09:27] It's God.

[00:09:28] God must be your defense.

[00:09:30] God must stand with you so much of what we do for the Lord.

[00:09:35] I think we often do it with a view in mind that we will be the ones to give victory,

[00:09:43] that we will be the ones to cause our church or our ministry, our desires to prevail.

[00:09:52] It's not by our might, Hannah announces, that man shall prevail.

[00:09:57] It's God.

[00:09:58] It's the strength of God, the power of God.

[00:10:01] Through prayer, through supplication, Hannah won the victory.

[00:10:06] What did she do?

[00:10:07] She prayed.

[00:10:08] She prayed and God heard her cry.

[00:10:11] And she was used marvelously and miraculously because she turned to the Lord in prayer.

[00:10:19] It was not by her might that she prevailed.

[00:10:23] Now in verse 10, she begins to say something that sounds very prophetic.

[00:10:31] Notice what she says.

[00:10:33] The adversaries, verse 10 of the Lord, shall be broken to pieces.

[00:10:39] Against them he will thunder in heaven.

[00:10:43] The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.

[00:10:46] He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.

[00:10:56] Now at first glance, there have been some who in looking at what Hannah has said have

[00:11:05] come to the conclusion that this must have been written after the period of the kings

[00:11:11] had commenced because here she is speaking of a day when God would give strength to his king

[00:11:21] and exalt the horn of his anointed.

[00:11:25] But for, of course, for us we realize no, God speaks what is to come before it comes

[00:11:32] to pass.

[00:11:33] God knows the end from the beginning.

[00:11:35] And so this is predictive prophecy that is flowing from Hannah's mouth.

[00:11:41] There were no kings in Israel up to this point, but she is prophesying of that day.

[00:11:48] But who is she speaking of?

[00:11:51] Well in one sense she's speaking of the immediate fulfillment of that prophecy.

[00:11:58] A day would come where God would give strength to his king more than likely David as Saul

[00:12:04] was rejected and would not have the title God's King.

[00:12:09] But beyond that, you know God had promised to David that there would be an anointed one

[00:12:15] who would sit upon his throne forever and ever.

[00:12:19] That phrase came to be a phrase to be used of the Christ or the Messiah, the anointed

[00:12:26] one.

[00:12:27] So whether she knew it or not, I believe it's possible that Hannah was predicting

[00:12:33] the coming of Christ, that God would give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.

[00:12:42] After this song it says in verse 11 that then Elkene went home to Ramah and the boy was

[00:12:48] ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.

[00:12:53] Now in contrast we learn in verse 12, it says now the sons of Eli were worthless men,

[00:13:00] they did not know the Lord.

[00:13:03] That's fascinating because they were priests, they were there serving the Lord yet they did

[00:13:07] not know the Lord.

[00:13:10] And the custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the

[00:13:16] priest's servant would come while the meat was boiling with a three-pronged fork in

[00:13:21] his hand and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot.

[00:13:27] All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself.

[00:13:31] That is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.

[00:13:35] Moreover before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who

[00:13:40] was sacrificing give meat for the priest to roast for he will not accept boiled meat

[00:13:46] from you but only raw.

[00:13:48] And if the man said to him let them burn the fat first and then take as much as you

[00:13:52] wish he would say no you must give it now and if not I will take it by force.

[00:13:58] Across the sin verse 17 of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord for

[00:14:03] the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

[00:14:08] So here we have a description of the way that Eli's sons were serving the Lord and

[00:14:15] Eli's sons are always listed in direct contrast with what Samuel would be like and Eli's

[00:14:22] family is always in contrast to Elkina's family.

[00:14:28] So these men were worthless men it says in verse 12 or wicked men they're in verse 12.

[00:14:35] And so you know we've already seen the human reason that Samuel was born.

[00:14:41] Hannah cried out to the Lord she longed for a child that was the human reason.

[00:14:47] He was a response to a godly mother's prayer but there was a divine reason.

[00:14:54] In those days according to Judges 21 verse 25 Israel had no king and everyone did as he

[00:15:02] saw fit and this apparently we now learn extended all the way to the priesthood.

[00:15:09] And a couple of things that they did that were so sinful is that for one they were not

[00:15:13] content with the meat that God had scripturally dedicated to the priesthood.

[00:15:23] The priests were supposed to get the right shoulder and the breast of these animal sacrifices

[00:15:29] but that was not enough for these men they would go in with their three pronged fork

[00:15:33] and take additional meat for themselves.

[00:15:38] They were not content with what God had given to them.

[00:15:42] Lack of contentment will get you in serious trouble be content with what God has prescribed

[00:15:47] for you as his people.

[00:15:50] But secondly they would also not accept in verse 15 at times boiled meat.

[00:15:57] You know they grew tired of that boiled meat they wanted to barbecue it they wanted to

[00:16:01] cook it over the fire so they wanted raw meat so that they could prepare it according

[00:16:06] to their desires.

[00:16:09] Now the reason this is interesting the reason that the meat was boiled is that it took

[00:16:15] them back to the method that they employed to prepare the Passover feast originally in

[00:16:23] Egypt.

[00:16:24] They had to cook it quickly and hastily and so they boiled it and that's what God had

[00:16:31] asked them to do there at the Passover.

[00:16:34] So the rejection of boiled meat from the priest was like a mocking word concerning the Passover

[00:16:43] itself and so these men took whatever they wanted whenever they wanted it whatever looked

[00:16:50] good to them rather than what God himself had prescribed to them.

[00:16:56] They were serving just as Paul had said in Romans 16 verse 18 they were serving their own

[00:17:02] bellies their God was their belly and you know God is a reason for what he's given

[00:17:08] to us and so we must accept what the Lord has prescribed I think in the modern era that

[00:17:16] I'm ministering in the area of sexual freedom is a major area that a believer separates himself

[00:17:26] from the world.

[00:17:27] We say to ourselves and we say to others and we say to the Lord listen God has prescribed

[00:17:34] a certain thing he has given sex to mankind to enjoy to be blessed by with the wife or the

[00:17:42] husband of their youth one man one woman coming together covenantally for the rest of their

[00:17:49] lives together.

[00:17:51] The world though holds out and says no there's more that you must receive there's so much

[00:17:56] more that you could have but it is so much better to be content with what God has

[00:18:02] given to us for he's given it to us for a very good reason.

[00:18:06] There's great blessing and just receiving only that which God has prescribed for you.

[00:18:13] Now notice as well that it tells us in verse 17 that the sin of the young men was very

[00:18:19] great in the sight of the Lord these weren't just average Israelites falling into sin these

[00:18:26] were priests and their sin would cause others to hate the tabernacle and hate the worship

[00:18:35] of God and despise the priesthood and in turn despise God.

[00:18:42] And so this speaks highly of the responsibility of those who are serving the Lord to live

[00:18:49] lives of honor and consistency before God lest we would stumble those weaker than us in

[00:18:58] the faith.

[00:18:59] Now in verse 18 we go back to Samuel it says that Samuel was ministering before the Lord

[00:19:06] a boy clothed with a linen ephod and his mother used to make for him a little robe

[00:19:11] and take it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly

[00:19:16] sacrifice.

[00:19:17] Then Eli would bless Elkeneh and his wife and say may the Lord give you children by this

[00:19:23] woman for the petition she asked of the Lord so then they would return to their home and

[00:19:28] indeed the Lord verse 21 visited Hannah and she conceived and bore three sons and two

[00:19:35] daughters and the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.

[00:19:42] So what a contrast to Eli's family and Eli's son you have Elkeneh's family, Elkeneh's sons

[00:19:49] and daughters now God blessing the womb of Hannah just a wonderful thing.

[00:19:55] And we love of course the fact that the Lord visited Hannah.

[00:20:00] It's so interesting because this is often the pattern that the Lord is trying to take

[00:20:06] us through in our own lives.

[00:20:08] Hannah gave to the Lord and the Lord gave back much more to her.

[00:20:16] So often we have such a hard time you know I don't want to give away my money, I don't

[00:20:20] want to give away my time but the reality is you cannot out give God.

[00:20:29] Hannah could have sat back and said Lord when I have five children maybe three sons

[00:20:34] and two daughters then I'll give you my sixth son it wouldn't have worked.

[00:20:41] She gave that which was costly she gave her only son and God blessed her with three more

[00:20:49] sons and two daughters whatever you give to the Lord will be worth it even if it seems

[00:20:56] crazy.

[00:20:57] Now Eli verse 21 back to him was very old and he kept hearing all that his sons were

[00:21:03] doing to all Israel and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance

[00:21:07] to the tent of meeting and he said to them why do you do such things for I hear of your

[00:21:13] evil dealings from all these people know my sons it is no good report that I hear the

[00:21:19] people of the Lord spreading abroad if someone sins against a man God will mediate for him

[00:21:25] but if someone sins against the Lord that's what you're doing who can intercede for

[00:21:29] him but they would not listen to the voice of their father for it was the will of the Lord

[00:21:35] to put them to death they were already past the point of repentance.

[00:21:40] Now the boys Samuel continued to grow in both stature and in favor with the Lord and also

[00:21:46] with man again you have the contrast in the family of Eli just a very dysfunctional

[00:21:53] horrible family Eli hears of what his sons had been doing not only were they taking the

[00:21:59] meat but they were actually laying with the women who were serving at the entrance of

[00:22:04] the tent of meeting there were these women who would serve in the temple or the tabernacle

[00:22:12] and these priests were likely borrowing Canaanite cultic religious practices and we're

[00:22:20] actually having sex with these women there at the temple Eli is hearing about the taking

[00:22:28] of the sacrifices and lying with these women and all he can do is question these men speak

[00:22:36] to them but it says in verse 25 they would not listen to the voice of their father

[00:22:43] they wouldn't hear his voice it's amazing he cracked down so hard upon Hannah in chapter

[00:22:51] one when he thought that she was praying in a drunk manner before God when he thought

[00:22:58] she was intoxicated in the temple he cracked down hard on that woman but here with these

[00:23:05] guys he speaks so softly so easy with them oh please guys don't do this please stop

[00:23:12] the reputation is not good but he doesn't harshly deal with them stop them in their work

[00:23:22] the plank was certainly firmly embedded into his own eye but Samuel he continued to grow

[00:23:29] and stature and in favor with the Lord verse 26 and also with man very similar to Jesus

[00:23:36] as he grew in Luke chapter 2 verse 52 and there came verse 27 a man of God to Eli and

[00:23:45] said to him now we don't know who this prophet was but this man of God comes to Eli and makes

[00:23:52] an announcement thus says the Lord did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father

[00:23:58] when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh did I choose him out of all the

[00:24:05] tribes of Israel to be my priest to go up to my altar to burn incense to wear an

[00:24:12] ephod before me I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people

[00:24:20] of Israel God is alluding to and referencing Aaron the Levite who was chosen as as priest

[00:24:28] there in Israel why then verse 29 as his relative why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my

[00:24:37] offerings that I commanded for my dwelling and honor your sons above me by fattening

[00:24:43] yourselves on the choices parts of every offering of my people Israel you're actually taking

[00:24:50] what belongs to me you're honoring your sons above me these men took the best and gave

[00:24:57] God the rest God wants us to give him the best so that he can bless the rest in our

[00:25:04] lives these men refused therefore verse 30 the Lord the God of Israel declares I promise

[00:25:13] that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever but

[00:25:20] now the Lord declares far be it from me for those who honor me I will honor and

[00:25:26] those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed behold the days are coming when I will cut off

[00:25:32] your strength and the strength of your father's house so that there will not be an old man

[00:25:38] in your house then in distress you will look with an envious eye on all the prosperity

[00:25:45] that shall be bestowed on Israel and there shall not be an old man in your house forever

[00:25:51] the only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his eyes

[00:25:58] out to grieve his heart and all the descendants of your house shall die by the sword of men

[00:26:05] and Eli would see examples of this the Ark would be captured in his day Shiloh would

[00:26:13] be destroyed in his day his sons would die in his day just a prophecy of horrible nature

[00:26:23] directed towards Eli notice that he goes on and says in verse 34 and this that shall come

[00:26:30] upon your two sons Haphne and Phineas shall be the sign to you in other words here's

[00:26:37] this prophet making this declaration to Eli the question that Eli might ask is how do I know

[00:26:45] that this was a legitimate prophecy concerning my future generations well here it is the

[00:26:53] prophet announced both of your sons shall die on the same day you know when when Eli

[00:27:00] saw and heard that both of his sons had died on the same day he would know that the

[00:27:06] prophecy from this man's mouth was accurate and would come to pass and I will raise verse

[00:27:13] 35 up for myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in my heart and in

[00:27:21] my mind and I will build him a sure house and he shall go in and out before my anointed

[00:27:27] forever and everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of

[00:27:32] silver or a loaf of bread and shall say please put me in one of the priests places that I may

[00:27:39] eat a morsel of bread God promises here that he's going to transfer the priestly duties

[00:27:47] and responsibilities out from the house of Eli to another house for ever now this is

[00:27:57] fulfilled actually in first Kings chapter 2 Abbe Athar would be the final priest in Eli's

[00:28:05] line and Zadok would still fulfill the qualifications of the priesthood although not through the

[00:28:13] line of Eli perhaps more close however in timeline would be Samuel he would be the faithful

[00:28:23] priest in contrast with the unfaithful sons of Eli Hopney and Phineas but then looking out

[00:28:31] way past Samuel way past Zadok who is the ultra faithful priest well that's Jesus Christ

[00:28:40] the righteous a priest according to the order of Melchizedek a priest who will serve us for ever

[00:28:47] the priesthood transferred to his name forever and ever amen God bless you thank you for listening

[00:28:58] for additional resources and teachings or to contact us please visit us at Nate Holdridge