The Lord Has Helped Us

1 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the Lord. 2 From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.

3 And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.

5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6 So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. 7 Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. 10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.

12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.

15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the Lord. – 1 Samuel 7:1-17 ESV

The ark had been returned to Israel but the situation was far from perfect. In their two battles with the Philistines, the Israelites suffered staggering losses, including the deaths of 34,000 soldiers and the destruction or confiscation of many of their cities and lands. Their high priest and his two sons were dead and the ark was no longer located within the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle at Shiloh. For 20 years, it was kept at the home of Abinadab in Kiriath-jearim, and its absence made it impossible for the Israelites to keep the annual Day of Atonement impossible. This most sacred and solemn of all the annual feasts was held once a year and was the God-ordained means by which the people of Israel could receive atonement for all their sins.

On this one day each year, the high priest was allowed access to the Holy of Holies where God’s glory rested upon the mercy seat above the ark of the covenant. But before the high priest could enter, he had to atone for his own sins by offering a bull as a sin offering. Once he had been properly cleansed, he was to take two goats provided by the people and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle. One goat was sacrificed as a sin offering for the people and its blood was taken inside the veil and sprinkled over the mercy seat.

“Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.” – Leviticus 16:16 ESV

The final step involved the ceremonial transfer of God’s judgment onto the second goat, which was then released into the wilderness.

“Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.” – Leviticus 16:20-21 ESV

 For at least 20 years, this entire process had been unavailable to the Israelites and the spiritual toll on the nation was significant. Verse 2 states that “all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord” (1 Samuel 7:2 ESV). They mourned over the seeming loss of God’s presence and power. They had gotten their precious ark back but its presence didn’t seem to do any good; they felt as if God was nowhere to be found. 

During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed the Lord had abandoned them. – 1 Samuel 7:2 NLT

Even as they cried out to God for help, they hedged their bets and turned to the false gods of the Canaanites in the hope that they could protect them from the Philistines. It was in this dark and desperate spiritual vacuum that Samuel began his ministry. The nation was rudderless and in need of someone to guide them back to God.

God had called and commissioned Samuel for this role at this specific time in Israel’s history.

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. – 1 Samuel 3:19-21 ESV

Now a young man and a proven spokesman for God, Samuel called the people of Israel to repentance, demanding that they turn their backs on the false gods of Canaan and return to the one true God.

“If you want to return to the Lord with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the Lord and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” – 1 Samuel 7:3 NLT

Mourning would not be enough; God wanted demonstrable evidence of heart change that showed up in their behavior. He would not tolerate their idolatry and infidelity. If they wanted God’s help, they would need to treat Him with honor, and the people responded to Samuel’s message.

So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the Lord. – 1 Samuel 7:4 NLT

A purging took place, with the Israelites physically removing all the images of their false gods from their homes and businesses. These pagan deities had become a normal part of Israelite life and it probably took time to eradicate them. With the last vestiges of the false gods removed, Samuel called the people to gather at Mizpah for a time of corporate confession and cleansing.

When the Philistines learned of this great gathering at Mizpah, they assumed that the upstart Israelites were preparing to make war. So, they gathered their troops and marched toward Mizpah to put a stop to any Israelite insurgence. When news of the Philistine army’s advancement reached the ears of the Israelites, they began to panic and demanded that Samuel call out to Yahweh for help. In response, Samuel “took a young lamb and offered it to the Lord as a whole burnt offering. He pleaded with the Lord to help Israel, and the Lord answered him” (1 Samuel 7:9 NLT).

This time, rather than sending for the ark, the people begged Samuel to take their problem directly to God, which he did, and God answered in a big way. As the Philistines began their attack, “the Lord spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven that day, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them” (1 Samuel 7:10 NLT). This was a Red Sea kind of deliverance. The Israelites stood back and watched as God miraculously intervened on their behalf. He spoke and the enemy panicked. God’s voice alone brought the Philistine advancement to a standstill and turned it into a rout.

In celebration of their divinely ordained victory, Samuel erected a memorial stone, naming it Ebenezer, which means “stone of help.” In their time of desperate need, Yahweh their “rock” had shown up and provided them with deliverance. He had done for them what they could never have done for themselves. To record this memorable event for posterity, Samuel erected a stone monument that would serve as a perpetual reminder to future generations of Israelites of God’s power to deliver. Even David, the future king of Israel, would declare the glory of the Lord, his rock and strength.

I love you, Lord;
    you are my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
    my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
    and my place of safety.
I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
    and he saved me from my enemies. – Psalm 18:1-3 NLT

It’s important to note that Israel received God’s help after they repented, confessed, and purged the land of their false gods. Their willingness to honor God resulted in His willingness to deliver them from the enemy. As long as they remained faithful to Yahweh, He would give them victory over the Philistines and ensure their safety and security in the land. For the first time in a long time, the Israelites found themselves under the leadership of a man whose close relationship with God provided them with the guidance they needed to thrive in the hostile environment of Canaan.

…throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the Lord’s powerful hand was raised against the Philistines. – 1 Samuel 7:13 NLT

The judgeship of Samuel had begun, and this young man took his role seriously. He traveled throughout the land of Israel, encouraging the people to walk in obedience to the Lord. He modeled faithfulness and called the people to maintain their allegiance to God at all costs. The stone of Ebenezer was intended to remind the people of Israel of Go’s presence and power. He had proven Himself trustworthy in the past and He would do so in the future. Samuel spent his life reminding the people, “Till now the Lord has helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12 ESV), and as long as they remained faithful, He would continue to do so.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Good News and Bad News

1 The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.” 3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you.” 4 And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5 So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you and your gods and your land. 6 Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed? 7 Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two milk cows on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. 8 And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way 9 and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”

10 The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. 11 And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. 12 And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. 13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. 14 The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15 And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord. 16 And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.

17 These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron, 18 and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and unwalled villages. The great stone beside which they set down the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

19 And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow. 20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.” – 1 Samuel 6:1-21 ESV

Seven long and painful months passed before the Philistines decided to do something about the curse of the ark. They had transported it from city to city in an attempt to escape the judgments that accompanied its presence, but relocating this idol of the Israelite god didn’t remedy their problem. The plague of debilitating and deadly tumors spread wherever the ark was taken, accompanied by a supernatural infestation of grain-devouring mice. Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, was destroying their bodies as well as their crops, and Dagon, their “father of the gods” had proved to be no help. This pagan deity was believed to be half-man and half-fish and was worshiped as the creator god and lord of the land.

“This deity was a personification of the generative and vivifying [life-giving] principle of nature, for which the fish with its innumerable multiplication was especially adapted, to set forth the idea of the giver of all earthly good.” – Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament

Yet, the image of their great deity remained on its face in the temple that bore its name, a broken and lifeless idol that proved to be no match for the one true God. Their god of grain could not stop the plague of mice that devoured their crops. Dagon, the life-giving god of the Philistines, was powerless to eliminate the painful tumors that had covered the bodies of his worshipers. This false god had proven to be a fraud.

So, the Philistines came up with a plan. Rather than presenting offerings to Dagon, they would return the ark to Israel, accompanied by a guilt offering to assuage the anger of Yahweh. This God of the Israelites had proven Himself to be both powerful and vengeful, and they were desperate to be out from under His wrath.

The Philistines sought the wisdom of their priests and diviners, who advised that a form of tribute be paid to the God of Israel.

“Send the Ark of the God of Israel back with a gift,” they were told. “Send a guilt offering so the plague will stop. Then, if you are healed, you will know it was his hand that caused the plague.” – 1 Samuel 6:3 NLT

Strangely enough, they recommended the creation of “Five golden tumors and five golden mice” (1 Samuel 6:4 ESV). These miniature icons were meant to represent their suffering and they hoped that by sending them to Israel’s God in the form of a tribute, He would graciously remove the real tumors and mice from their land.

This entire plan was a shot in the dark because the Philistines had no idea if it would work. Their knowledge of Yahweh was limited and based on the ancient rumors of what He had done to the Egyptians. That is what led the priests to warn the people, “Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed?” (1 Samuel 6:6 ESV).

The Israelite God had devastated the Egyptians with a litany of terrible plagues until they relented and set the Israelites free. If the Philistines wanted to escape God’s wrath, they would need to return His ark and pay for their sins. This entire chapter portrays the Philistines as more repentant than the chosen people of God. These idolatrous polytheistic pagans showed more fear and reverence for Yahweh than the Israelites. Absent from this chapter is any mention of Israel’s actions during the seven months the ark remained in Philistine hands. There is no indication that Israel grieved or mourned their loss. No prayers are recorded. No offerings are described. According to verse 13, the people of Israel were living their lives as if nothing had ever happened.

Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. – 1 Samuel 6:13 ESV

While the Philistines had been watching their crops be destroyed by mice, the Israelites had been enjoying the blessings of God. Yet, it seems as if the loss of the ark had made no impact on them. It was business as usual in Israel. Crops needed to be harvested. Grapes needed to be gathered and processed into wine. But as long as the ark remained in enemy hands, no atonement for sin could be made for the sins of the people. Yet, there’s no indication that the Israelites were concerned in the least.

Meanwhile, the Philistines loaded the ark on a cart accompanied by the golden tumors and mice. As a test to see if the God of Israel would accept their gift, they yoked two untrained milk cows to the cart that had never been used for this kind of labor. They would be expected to draw this cart back to Israelite territory without the benefit of a human driver. And, to make the test more difficult, the calves of these two milk cows were separated from them and locked away. It would be a miracle if these lactating cows left behind their recently born calves; their maternal instincts would prevent them from doing so.

But the test worked, because “the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh” (1 Samuel 6:12 ESV). The ark and its precious content arrived safely back in Israel and were greeted with enthusiasm.

The people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they saw the Ark, they were overjoyed! The cart came into the field of a man named Joshua and stopped beside a large rock. So the people broke up the wood of the cart for a fire and killed the cows and sacrificed them to the Lord as a burnt offering. – 1 Samuel 6:13-14 NLT

They were shocked and surprised because this was not what they had been expecting. After seven months, the ark suddenly reappeared and they were overjoyed. This led to an impromptu celebration complete with sacrifices and offerings. But the festivities were marred by the deaths of 70 men who violated the command of God and gazed upon the ark of the covenant. God had given Moses very specific instructions about the transport of the ark.

“When the camp moves, Aaron and his sons must enter the Tabernacle first to take down the inner curtain and cover the Ark of the Covenant with it. Then they must cover the inner curtain with fine goatskin leather and spread over that a single piece of blue cloth. Finally, they must put the carrying poles of the Ark in place.” – Numbers 4:5-6 NLT

Only the Levites were authorized to carry the ark and whenever it left the Holy of Holies it was to be covered so that no one could see it. It was forbidden for anyone to see or touch the ark, upon pain of death. According to chapter six of 1 Samuel, the Levites properly removed the ark from the cart by utilizing the poles, but 70 unnamed men had chosen to lift up the veil so they could see the ark with their own eyes. They died as a result. Most reliable manuscripts state that the number of dead was 50,070. This may sound like an inflated or exaggerated number but it would not be unreasonable to expect the Israelites to have paraded the newly recovered ark in the presence of the people – uncovered and free for all to see. This would have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any Israelite.

But the joy of seeing the ark quickly turned to mourning and the reverence for God transformed into fear. The people of Beth-shemesh suddenly lost all their enthusiasm and excitement and couldn't wait to get rid of the ark. They saw its presence as a curse rather than a blessing.

“Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” – 1 Samuel 6:20 ESV

Like the Philistines, they wanted the ark out of their town and sent word to the people of Kiriath-jearim to take this omen of judgment off their hands. They wanted nothing to do with it. But what is noteworthy is that the Israelites made no attempt to return the ark to its original home in Shiloh where the Tabernacle resided. Instead, they sent it to Kiriath-jearim, a non-Levitical city. According to verse one of the next chapter, they placed the ark in the home of Abinadab and consecrated his son Eleazar to serve as its caretaker. Neither one of these men was a Levite and, therefore, they were unqualified to serve in a priestly role. Yet, the ark would remain in Kiriath-jearim for 20 years and the Israelites would view this two-decade-long period as a time of mourning and loss. Without the ark being located in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle, the Day of Atonement could not be celebrated. With the ark missing from its proper place in the Tabernacle, God’s presence was also missing. “and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord” (1 Samuel 7:2 ESV).

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

“I Am the Lord!”

1 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. 3 And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4 But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 5 This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

6 The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. 7 And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.” 8 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there. 9 But after they had brought it around, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them. 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.” 11 They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there. 12 The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven. – 1 Samuel 5:1-12 ESV

The Philistines got what they wanted: A lop-sided victory over the Israelites and, as an added bonus, the capture of the enemy’s gold-covered idol. The superstitious and idolatrous Philistines recognized the ark as an Israelite deity. When they had witnessed its arrival in the Israelite camp, the Philistines had taken notice.

…when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” – 1 Samuel 4:6-7 ESV

The polytheistic Philistines worshiped three different gods: Ashtoreth, Dagon, and Baal-Zebub. The Philistines made a habit of carrying images of their deities into battle (2 Samuel 5:21), so it was no surprise to them when the Israelites did the same thing. But they weren’t exactly pleased by the news.

“Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness.” – 1 Samuel 4:7-8 ESV

Yet, their fears proved to be unfounded as they easily routed the enemy and captured the Israelite god. They returned to Ashdod with the ark in tow and placed it in the temple of their god, Dagon. It’s unclear whether they meant for the ark to be an offering to their own god or if they were equal opportunity idolaters who intended to add the Israelite god to their pantheon of pagan deities.

But whatever their reason for placing the ark in the temple of Dagon, they woke up to find that their deity was lying prostrate before the golden ark of the covenant. During the night, the statue of their “father of the gods” had fallen from its pedestal and was face-down before the Israelite “god.” This unexpected scene must have shocked the superstitious Philistines but they quickly remedied the problem by returning their god to his upright position.

This scene brings to mind a passage from the Book of Isaiah in which God ridicules the pathetic practice of idolatry.

“To whom will you compare me?
    Who is my equal?
Some people pour out their silver and gold
    and hire a craftsman to make a god from it.
    Then they bow down and worship it!
They carry it around on their shoulders,
    and when they set it down, it stays there.
    It can’t even move!
And when someone prays to it, there is no answer.
    It can’t rescue anyone from trouble.” – Isaiah 46:5-7 NLT

God pulled no punches when discussing His disdain for these man-made substitutes for Him.

“How foolish are those who manufacture idols.
    These prized objects are really worthless.
The people who worship idols don’t know this,
    so they are all put to shame.
Who but a fool would make his own god—
    an idol that cannot help him one bit?
All who worship idols will be disgraced
    along with all these craftsmen—mere humans—
    who claim they can make a god.” – Isaiah 44:9-11 NLT

“Such stupidity and ignorance!
    Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see.
    Their minds are shut, and they cannot think.
The person who made the idol never stops to reflect,
    ‘Why, it’s just a block of wood!
I burned half of it for heat
    and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat.
How can the rest of it be a god?
    Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?’” – Isaiah 44:18-19 NLT

While it’s likely the Philistines questioned how their god had fallen, they were forced to help him get back on his feet. Having successfully returned their fallen deity to his place of prominence in his own temple, the Philistines went about their business. The next morning, the priests of Dagon returned to find their god had taken another unexpected spill during the night. This time, far more than their god’s reputation had been damaged.

Dagon had fallen face down before the Ark of the Lord again. This time his head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway. Only the trunk of his body was left intact. – 1 Samuel 5:4 NLT

And things were about to get worse for the people of Ashdod. Samuel records, “The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod” (1 Samuel 5:8 ESV). He intentionally uses the Hebrew word kāḇaḏ, which is the root word from which the Hebrew word for “glory” (kāḇôḏ) is derived. The glorious God of Israel was throwing His “weight” around and demonstrating that Dagon was no match for Him. While Dagon’s hands had been sheered off during his fall, the hand of the Lord came down hard on the citizens of Ashdod. He “struck the people of Ashdod and the nearby villages with a plague of tumors” (1 Samuel 5:6 NLT), and their god was powerless to do anything about it.

Terrified by the prospect of further acts of vengeance from the Israelite god, the Philistines voted to remove the ark and transport it to another Philistine city. Like an ancient game of hot potato, the citizens of Ashdod sent the ark packing and unknowingly transferred their pain to the unsuspecting people of Gath.

But when the Ark arrived at Gath, the Lord’s heavy hand fell on its men, young and old; he struck them with a plague of tumors, and there was a great panic. – 1 Samuel 6:9 NLT

The Gathites were quick to react and sent the ark to Ekron, hoping its departure would appease the wrath of the Israelite god. But the ark’s reputation preceded it and the people of Ekron refused to let it anywhere near their city. Instead, they demanded that the ark be returned to the Israelites.

“Please send the Ark of the God of Israel back to its own country, or it will kill us all.” – 1 Samuel 5:11 NLT

The hand of the Lord was heavy. His glory was too great. His sovereign power was on full display as He divinely orchestrated every aspect of this story, from the defeat of the Israelites to the desecration of the false god of the Philistines. From the shattering of Dagon’s hands to the outbreak of the deadly tumors, God was demonstrating His glory and greatness. The Israelites may have lost the battle, but their God was going to win the war. The enemy may have captured the ark, but they couldn’t control the all-powerful God of the universe.

The Philistines had already developed a healthy fear of the Israelite’s god.

“We can’t keep the Ark of the God of Israel here any longer! He is against us! We will all be destroyed along with Dagon, our god.” – 1 Samuel 5:7 NLT

…the deadly plague from God had already begun, and great fear was sweeping across the town. – 1 Samuel 5:11 NLT

Now, it was time for the Israelites to open their eyes and embrace the superior nature of their sovereign God. This entire story is intended to be a wakeup call to the disobedient Israelites, reminding them of His glory and unparalleled power. When news of His heavy-handed treatment of the Philistines reaches the ears of the Israelites and their missing ark is returned, they will know the truth about their God. He will have proven the very words recorded by the prophet Isaiah.

“I am the Lord, who made all things.
    I alone stretched out the heavens.
Who was with me
    when I made the earth?
I expose the false prophets as liars
    and make fools of fortune-tellers.
I cause the wise to give bad advice,
    thus proving them to be fools.” – Isaiah 44:24-25 NLT

“I am the Lord;
    there is no other God.
I have equipped you for battle,
    though you don’t even know me,
so all the world from east to west
    will know there is no other God.
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
   I create the light and make the darkness.
I send good times and bad times.
    I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.” – Isaiah 46:5-7 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Greatness of God’s Glory

12 A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head. 13 When he arrived, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told the news, all the city cried out. 14 When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, “What is this uproar?” Then the man hurried and came and told Eli. 15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes were set so that he could not see. 16 And the man said to Eli, “I am he who has come from the battle; I fled from the battle today.” And he said, “How did it go, my son?” 17 He who brought the news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” 18 As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.

19 Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth. And when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed and gave birth, for her pains came upon her. 20 And about the time of her death the women attending her said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer or pay attention. 21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.” – 1 Samuel 4:12-22 ESV

There is a not-so-subtle play on words that runs throughout this passage. Eli, the high priest and father of the recently deceased Hophni and Phinehas, is described as “old and heavy” (1 Samuel 4:18 ESV). The Hebrew word for “heavy” is kāḇēḏ and it can also be translated as “great” or “massive.” It would appear that Eli had enjoyed a long life characterized by self-indulgence and a lack of self-control. Perhaps his struggle with obesity had been fueled in part by his sons’ abuse of the sacrificial system. They had “treated the offering of the Lord with contempt” (1 Samuel 2:17 ESV) and God had accused Eli and his sons of growing fat and happy by violating His commands.  

“…you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?” – 1 Samuel 2:37 ESV

Eli’s weight (kāḇēḏ) is highlighted because it is meant to stand in stark contrast to God’s “glory” (kāḇôḏ). The similarity between these two words is obvious and is meant to juxtapose God’s “weight” with that of Eli. The Hebrew word kāḇôḏ conveys the idea of weightiness but from the aspect of greatness or glory; it has to do with honor, magnificence, and splendor.

Eli, the high priest of God, had become an overweight, self-indulgent shell of a man. For years, he had allowed his sons to abuse the sacrificial system over which God had given him authority and the responsibility for its protection and preservation. He had stood by and watched as his sons grew fat off the sins of the people, and he had benefited from their gluttony and greed.

Centuries later, the prophet Hosea recorded God’s stinging indictment against the priests of Israel.

“Since you priests refuse to know me,
    I refuse to recognize you as my priests.
Since you have forgotten the laws of your God,
    I will forget to bless your children.” – Hosea 4:6 NLT

These priests were guilty of the same sin as Eli and his sons.

“When the people bring their sin offerings, the priests get fed.
    So the priests are glad when the people sin!
‘And what the priests do, the people also do.’
    So now I will punish both priests and people
    for their wicked deeds.” – Hosea 4:7-8 NLT

The prophet Malachi would also pen a similarly worded accusation from God against the disobedient priests of Israel.

“The words of a priest’s lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction, for the priest is the messenger of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. But you priests have left God’s paths. Your instructions have caused many to stumble into sin. You have corrupted the covenant I made with the Levites,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. – Malachi 2:7-8 NLT

The all-glorious God refused to tolerate the weighty impact of priestly impropriety. These men were doing serious damage to the spiritual well-being of God’s chosen people. In the case of Hophni and Phinehas, God had already weighed in and fulfilled His promise to remove them from office – permanently. Now, He was going to deal with their overweight and under-performing father, the high priest of Israel.

When news of the defeat at Aphek reached the town of Shiloh, Eli was seated by the road “watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God” (1 Samuel 4:13 ESV). It seems that Eli knew his sons would not be returning so he focused his attention on the status of the ark. Nearly blind, Eli couldn’t see the arrival of the messenger who had run all the way from Aphek to Shiloh but he could hear all the commotion taking place around him.

Anxious to know what had happened, Eli demanded a status report from the exhausted messenger, who declared, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured” (1 Samuel 4:17 ESV). In recording the details surrounding this event, Samuel specifically states that it was news of the ark’s capture that caused Eli to faint.

As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. – 1 Samuel 4:18 ESV 

It is impossible to know what went through Eli’s mind and heart when he received this devastating news. If the ark was captured, he knew his sons were likely gone as well. But the loss of his sons paled in comparison with the prospect of the ark being gone forever. The “weight” of this news was more than Eli could bear; he fainted in disbelief and broke his neck as he fell.

Years later, when Samuel recalled this fateful day and recorded it for posterity, he provided an explanation for Eli’s deadly reaction. When the pregnant wife of Phinehas received the report that her husband was dead, she went into early labor and gave birth to a son. What should have been a happy occasion was marred by the death of the boy’s father. Even the healthy birth of her son could not prevent her from grieving the loss of her husband, and her choice of a name for her newborn baby reflects her understanding that was far worse than anyone could imagine.

…she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. – 1 Samuel 4:21 ESV

In one day, she had lost her husband and her father-in-law, but her primary concern centered around the loss of the ark. For the Israelites, the ark of the covenant was the symbol of God’s presence. It was above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim, that the glory of God was said to have dwelled. This was in keeping with the promise
God had given to Moses when He gave the instructions for the making of the ark.

“…you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.” – Exodus 25:21-22 ESV

Eli and his daughter-in-law both believed that, with the ark gone, so was the presence and power of God. The glory (kāḇôḏ) of God had departed and Israel was left all alone – or so they thought. But this conclusion was false and their sense of hopelessness was ill-founded. God was not restricted to a single place and could not be stolen or kidnapped by enemy forces. He was the all-powerful, omnipresent God of the universe who had orchestrated Israel’s defeat so that they might repent and give Him the glory He deserved.

This woman’s pessimistic outlook reflected the thoughts of all the people of Israel, including Eli. With the ark in enemy hands, Eli believed that God had abandoned His people. They were on their own. For 40 years this man had judged the nation of Israel and served as their high priest. Nearly half of his life had been dedicated to the service of God and now, their God was gone.

But little Ichabod would grow up to learn that his poor choice of a name had been unnecessary. The glory of God had not departed. The “weight” and worth of God had not diminished in the least. He was still there and He was working out His plan to bring about a much-needed revival among His disobedient and demoralized people. The Philistines may have captured the ark of God but they would prove no match for the God of the ark. As chapter five unfolds, the real battle will begin and the God of Israel will display His glory and greatness for all to see.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Divinely Ordained Defeat

1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.

Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. 3 And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

5 As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. 6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 9 Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.”

10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. 11 And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. – 1 Samuel 4:1-11 ESV

This chapter opens with the rather cryptic statement: “And the word of Samuel came to all Israel” (1 Samuel 4:1 ESV). What “word” did Israel receive and how was it communicated? At this point in the story, Samuel is still a young boy serving in the household of Eli, the high priest. Yet, as chapter 3 records, he was given the privilege of hearing the voice of God delivering a divine message that warned of pending judgment on the house of Eli and the nation of Israel.

“Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” – 1 Samuel 3:11-13 ESV

That same chapter ends with a pronouncement declaring that “all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord” (1 Samuel 3:20 ESV). That nocturnal visit from the Almighty changed Samuel’s life forever, transforming the young servant boy into God's official spokesman. Chapter 3 opened with the dire pronouncement, “The word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision” (1 Samuel 3:1 ESV). For 40 years, Eli had served as the God-appointed judge of Israel (1 Samuel 4:18), but in his old age, he had grown complacent and spiritually weak. For years, he had permitted his sons to violate God’s laws and desecrate the Tabernacle with their ungodly behavior, and God had seen enough.

“Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?” – 1 Samuel 2:29 ESV

As part of His punishment of Eli, God had gone silent; no longer speaking to Eli or revealing Himself in visions. Yet, with His commissioning of Samuel, God opened up the lines of communication again. 

Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground…the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. – 1 Samuel 3:19, 21 ESV

Evidently, one of the first messages God had Samuel deliver to the nation of Israel was for them to enter into battle against the Philistines. At this point in history, no superpower threatened to conquer the land of Canaan. The various people groups that occupied the land regularly vied for territorial primacy through raids and small-scale battles. The Philistines had originally migrated from Caphtor, the Hebrew name for the island of Crete (Amos 9:7; Jeremiah 47:4), and had grown to be one of the most powerful nations in the land of Canaan. Their use of iron weapons and Greek military tactics made them a formidable enemy and a constant source of worry for the nation of Israel.

Samuel apparently communicated God’s word to the people of Israel, ordering them to take on an enemy that was more experienced at war and possessed superior weaponry, and the people obeyed. But things didn’t go as expected.

The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. – 1 Samuel 4:2 ESV

This devastating loss left the Israelites confused and dejected. They couldn’t believe that God would have ordered them into battle only to allow them to lose. Something was wrong. Something was missing. In their post-battle assessment meeting, they determined that their loss was due to the absence of the Ark of the Covenant. There is no precedent for this conclusion, but that didn’t stop the Israelites from assuming that the Ark could be used as a kind of weapon of mass destruction.

“Let’s bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us, it will save us from our enemies.” – 1 Samuel 4:3 NLT

They didn't really know or understand God. At no point do the leaders of Israel consider that their loss might be due to their own unfaithfulness. In an attempt to explain their loss, they rightly blame the lack of God’s presence and power, but they incorrectly tie it to the Ark of the Covenant. The passage makes it clear that their motivation for sending for the Ark was because they understood it to be God’s throne.

So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. – 1 Samuel 4:4 ESV

The Book of Exodus records the instructions God gave to Moses for the fabrication of the Ark of the Covenant.

“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.” – Exodus 25:17-22 ESV

The Israelites wrongly assumed that God was somehow relegated to the Holy of Holies and literally dwelled over the mercy seat. So, if they brought the Ark into battle with them, God would come with it. In a sense, they turned the Ark into a totem or talisman for good luck. They were treating it like an idol or a good luck charm and, in so doing, they revealed unawareness of God’s nature, power, and presence. He was not a genie in a bottle they could cart into battle and use as a tool to ensure their success. He was God Almighty and He demanded obedience and faithfulness from His people.

What’s interesting to note is that they sent for “the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts” (1 Samuel 4:4 ESV). Contained within the ark were the original stone tablets on which were inscribed God’s law. When God had redeemed the nation of Israel from their captivity in Egypt and led them to Mount Sinai, He had declared His plans for them.

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” – Exodus 25:5-6 ESV

And the people had confidently responded, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8 ESV). However, upon their arrival in Canaan, the Israelites repeatedly violated their covenant commitment to God. The whole period of the judges was a monotonous cycle of sin, judgment, repentance, and deliverance. The inability of the people of Israel to remain faithful to God brought His judgment in the form of enemies and defeat. When the people would call out to God in repentance, He would send a judge to deliver them. But their change of heart would prove to be shortlived and they would repeat the cycle all over again.

In sending for “the ark of the covenant,” the Israelites were actually indicting themselves. With the ark came the covenant, and it bore witness to the violation of their covenant commitment to God. If they wanted to experience God’s presence and power, they would need to repent and obey, not retrieve the ark and treat it like a secret weapon.

At no point do the leaders of Israel seek the counsel of Samuel or the will of God. They send for the ark and it enters into camp accompanied by Hophni and Phinehas, the two condemned sons of Eli. But the ark’s arrival produces a much-needed boost to the Israelites’ morale. They shout in triumph as the ark enters the camp, believing their victory over the enemy is now assured. Even the Philistines are impacted by the news of the ark’s arrival, superstitiously concluding that the gods of the Israelites have entered the camp and come to their rescue.

“The gods have come into their camp!” they cried. “This is a disaster! We have never had to face anything like this before! Help! Who can save us from these mighty gods of Israel? They are the same gods who destroyed the Egyptians with plagues when Israel was in the wilderness.” – 1 Samuel 4:7-8 NLT

However, the Philistines’ fears proved unfounded because things didn’t turn out as Israel had planned. The ark wasn’t the secret weapon they hoped it would be. In fact, the Philistines ended up winning a lopsided victory and taking the ark as plunder. Things would not have gone worse for the Israelites. To make matters even worse, Hophni and Phinehas were killed in battle.

The Israelites had not just been defeated, they had been demoralized. The ark had been captured, their priests had been killed, and 30,000 of their men had died in battle. It was an unmitigated disaster and things were going to get worse before they got better. God had sent them into battle and He had preordained the outcome. Every part of this devastating defeat had been the will of God, including the deaths of Eli’s two sons. God had warned Eli in advance that their fate was sealed.

“…to prove that what I have said will come true, I will cause your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to die on the same day!” – 1 Samuel 2:34 NLT

God was purging the evil from the camp and He was far from done. He was divinely orchestrating the next phase of Israel’s existence and preparing the way for a much-needed revival among His chosen people.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Less-Than-Orderly Transfer of Power

1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

4 Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.

6 And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

15 Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17 And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.”

19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. 21 And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. – 1 Samuel 3:1-21 ESV

This chapter forms an important transition between chapters 2 and 4 by chronicling God’s calling of the young boy Samuel. These 21 verses are sandwiched between two events in Israel’s history that showcase the nation’s less-than-stellar relationship with the Lord. 

Chapter 2 introduced the two sons of Eli the high priest. According to the author, these two middle-aged men were worthless and did not know the Lord, yet they served as priests in the Tabernacle. Their penchant for breaking God’s laws and using the sacrificial system as a means for personal gain was well-known. Even news of their immoral sexual encounters with the women who served at the gate of the Tabernacle had reached the ears of their father, but he had done nothing to put a stop to it.

As priests, Hophni and Phinehas should have served as models of righteousness and faithfulness for the people of Israel but, instead, they set a precedence for unbridled decadence and the pursuit of personal pleasure. The apostle Paul provides an apt description of such individuals in his letter to the church in Philippi.

Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things. – Philippians 3:19 NLT

Based on the X-rated exploits of these two pseudo-priests, it’s no surprise that chapter 2 opens up with the rather dire news that “messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon” (1 Samuel 3:1 NLT). The spiritual state of Israel was at an all-time low and God’s interactions with His people were scarce. The Book of 1 Samuel began when the nation of Israel was coming off a prolonged period marked by disobedience and God’s discipline. After arriving in the land of Canaan, they spent hundreds of years living a roller-coaster existence as God’s chosen people. He had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt and led them to the promised land, but they had failed to live up to their covenant commitments. The opening chapters of the Book of Judges record the sad state of affairs in those dark days of Israel’s history.

The Israelites did evil in the LORD’s sight and served the images of Baal. They abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the LORD. They abandoned the LORD to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth. This made the LORD burn with anger against Israel, so he handed them over to raiders who stole their possessions. He turned them over to their enemies all around, and they were no longer able to resist them. Every time Israel went out to battle, the LORD fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as he had warned. And the people were in great distress.

Then the LORD raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their attackers. Yet Israel did not listen to the judges but prostituted themselves by worshiping other gods. How quickly they turned away from the path of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commands. – Judges 2:11-17 NLT

As the Book of 1 Samuel opens, the nation of Israel is still under the judgeship of Samson, another far-from-perfect individual who, like Samuel, had been placed under the Nazirite vow by his mother. This highly flawed man was serving as a judge over Israel during a time when God was using the Philistines as His chosen instrument of judgment against His disobedient people.

Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years.

In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.” – Judges 13:1-5 NLT

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? His story is much like that of Samuel but there are significant differences in the lives of these two individuals. Samson was an impetuous young man of prodigious strength but questionable moral character. He had an eye for the opposite sex and struggled with self-control. He would serve as Israel’s judge for 20 years and his tenure likely began about the time Eli died. According to chapter 4, Eli’s death took place during the battle of Aphek. Upon receiving news that his two sons had been killed during the battle, Eli “fell backward from his seat beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he was old and overweight. He had been Israel’s judge for forty years” (1 Samuel 4:18 NLT). 

Samson would step into Eli’s vacated role as judge and serve as God’s appointed agent of deliverance from the Philistine onslaught. But his life and leadership would prove to be far from ideal. The story of his untimely and unflattering demise is recorded in Judges 16. He died a humiliating death but brought one final victory against the enemies of Israel.

But before God chose Samson to serve as a judge, the young boy Samuel had his personal encounter with God Almighty. One night, while sleeping in the Tabernacle, Samuel heard a voice calling his name. Mistaking this voice for that of Eli, Samuel ran to his elderly mentor, only to find out that Eli had not called him. This pattern repeated itself three different times with the same result. On the third occasion, Eli deduced that Samuel must be hearing the voice of the Lord, so instructed his young protege to respond, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:9 NLT).

Samuel returned to bed, only to be awakened by the voice a fourth time. Following Eli’s instructions, Samuel spoke to the voice and heard the following reply:

“I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them. So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.” – 1 Samuel 3:11-14 NLT

This news came as a shock to the young acolyte, and when he awoke the next morning, “he was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said to him” (1 Samuel 3:15 NLT). Yet, when pressed by his mentor, Samuel divulged the content of the Lord’s message, prompting Eli to respond, “It is the Lord’s will…Let him do what he thinks best” (1 Samuel 3:18 NLT).

Eli knew that God was going to fulfill His vow to deal with the sins of Hophni and Phinehas. It was all just a matter of time. This elderly priest had resigned himself to the fact that judgment was coming against him and his household, but that God had raised up Samuel to serve a vital role in the future of the nation of Israel. For Eli and his sons, the days ahead would be bleak but God had a plan for His chosen people that would ensure a much brighter tomorrow. He would use Samuel to usher in a new era of spiritual revitalization and nationalistic aspirations. The chapter ends on a promising note.

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. – 1 Samuel 3:19-21 ESV

But this feint glimmer of light is followed by a dark tale of divine judgment. God was going to fulfill the vow He had made to Eli. The message He delivered to Samuel in the Tabernacle was about to come to fruition. Lacking adequate spiritual leadership and faced with the threat of ongoing Philistine aggression, the people of God will take matters into their own hands and try to solve a spiritual problem through earthly means. Samuel has been called but his ministry has yet to begin. First, God must deal with Eli and his sons, setting the stage for Samuel’s rise to prominence and power.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

God’s Indestructible and Unstoppable Plan

27 And there came a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? 28 Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. 29 Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’ 30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 Then in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 33 The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants of your house shall die by the sword of men. 34 And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day. 35 And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever. 36 And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, “Please put me in one of the priests' places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”’” – 1 Samuel 2:27-36 ESV

Eli had heard the reports concerning the behavior of his sons and he had confronted and warned them but his words had fallen on deaf ears. His adult sons displayed no fear of God and a stubborn unwillingness to repent from their blasphemous actions. As their father and priestly superior, Eli was ultimately responsible for their behavior. He was the high priest of Israel and was tasked with maintaining the holiness of God’s dwelling place, the Tabernacle. Yet, by their actions, his own sons were desecrating God’s house and treating their priestly role with contempt.

God had set apart the tribe of Levi to be the caretakers of the Tabernacle and the custodians of the Mosaic Law, and He had warned them: “You must faithfully keep all my commands by putting them into practice, for I am the Lord. Do not bring shame on my holy name, for I will display my holiness among the people of Israel. I am the Lord who makes you holy” (Leviticus 22:31-32 NLT).

But Hophni and Phinehas had defamed God’s name and their father failed to deal with them appropriately. So, God stepped in and declared His intention to mete out justice. But first, He confronted Eli about his negligence in handling the problem.

“I chose your ancestor Aaron from among all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vest as he served me. And I assigned the sacrificial offerings to you priests. So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me—for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel!” – 1 Samuel 2:28-29 NLT

God reminded Eli of the distinctive nature of the Levitical priesthood. Aaron, the brother of Moses, had not earned his role as the first high priest, and the tribe of Levi had done nothing to deserve their set-apart status as God’s priestly caste. God had graciously chosen them and designated them as His personal servants.

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood.” – Numbers 3:5-10 NLT

But these men had blatantly violated their divine commission and failed to guard their priesthood. And when Eli neglected his duties as the high priest by allowing this egregious behavior to continue unchecked, God was obligated to protect the integrity of His name.

“I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame…” – Ezekiel 36:23 NLT

God warned Eli that judgment was coming.

“I promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi would always be my priests. But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me.” – 1 Samuel 2:30 ESV

The role of priest was a privilege but it came with conditions. Only members of the tribe of Levi could serve in this distinctive capacity but their uniqueness as God’s servants required faithfulness and a commitment to honor Him at all costs. While all the tribes of Israel were important to God, He had placed a special emphasis on this one tribe and had promised to protect and provide for them.

“Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the Lord.” – Numbers 3:12-13 ESV

“You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.” – Numbers 18:20 ESV

The elderly Eli must have been stunned by the divine pronouncement delivered by the prophet of God.

“The time is coming when I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests. All the members of your family will die before their time. None will reach old age.” – 1 Samuel 2:31 ESV

The consequences were far worse than anything Eli could have imagined. Not only would his sons receive divine judgment for their sins, but his entire line would suffer early and untimely deaths. It would not be enough for them to lose their rights to serve as priests; they must suffer the just and righteous consequences for their actions.

This punishment may seem overly severe to our modern sensibilities, but it reflects the weighty nature of the sin of Hophne and Phinehas. They had dishonored not only their priestly position but also the name of God. And it would appear that their actions had already infected the rest of their clan. Sin never operates in a vacuum; it tends to spread and infect others. So, it is likely that the actions of Hophne and Phinehas, while the prime focus of this passage, were far from isolated or unique. The entire clan of Eli had become corrupt and unworthy of serving as God’s servants.

The intensity of God’s pronouncement must not be overlooked. Eli needed to fully understand the weight of his sons’ actions. God was making a powerful and unforgettable statement about sin and its consequences, and to drive home His message, God informs Eli that both of his sons will suffer death on the very same day. Their lives of decadence and disobedience will come to a quick and ignominious end.

The final paragraph of this chapter contains a glimmer of hope surrounding a dark cloud of sorrow for Eli. With the death of Eli’s sons, God promises to raise up their replacement.

“Then I will raise up a faithful priest who will serve me and do what I desire. I will establish his family, and they will be priests to my anointed kings forever.” – 1 Samuel 2:35 NLT

This would not have come across as good news to Eli. But it was God’s way of promoting His providential and sovereign will. Despite what Hophne and Phinehas had done, God’s plan would prevail. While the clan of Eli would lose their priestly rights and die untimely deaths, God had another line of Levites who could serve in their place.

God was informing Eli that His will would still be done. The sins of Hophne and Phinehas and the negligence of Eli could not alter God’s divine plan. And this prophetic promise from God is meant to highlight the immediate as well as the distant future. As the following chapters of this book will reveal, Samuel will fulfill this promise – in part. But centuries later, during the reign of King Solomon, Zadok became the high priest, replacing Abiathar, a descendant of Eli. From that point forward, no other member of Eli’s clan will serve in that capacity. 

But the final fulfillment of God’s promise will take place with the coming of Jesus, who served as the final high priest even though He was not of the tribe of Levi. The author of the Book of Hebrews spells out how Jesus, a member of the tribe of Judah, became the great high priest and fulfilled the promise of God.

So if the priesthood of Levi, on which the law was based, could have achieved the perfection God intended, why did God need to establish a different priesthood, with a priest in the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Levi and Aaron?

And if the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed to permit it. For the priest we are talking about belongs to a different tribe, whose members have never served at the altar as priests. What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe.

This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. – Hebrews 7:11-16 NLT

Hophne and Phinehas had blown it, and Eli had refused to deal with it. But God was not done yet. His plan is indestructible and unstoppable. The entire clan of Eli could drop the ball and God would not miss a beat. He already had Samuel in place and, in time, the guilty would suffer the consequences for their sins and the next step in God’s divine plan wouid unfold. And the opening line of the very next chapter sets the tone for all that is to come.

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. – 1 Samuel 3:1 ESV

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Wanted: A Divine Deliverer

22 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24 No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. 25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.

26 Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man. – 1 Samuel 2:22-26 ESV

It’s interesting to note that this short section is bookended by two verses that provide a stark contrast to the scene going on in and around the Tabernacle. We’ve already been given an unflattering glimpse into the spiritual state of the priestly caste of Israel. Now Samuel records the dysfunctional relationship between Eli and his two wicked sons. These three men represent the spiritual elite of Israel. They were to be the keepers of the flame of faith, instructing the people in the ways of God and helping them maintain a right relationship with Him through the faithful administration of the sacrificial system.

But Hophni and Phinehas were “worthless men” who “did not know the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:12 ESV). Their personal relationships with God were not what He had intended them to be. Rather than faithfully executing their duties as the teachers of God’s statutes and the mediators of His grace-based sacrificial system, these men had become icons for vice rather than virtue.  Yet, despite their flawed faith and penchant for wickedness, “Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord” (Samuel 2:21 ESV). Even while growing up in a less-than-ideal environment with Hophni and Phinehas as his spiritual mentors and advisors, Samuel managed to maintain his faith in God. Verse 26 states that “the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man” (1 Samuel 2:26 ESV).

That rather matter-of-fact statement conveys a powerful message about God’s sovereignty and power. That Samuel could experience even a modicum of spiritual growth in an atmosphere of such wickedness is nothing short of a miracle. God was personally overseeing this young boy’s spiritual journey and protecting him from the evil influence of his two older mentors.

It should not be overlooked that Samuel was spending all his waking moments with these two men. Ever since his mother handed him over to Eli in fulfillment of her vow, Samuel had been immersed in a household of moral corruption and parental dysfunction. That is not to say that Eli himself was guilty of the same wickedness as his two sons or complicit in their immoral activities. The text seems to indicate that he was either clueless about their X-rated exploits or had decided to turn a blind eye to all that was going on in his household.

Eli was an old man who had lived a long life and was ready to turn over the priestly responsibilities to his two sons. Yet, he kept hearing rumors about their activities that should have provided him with ample evidence that his sons were unqualified for their roles.

…he would hear about everything that his sons used to do to all the people of Israel and how they used to go to bed with the women who were stationed at the entrance to the tent of meeting. – 1 Samuel 2:22 NLT

It seems obvious from the text that this news disturbed Eli because he confronted his sons about it. As the high priest, he knew they were in direct violation of God’s commands.

“They [the priests] must be set apart as holy to their God and must never bring shame on the name of God. They must be holy, for they are the ones who present the special gifts to the Lord, gifts of food for their God.” – Leviticus 21:6 NLT

“The high priest may marry only a virgin. He may not marry a widow, a woman who is divorced, or a woman who has defiled herself by prostitution. She must be a virgin from his own clan, so that he will not dishonor his descendants among his clan, for I am the Lord who makes him holy.” – Leviticus 21:13-15 NLT

“Tell Aaron and his sons to be very careful with the sacred gifts that the Israelites set apart for me, so they do not bring shame on my holy name. I am the Lord. 3 Give them the following instructions.” – Leviticus 22:2 NLT

Hophni and Phinehas had broken every one of these commands, and Eli knew their actions were worthy of death. God had clearly stipulated the punishment for priestly disobedience.

“The priests must follow my instructions carefully. Otherwise they will be punished for their sin and will die for violating my instructions. I am the Lord who makes them holy.” – Leviticus 22:9 NLT

But rather than mete out God’s justice, Eli took a more passive approach, he tried to reason with his sons. Desperate to see his sons change the error of their ways, Eli pleaded, “Why do you do these things, these evil things that I hear about from all these people?  No, my sons! For the report that I hear circulating among the Lord’s people is not good” (1 Samuel 2:23-24 NLT).

Talk about a gross understatement. Eli doesn’t seem to doubt the rumors about his sons’s activities, but he diminishes the weight of their actions by describing them as “not good.” But he knew better. He even warned his sons that, if even half of what the rumors said was true, God would be forced to act.

“…if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” – 1 Samuel 2:25 NLT

To be fair, Eli did warn his sons but he refused to take action. As the high priest, he was obligated to step in and preserve the sanctity of God’s house. His two sons had committed sins against God that were worthy of death but he refused to do the right thing. As a father, he kept hoping they would change their ways. But the text states that they were unwilling to repent.

“But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.” – 1 Samuel 2:25 ESV

That last line is somewhat disconcerting because it paints a rather disturbing picture of God. It conveys the idea that God prevented their repentance because He had preordained their deaths. It is reminiscent of an interaction between Moses and Pharaoh. The Book of Exodus states the following: “But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and just as the LORD had predicted to Moses, Pharaoh refused to listen” (Exodus 9:12 NLT).

God had just brought a plague of debilitating boils on the people of Egypt in an attempt to persuade Pharaoh to release the people of Israel from their enslavement. But Pharaoh refused to comply with God’s command because God had hardened his heart. This is one of several occasions when God is said to have stepped in and prevented Pharaoh from changing his mind. But the fact is that Pharaoh already had a hardened heart and he had demonstrated his obstinance repeatedly. Any chance of Pharaoh changing his mind was completely dependent upon the grace and mercy of God. The only hope Pharaoh had of repenting was if God had softened his already-hardened heart. So, when it states that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, it is best to understand it as a statement of inaction. He refused to intervene and empower Pharaoh to do the right thing. Why? Because God had a plan that included ten plagues and the ultimate release of His enslaved people. 

God had a plan for Hophni and Phinehas as well. Their hearts were wicked and the only chance they had of changing the error of their ways was if God intervened and transformed them from the inside out. But their fate was sealed. They had repeatedly violated God’s commands, desecrated His Tabernacle, and defamed His name. Now they would suffer the consequences.

The sinful actions of Hophni and Phinehas were nothing new. Likely, these men were well into their 50s by the time this story unfolds. So, they were not impulsive young men who lacked understanding or maturity. They were seasoned veterans who had developed a lifelong habit of violating God’s commands, and He had seen enough. It was time to clean house and start again.

That’s why this passage ends with the statement: “Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man” (1 Samuel 2:26 ESV). God already had a plan in place that included judgment on the house of Eli and the elevation of Samuel to the dual roles of priest and prophet of Israel. All that has happened in the story thus far has been the result of God’s sovereign plan. Despite the unfaithfulness of Hophni and Phinehas and the inaction of Eli, God was faithfully implementing His plan to restore order to the chaos. He was acting, not reacting. He was implementing His plan, not impulsively but strategically.

As the following verses will make clear, God had plans for Eli and his sons. But He also had plans for Samuel and the people of Israel. Long before the need arose, God determined a solution to Israel’s leadership crisis. He miraculously ordained the birth of a baby who would grow to be Israel’s deliverer. Just as He had done with Moses, God would raise up and preserve a man who would serve as His messenger and mediator. In a time when the people of God were desperate for deliverance, God provided a divinely ordained deliverer to do the job.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Light in the Darkness

12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. 13 The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, 14 and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.” 16 And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” 17 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.

18 Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy clothed with a linen ephod. 19 And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman for the petition she asked of the Lord.” So then they would return to their home.

21 Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord. – 1 Samuel 2:12-21 ESV

The Old Testament is brutally raw in how it depicts the sinfulness of man. It doesn’t attempt to sugarcoat the facts but presents an uncensored and painfully unflattering portrait of mankind’s moral failings. Even the Jews, having been chosen by God and given His law, couldn't manage to live in faithfulness and obedience to His commands. Their incessant failure to remain faithful to God is chronicled throughout the pages of the Old Testament.

Chapter 1 introduced Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, who served as priests of Yahweh at the Tabernacle in Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:3). These young men were responsible for administering the sacrificial rites associated with the Mosaic Law, and the Book of Leviticus spells out the requirements God placed on their role.

“You must distinguish between what is sacred and what is common, between what is ceremonially unclean and what is clean. And you must teach the Israelites all the decrees that the Lord has given them through Moses.” – Leviticus 10:10-11 NLT

The priests of God were expected to live exemplary lives, modeling righteous behavior and teaching God’s exacting standards to His chosen people. Yet Hophni and Phinehas are described as “scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord or for their duties as priests” (1 Samuel 2:12-13 NLT). This isn’t exactly a glowing job review and its placement immediately after Hannah’s inspiring prayer of gratitude and reverence for God is intentional. 

While Hannah offered praise to God for His power, grace, sovereignty, and mercy, Hophni and Phinehas were busy desecrating His Tabernacle and disobeying His commands. In her song of praise, Hannah unknowingly describes the behavior and fate of these two men.

“He will protect his faithful ones,
    but the wicked will disappear in darkness.
No one will succeed by strength alone.
    Those who fight against the Lord will be shattered.
He thunders against them from heaven;
    the Lord judges throughout the earth.” – 1 Samuel 2:9-10 NLT

Hophni and Phinehas were wicked; they were using their position as priests of God for personal gain and to satisfy their own perverse desires. Samuel’s recollection of these men is far from flattering.

…the sin of these young men was very serious in the Lord’s sight, for they treated the Lord’s offerings with contempt. – 1 Samuel 2:17 ESV

But what had they done to deserve such a damning assessment? The text makes their crime painfully clear. They treated God’s sacrificial system with contempt, using it as a means for personal gain rather than purification from sin. They had come up with a plan that allowed them to profit from their role as priests.

Eli’s sons would send over a servant with a three-pronged fork. While the meat of the sacrificed animal was still boiling, the servant would stick the fork into the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli’s sons. – 1 Samuel 2:13-14 NLT

This was in direct violation of God’s commands concerning the sacrifices. According to the Book of Leviticus, God had prescribed which portion of the sacrifice was to be given to the priest.

“…the priest will burn the fat on the altar, but the breast will belong to Aaron and his descendants. Give the right thigh of your peace offering to the priest as a gift. The right thigh must always be given to the priest who offers the blood and the fat of the peace offering. For I have reserved the breast of the special offering and the right thigh of the sacred offering for the priests. It is the permanent right of Aaron and his descendants to share in the peace offerings brought by the people of Israel.” – Leviticus 7:31-34 NLT

But Hophni and Phinehas weren’t satisfied with God’s provision; they wanted more. These two represent everything that is wrong with Israel. As priests of God, they should have lived lives that were set apart to God. Instead, they lived immoral lives marked by greed, corruption, sexual promiscuity, and a total disregard for the laws of God. The text describes them as worthless men who did not know God (1 Samuel 2:12). They were literally "good for nothing." And while they obviously knew who God was, they did not recognize or acknowledge His authority over them. They lived as if they were gods, dictating their own rules and selfishly satisfying their own desires. These men were gluttonous and covetous, unwilling to limit their greed to the consumption of food. They were also guilty of gross immorality, using their status as priests to satisfy their perverse sexual desires, a fact their father knew well.

He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle. – 1 Samuel 2:22 NLT

They had no fear of God, as evidenced by their blatant abuse of the sacrificial system. They used their positions as God's priests for personal gain and pleasure, and their father proved incapable of controlling them.

The story of Hophne and Phinehas reveals how bad things had gotten during the days before Israel had a king; even the priesthood had become corrupt. They were immoral and unfaithful, showing more concern for their own personal pleasure than they did for God and His law. This vivid portrayal of man's sinfulness provides a stark backdrop onto which the coming of the Son of God will be displayed in the New Testament. God will clearly show that man's sin was so great and his need for a source of salvation outside of himself was so necessary, that when Jesus appears on the scene, men should have flocked to His presence, begging Him for salvation from their sins.

It’s important to note that this rather dark and depressing depiction of the sins of Hophni and Phinehas is followed by a faint glimmer of hope. The contemptuous and impetuous sons of Eli are contrasted with the young adolescent Samuel, who has grown to be a young boy in the middle of all this immorality and disobedience.

But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the Lord. He wore a linen garment like that of a priest. – 1 Samuel 2:18 NLT

The boy served the Lord while the men desecrated His character and defiled His Tabernacle. This young innocent child provides a stark contrast that sets the stage for God’s intervention into the sordid story of Hophni and Phinehas. God’s priests had gone rogue, disobeying His will and defaming the character of His name by their behavior. But God was getting ready to step in and rectify the situation. He had a plan in place and Samuel would be an integral part of it.

It would be easy to demonize Hophne and Phinehas. In our own self-righteousness, we could condemn them for their blatantly sinful behavior and wonder how they could have gone so bad so fast. But as the old saying goes, “But for the grace of God go I.” All of us are capable of the same degree of sins as these two young men. Their story is there to remind us of our own capacity to sin against God.

One of the saddest statements of all of Scripture is the one used to describe them: “They did not know the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:12 ESV). They were sons of the high priest of Israel and served as priests themselves. Yet, they did not know the Lord. This doesn’t mean they had no idea who God was, but that they didn't understand just how serious He was about His commands. They treated God's law flippantly and with disdain. The NET Bible translates verse 12 this way: “They did not recognize the Lord’s authority.” They viewed God's laws as optional, obeying their own sinful desires and passions instead.

That is a risk we all face. When we disobey God we act as if we don't even know Him. As Paul said, “The Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God” (Romans 3:2 ESV), but they failed to obey those oracles. They regularly refused to do what they knew to be the non-negotiable laws of God. And in doing so, they lived no differently than the Gentiles who didn't know God at all. In fact, their guilt was even greater.

But God has raised up a Samuel. He has ordained an unlikely and unexpected alternative to Hophni and Phinehas. This young boy, the byproduct of a miraculous birth, had been dedicated to God’s service and would prove to be a divine ray of hope in the sin-darkened world of his day.

Hannah had dedicated her son to God and, little did she know that God had big plans for him. But her sacrifice was met with grace and mercy, as God provided her with five additional children. Her obedience to God was rewarded with blessings. But the greatest blessing she would ever receive would be the knowledge that her son would become an instrument in the hands of God Almighty. Even from a distance, she would have the joy of watching Samuel grow in God’s grace and become a beacon of light in a world cloaked in darkness 

…the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord. – 1 Samuel 2:21 ESV

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Learning to Trust God

1 And Hannah prayed and said,

“My heart exults in the Lord;
    my horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
    because I rejoice in your salvation.

2 “There is none holy like the Lord:
    for there is none besides you;
    there is no rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so very proudly,
    let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
    and by him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty are broken,
    but the feeble bind on strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
    but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
The barren has borne seven,
    but she who has many children is forlorn.
6 The Lord kills and brings to life;
    he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
    he brings low and he exalts.
8 He raises up the poor from the dust;
    he lifts the needy from the ash heap
to make them sit with princes
    and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,
    and on them he has set the world.

9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
    but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
    for not by might shall a man prevail.
10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;
    against them he will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
    he will give strength to his king
    and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest. – 1 Samuel 2:1-11 ESV

Hannah had suffered from and struggled with barrenness. There must have been times when she wondered where God was as she endured this embarrassing and debilitating condition. She had to have had moments of doubt as she questioned God's care for her. But ultimately, she took her concern to God, because she knew He was the only one who could do anything about it, and, in time, she learned that God was in control. He controls everything from the barren womb to the one who reigns in the throne room. He lifts up and He brings down. He humbles and He exalts. He gives life and He takes it away.

While this view of God may make us uncomfortable and raise all kinds of ethical and theological questions, it is the key to understanding the world in which we live. Some find this view distasteful and unsatisfactory. It paints God as some kind of an evil ogre who sits in heaven wreaking havoc on mankind, indiscriminately taking life and allowing injustice to take place. Their conclusion seems to be that if God is responsible for all those who rule, then He must be held responsible for all the tyrants, dictators, and corrupt despots who bring pain and suffering to so many.

The question is whether God causes evil, and the answer is no. All that God does is just and right. He is holy and righteous. He can do no wrong. He can commit no evil. But evil exists because sin entered into the world He had made. Man rebelled against God and the result has been a steady increase in sin, to the point where all looks lost and the world seems to be spinning out of control. But despite what we see, we must remember that God is still in control; He works behind the scenes to fulfill His divine plan in ways we cannot see or comprehend. What we see with our eyes may not make sense to us. It may seem unfair and unjust but we must always remember that our God is loving, just, merciful, gracious, and sovereignly working His plan – for our good and His own glory.

This chapter begins with a second and much longer prayer of Hannah. This time, she expresses joy rather than despair. Rather than begging God to show mercy and provide her with a son, she declares her gratitude for His miraculous answer to her previous prayer. She had made a request and God responded.

One would think this was a sad day in Hannah's life. After all, she had waited so many years and suffered so much ridicule, and now that she had been blessed with a son, she had to give the most precious thing in her life to God. Because of her vow, she was required to leave her small child in the hands of others and simply walk away. While there is little doubt that Hannah’s heart was full of sadness, what she expressed to God reveals no regret, remorse, or unhappiness. Instead, she states, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:1 ESV).

Having just placed her young son in Eli’s care, she rejoiced. She expressed joy in the Lord, thanking Him for what He had done. Not only had He given her a son, but God had “exalted her horn.” That unique expression doesn't mean much to us in our modern cultural context but in an agrarian culture, the horn of an animal was a symbol of strength. An animal lifting up its horn was synonymous with power and virility. Hannah's strength had been renewed by God. She was confident and content with her lot in life because God had blessed her. She had once been childless, but now she could rejoice because God had shown her favor. She was more than willing to keep her vow to God because He had saved her from her humiliation and allowed her to experience the joy of giving birth to a son.

In all of this, Hannah's main takeaway was the uniqueness of her God. He was incomparable. Her God was not distant or disinterested in her problems. He cared for her greatly and took a personal interest in her life. He had taken her barrenness and turned it into a blessing. He had replaced her humiliation with hope. Yes, she had just given her son to God, but she did so because God had given her son to her. It was the least she could do.

Hannah viewed the Giver as greater than the gift, and she could do all this because she recognized the greatness of God. She knew Him to be holy, set apart, and without peer or comparison. Her God was her rock. The Hebrew word she uses is tsuwr and it refers to a rocky cliff where one can find shelter. For Hannah, God was a refuge and protector from her enemies. No more would she have to suffer ridicule and endure the shame of her barrenness. God had done the impossible for her. So, she shouts his praises.

“There is none holy like the Lord:
    for there is none besides you;
    there is no rock like our God.” – 1 Samuel 2:2 ESV

While she had just handed over her son to Eli,the priest, Hannah didn't wallow in regret and sadness; instead, she rejoiced. She praised God and was more than willing to give back to the one who had given to her. God hadn't just given her a son, He had given her hope, joy, strength, and a new capacity to face the future confidently because God was with her. He heard her and answered her when she called. As far as Hannah was concerned, her life and her son were both in good hands.

Hannah declares that “The Lord is a God of knowledge” (1 Samuel 2:3 ESV). What an interesting statement for Hannah to make, but it came from her own experience with Him. He had seen her distress, heard her cry for help, and had answered. Now Hannah expressed praise for all He had done, but also for who He was. Her God was all-knowing. Nothing escaped His notice. He saw all that was going on. He knew of Hannah's plight. He was fully aware of her barrenness. He also knew of her ill-treatment at the hands of her husband's second wife. The God to whom Hannah prayed was wise, caring, compassionate, and just. He cared for the humble and the hurting. He came alongside the hungry and the hopeless. How did Hannah know this? She had experienced it.

She was the recipient of God's grace, mercy, and love. She had been downcast and He had lifted her up. She had been barren, but God had given her a son. She had cried out and God had answered.

This prayer is not a promise that God will right every wrong in our lifetime. It is not a guarantee that God will eliminate every problem we face. It is certainly not telling us that every barren woman who cries out to God will bear a child. But it is a sobering reminder that our God is sovereign; He knows all. He is fully aware of all that is going on in our lives.

If we are facing injustice or ill-treatment, God knows. If we are suffering from hunger or facing unemployment, God knows. If our spouse treats us with contempt, God knows. If our child is living in open rebellion against us and God, He knows. And while God's answer may not come in the same way as it did for Hannah, He will answer us when we call out to Him. We can cry out and know He hears, sees, and cares for us. He has a plan in mind for us.

Hannah had no idea what role her son, Samuel, would play in the future affairs of the nation of Israel. She was clueless as to what was going to happen as a result of her dedication of Samuel to God. But she knew that God knew. God had told the people of Israel living in exile in Babylon, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV). Things looked bleak but God was in full control of their circumstances. In the same way, Hannah had learned to trust God for the less-than-ideal circumstances of her own life. She had discovered that He was a sovereign, just, all-powerful, merciful, and loving God. He can exalt the lowly, humble the prideful, bless the barren, knock the arrogant down to size, protect the weak, defeat the strong, and right wrongs.

The key to faith is believing these truths without necessarily having seen them or experienced them. It is to pray expectantly to God, hopefully waiting on His answer because we trust in His character. It is why Hannah cried out to God in the first place.

“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.” – 1 Samuel 1:11 ESV

She was appealing to God based on what she believed about Him. He looks on the affliction of His servants. He remembers and does not forget. He knows. He sees. He answers. He is just, righteous, good, and gracious.

It is interesting to note that this prayer contains NO petition. Hannah doesn’t ask for anything; she simply praises God for who He is. It is a prayer of thanksgiving for what He has done. It is an acknowledgment of His sovereignty and a statement of His character. While Hannah was grateful for the son God had so graciously given her, she would be going home without him. He belonged to God now. And yet, her prayer is one of joy, gratitude, and worship. Because the real gift she had received was the knowledge that God loved her and cared about her.

Rather than make her son the object of her worship, she focused her attention on the one who had made his birth possible. Too often we worship the gift rather than the Giver. We end up focusing on what we hope to get from God rather than on God Himself. Our desire for blessings from God can overshadow our worship of God. When faced with a difficulty or trial, it is enough to know that God knows. We can share our requests. We can make known our desires. But our faith grows as we learn to trust Him for the outcome. He knows what is best. He will do what is right. We can trust Him.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Delivered, Dedicated, and Destined

21 The man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever.” 23 Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.”

And he worshiped the Lord there. – 1 Samuel 1:21-28 ESV

If Samuel is the author of the first 24 chapters of the book that bears his name (which many scholars believe him to be), then he certainly undersells the miraculous nature of his birth. He simply records, “Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her” (1 Samuel 1:19 ESV). There is no mention of God’s divine intervention. Of course, it is implied because Hannah had asked God to hear her prayer and end her barrenness. And Eli the priest had matter-of-factly stated, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him” (1 Samuel 1:17 ESV). But Samuel cuts to the chase, leaving out any details about his mother’s miraculous pregnancy and his own improbable birth.

…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.” – 1 Samuel 1:20 ESV

It is Samuel’s mother who provides the supernatural context of her conception and her son’s birth. She named the boy Samuel and this name was meant to reflect the gracious nature of God’s miraculous gift. She prayed and God heard. She asked and God answered. It is difficult to understand the exact meaning of the name Samuel. But one of the most logical explanations is that it derives from the Hebrew word for “name” (shem) and the Hebrew word for God (el). Thus “Samuel” means “name of God.”

Then why did Hannah associate her son’s name with the phrase, “I have asked for him from the Lord?” She appears to be using a figure of speech known as a paronomasia. The name Samuel is very similar in sound to the Hebrew word for “ask” (šā'al), which is pronounced shaw-el. So it would appear that Hannah was using a play on words that was meant to honor the role of Yahweh in the birth of her son.

Yet, Samuel fast-forwards through the nine months of Hannah’s pregnancy and then skips over the first few years of his own life. He picks up the story at the point at which he was weaned and able to be taken to the Tabernacle for Hannah to fulfill the vow she had made to the Lord. In the meantime, Elkanah made yearly trips to the Tabernacle to pay the offering associated with the vow, as determined by the Mosaic Law.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, If anyone makes a special vow to the Lord involving the valuation of persons…If the person is from a month old up to five years old, the valuation shall be for a male five shekels of silver, and for a female the valuation shall be three shekels of silver. – Leviticus 27:1-2, 6 ESV

Likely, Samuel was between 18 months and 5 years of age when he was weaned off his mother’s milk and able to live off solid food. It was then that Hannah and Elkanah took Samuel to the Tabernacle to dedicate him to the service of the Lord. It’s interesting to note that Elkanah had assumed responsibility for his wife’s vow.

Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. – 1 Samuel 1:21 ESV

As the head of his household, Elkanah had the God-given authority to renege on his wife’s vow.

…on the day that her husband comes to hear of it, he opposes her, then he makes void her vow that was on her, and the thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she bound herself. And the Lord will forgive her. – Numbers 30:8 ESV

But he had chosen to honor Hannah’s commitment and was fully on board with the plan to turn over their infant son to Eli the priest. So, as soon as Samuel was weaned Hannah “took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh” (1 Samuel 1:24 ESV), and Samuel adds the note “And the child was young” (1 Samuel 1:24 ESV).

Samuel provides few details concerning this momentous and, obviously, difficult moment in the life of Hannah and Elkanah. It could not have been easy for them to hand over their infant son to Eli, knowing that they would not have the joy of raising him under their own roof. From this moment on, Samuel would belong to the Lord. Hannah had made a vow to God and she was determined to keep it not matter the cost.

“O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.” – 1 Samuel 1:11 NLT

Not only had she dedicated her son to full-time service in the Tabernacle, but she obligated him to keep the Nazirite vow. This lifetime commitment is outlined in the Book of Numbers.

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.

“All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long.” – Numbers 6:1-5 ESV

From this moment forward, Samuel belonged to God and was essentially a slave to Eli and his two sons, Hophne and Phinehas. Little did Hannah know that she was turning over the welfare of her son to two “worthless” men who “did not know the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:12 ESV). Everything was not as it seemed in the Tabernacle and the high priest’s household. But from Hannah’s perspective, she was dedicating her son to Yahweh, whom she trusted completely. She had every confidence that he son was in good hands because he had been a gift from God Himself.

Having offered the appropriate sacrifices, Hannah made her intentions known to Eli, the priest.

“For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” – 1 Samuel 1:27-28 ESV

Chapter 1 ends with the statement, “he worshiped the Lord there” (1 Samuel 1:27 ESV). This appears to be a reference to Samuel, who immediately began to learn the ins and outs of worship and the everyday activities of the priestly caste. His new life had begun and he would soon find himself immersed in a very different environment than the one into which he had been born. As for Hannah, God graciously blessed her with five more children to take the place of Samuel.

…the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord. – 1 Samuel 2:21 ESV

God began the process of preparing Samuel for a life dedicated to His service. This young boy would grow up to be a central figure in the history of the nation of Israel, anointing its first two kings and providing wise counsel during their reigns. God had a plan and Samuel was to be an integral part of its implementation.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The God Who Hears

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.”

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.” 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.

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.” – 1 Samuel 1:9-20 ESV

The Book of Judges paints a bleak picture of the spiritual state of Israel. It portrays a cycle of sin, judgment, repentance, and rescue that repeats itself relentlessly during the nation’s early days living within the land of promise. Aftår the death of Joshua, the man who had led them in their conquest of Canaan, the Israelites displayed a fickle and faithless relationship with Yahweh. This great leader, appointed by Yahweh Himself, had left them with a somber charge.

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  - Joshua 24:14-15 ESV

Encouraged by Joshua’s impassioned plea, the people vowed to remain faithful to Yahweh.

“Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods…Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” – Joshua 24:17, 18 ESV

Yet, Joshua knew his people well and responded with a less-than-flattering assessment of their ability to keep their commitment.

“You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.” – Joshua 24:19 ESV

Joshua’s statement proved to be prophetic. In two separate places in the Book of Judges, the text provides the following assessment of the people of Israel.

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. – Judges 17:6 ESV

It was in this difficult and decadent environment that Hannah had been born. Yet, she is portrayed as a godly woman who still worships the God of her forefathers. Despite her barrenness and heavy heart, she has not abandoned her God. Even amid her pain and sorrow, she continues to believe in His presence and power. Verse 9 portrays this disconsolate woman standing before the gate of the Tabernacle, bearing her heart to Yahweh.

She has reached the end of her rope. The shame and social stigma associated with her ailment have left her in a desperate state, and she makes a vow to Yahweh.

“O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.” – 1 Samuel 1:11 NLT

Hannah is not making a rash or poorly thought-out vow; she has had plenty of time to consider her situation and decided that this agreement with the Almighty is her only option. In exchange for the ability to bear her husband a son, Hannah is willing to dedicate the child to the service of Yahweh.

Hannah prays to God, pouring out her soul (1 Samuel 1:15) in an impassioned plea that demonstrates the desperation she feels. If God will only hear and answer her cry, she will give the child back to God as an expression of her gratitude for His gracious gift. if And the text tells us that God heard and answered her prayer, providing Hannah with the desire of her heart: A son.

This child, Samuel, would grow up to be Israel's last judge and one of the few decent judges they ever had. His birth came at a time when Israel was in dire need of godly leadership, as will be demonstrated in the following verses. God has witnessed the moral situation in Israel. He has heard the cries of this beleaguered and belittled woman and He steps in, at just the right time.

But another character in the story has a different reaction to Hannah’s suffering and pain, mistaking her anguish for drunkenness. Eli, the priest, is sitting at the Tabernacle's gate and witnesses Hannah's silent prayer as she pours out her heart to the Lord. From his vantage point, he can see her lips move but hears no sound. This leads him to draw the rather strange conclusion that she must be filled with alcohol rather than pain. Put off by what he believes to be her blatant display of public intoxication, he confronts her.

“Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!” – 1 Samuel 1:14 NLT

This self-righteous religious leader has a lot of gall. He takes no opportunity to discern her circumstances but, instead, he accuses her of coming to the Tabernacle in a state of inebriation. Appalled by the priest’s assertion, Hannah defends her integrity and explains her strange behavior.

“Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.” – 1 Samuel 1:15-16 NLT

Almost as if to gloss over his social faux pas, Eli encourages Hannah to go on her way and assures her that God will answer her prayer. He doesn’t even bother to discern the nature of her problem. But based on Eli’s status as a priest of God, Hannah took his words to heart and assumed he had received a word from God. Yet there is nothing in the text that indicates that Eli’s words were God-ordained. It does not appear that Eli had any idea his words were prophetic in nature.

Yet, God had heard Hannah’s prayer and sovereignly orchestrated Eli’s statement. He was at work behind the scenes preparing the way for a miracle. He was going to take this obscure woman named Hannah and use her to bring about His redemptive plan for the people of Israel. He will reveal His strength through her weakness. He will use her moment of need to show His one-of-a-kind ability to intervene and do the impossible.

Hannah walked away from her encounter with Eli with a bounce in her step. She took his words to heart and trusted that God had heard and would surely act. Little did she know that God was going to do far more than she could have ever imagined; He was going to meet the greater needs of the people of Israel.

God was in control and was working His divine plan to perfection, orchestrating events and individuals in such a way that His will would be accomplished. Like every other book in the Old Testament, the book of 1 Samuel provides a glimpse into the character of God. It is a book of theology, not just history. More than just a collection of isolated and independent stories, it is a revelation of who God is and how He interacts with His chosen people.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Barren, But Not Forgotten

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. ­

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?” – 1 Samuel 1:1-8 ESV

The book of 1 Samuel is part of a two-book set that includes 2 Samuel. At one point, these two books were actually one book that was divided when the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek. This Greek translation took place in the third and second century B.C. and was known as the Septuagint, which comes from the Latin word for “seventy.” Tradition holds that 70 Hebrew scholars translated the original book into Greek because it had become the dominant language in Israel during those days.

The men who painstakingly translated the original Hebrew text into Greek made the determination to split the original book into two segments, calling them 1 and 2 Kingdoms. It wasn’t until 400 A.D. that Jerome used the designation “Samuel” when he provided a Latin translation of the entire Bible called the Vulgate. Since then, the two-book format has remained as well as the title of “Samuel,” a nod to one of the primary characters in the two books. While the lives of the first two kings of Israel will appear in these books, Samuel the prophet anointed them both, making him a central character in the narrative. For many centuries, it was believed that Samuel was also the author of two books, but that idea has come under fire because much of the content covers the time after Samuel’s death (1 Samuel 25-2 Samuel 24).

Both books chronicle a time that took place at the tail-end of the period of the judges. Eli, a priest of God, who will appear in verse 9, had judged Israel for 40 years (1 Samuel 4:18). As the story unfolds, this overweight and irresponsible man will come to represent all that is wrong with Israel.

The opening chapters of 1 Samuel provide the fascinating story of Ei’s downfall and his replacement by Samuel, the man whom God had divinely ordained to take his place. God steps into the scene of rampant disobedience and moral decay that was so clearly portrayed in the book of Judges and graciously provides a much-needed wake-up call to the people. The first two chapters of this book present a series of contrasts: Eli and Samuel, Hannah and Peninnah, and the sons of Eli and the son of Hannah. God seems to be setting the stage for change. After 350 years of moral decline and spiritual apathy, God is about to do something great.

Despite all the spiritual decadence that seemed to mark the people of God during the period of the judges, we see in these two chapters that not everyone had abandoned God. The first two verses introduce the reader to an unknown and unlikely character whose role in God’s plans for the nation of Israel may be difficult to comprehend or reconcile.

Hannah is the wife of a man named Elkanah, a Levite who still faithfully sacrifices to Yahweh each year at the Tabernacle in Shiloh. Elkanah is a direct descendant of Kohath, one of the sons of Levi (1 Chronicles 6:16-30), but he lives in one of the Levitical cities located within the territory allotted to the tribe of Ephraim.

This man, a member of the tribe of Levi and part of the clan of Kohath was responsible for caring for the objects associated with the Tabernacle.

“This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting: the most holy things.” – Numbers 4:4 ESV

During Israel’s days of wilderness wandering, when the Tabernacle had to be transported from one place to another, the Kohathites were tasked with carrying the Ark of the Covenant, the Table of Showbread, and other holy items. But once Israel entered the promised land, the Tabernacle was erected in Shiloh and the role of the Kohathites was greatly diminished. But the text tells us that Elkanah continued to travel to Shiloh once a year on the Day of Atonement to offer sacrifices at the Tabernacle. This man remained faithful to God and obedient to keep the designated feast days outlined in the Mosaic Law.

But Elkanah was a bigamist. This man of God had taken two wives, a not uncommon practice in that day, but one that was in direct violation of God’s ordained will.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. – Genesis 2:24 ESV

Nowhere in Scripture does God condone the practice of bigamy and in almost all cases where God’s people engaged in it, the outcomes are less than ideal. The lives of the patriarchs give ample testimony to the risky nature of this worldly and purely sin-prone practice.

As this story shows, Hannah is a barren woman with a heavy heart. She cannot provide her husband with any offspring and finds herself in competition with her counterpart, Peninnah. The text makes the conflict abundantly clear: “Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children” (1 Samuel 1:2 ESV). Hannah follows in the footsteps of other barren women, like Sarah, the wife of Abraham, and Rebekah, the wife of Isaac.

To make matters worse, Peninnah regularly flouted her fruitfulness in the face of Hannah.

…her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. – 1 Samuel 1:6 ESV

This went on year after year, yet Hannah continued to worship God. She would accompany her husband and Peninnah to Shiloh each year to offer sacrifices at the Tabernacle. According to the Law of Moses, the Israelites were allowed to consume a portion of the meat associated with certain sacrifices. The text states the Elkanah gave “portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters” (1 Samuel 1:4 ESV). But to Hannah, he gave “a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb” (1 Samuel 1:5 ESV). Yet, this generous expression of love did little to assuage Hannah’s feelings of uselessness due to her infertility. She was frustrated by her inability to return his love by providing him with a son. 

Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. – 1 Samuel 1:7 ESV

She was unconsolable; her grief was unbearable. But Peninnah, despite his deep affection for Hannah, was unable to understand the depth or the source of her sorrow. But God did.

Peninnah and Hannah are provided as contrasts to Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli. Like their father, these two men represent everything that is wrong with Israel. As priests of God, they should have lived lives that were set apart for God but they lived immoral lives marked by greed, corruption, sexual promiscuity, and a total disregard for the laws of God. The text describes them as worthless men who did not know God (1 Samuel 2:12). As will soon become obvious, they were worthless in the eyes of God.  They obviously knew who God was but they did not recognize or acknowledge His authority over them. They operated according to their own will, with no fear of God, as evidenced by their blatant abuse of the sacrificial system. They used their positions as God's priests for personal gain and to satisfy their own desires. And their father Eli did nothing to stop them, probably because he enjoyed some of the benefits of their unethical practices.

But as is always the case, God steps in. He delivers. He takes an obscure woman named Hannah, who just happened to be barren and abused, and uses her to bring about His redemptive plan for the people of Israel. God reveals His strength through her weakness. He takes her moment of need and uses it to show His one-of-a-kind ability to provide for that need and so much more.

Verse 7 reveals Hannah as inconsolable and incapable of enjoying the gracious gift of for provided by her loving husband. But she has a loving God who hears her cries and feels her pain, and He will soon intervene on her behalf. He has a plan for her life that will overshadow the depth of her sorrow. Her life will stand in stark contrast to the two “men of God” who have been set apart for His service but who have chosen to serve themselves. The barren woman will become the fruit-bearer whose seed will begin a new chapter in God’s plans for His chosen people. The era of the judges is coming to a close and the time of the kings is near.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.