§58. The Birth of Samuel (I Sam. 1:1-4, 8-28; 2:11)

A. HANNAH'S GRIEF

Now there was a certain man of the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah. And the name of his wife was Hannah and she had no children. And this man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests unto the Lord, were there. And when the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, Hannah wept, and did not eat.

And Elkanah her husband said unto her, "Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am I not better to thee than ten sons?"

So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon his seat by the door post of the temple of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, "O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head."

And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, "How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee."

And Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I poured out my soul before the Lord. Count not thine handmaid for a wicked woman: for out of the abundance of my complaint have I spoken."

Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thy petition that thou hast asked of him."

And she said, "Let thy servant find grace in thy sight."

So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah.

B. THE DEDICATION OF SAMUEL

And it came to pass, that Hannah bare a son; and she called his name Samuel. And the man Elkanah went up to offer unto the Lord the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, "I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there abide for ever."

And Elkanah her husband said unto her, "Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou hast weaned him; only the Lord establish his word."

So the woman tarried until she weaned him. And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of meal, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the Lord in Shiloh: and the child was young. And they slew the bullock, and brought the child to Eli. And she said, "Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: therefore I also have granted him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he is granted to the Lord."

And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the Lord before Eli the priest.

§59. The Wicked Priests (I Sam. 2:12-17, 22-25, 18, 19, 26)

Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they knew not the Lord. And the custom of the priests with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was being boiled, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; and he struck it into the kettle; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. Yea, before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, "Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have boiled flesh of thee, but raw." And if the man said unto him, "They will surely burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth;" then he would say, "Nay, but thou shalt give it to me now: and if not, I will take it by force." And the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord; for they despised the offering of the Lord.

Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did unto all Israel. And he said unto them, "Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings from all this people. Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord's people to transgress. If one man sinned against another, God shall judge him: but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him?"

Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father.

But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. Moreover his mother made him a little robe, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife. And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favor both with the Lord, and also with men.

§60. The Call of Samuel (I Sam. 3:1-18)

And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, (now his eyes had begun to wax dim, that he could not see,) and the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down to sleep, in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was; that the Lord called Samuel: and he said, "Here am I." And he ran unto Eli, and said, "Here am I; for thou calledst me." And he said, "I called not; lie down again."

And he went and lay down. And the Lord called yet again, "Samuel."

And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here am I; for thou calledst me."

And he answered, "I called not, my son; lie down again."

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here am I; for thou calledst me."

And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, "Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, 'Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.'"

So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, "Samuel, Samuel."

Then Samuel said, "Speak; for thy servant heareth."

And the Lord said to Samuel, "Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even unto the end. For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he restrained them not."

And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.

Then Eli called Samuel, and said, "Samuel, my son."

And he said, "Here am I."

And he said, "What is the thing that the Lord hath spoken unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he spake unto thee."

And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good."

§61. The Punishment of the Wicked Priests (I Sam. 4:1-18)

A. ISRAEL'S DOUBLE DEFEAT

Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle. And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to-day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies."

So the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark. And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.

And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?" And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp. And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God is come into the camp." And they said, "Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? these are the gods that smote the Egyptians with all manner of plagues in the wilderness. Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight."

And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man to his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

B. THE DEATH OF THE OLD PRIEST

And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon his seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.

And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, "What meaneth the noise of this tumult?"

And the man hasted, and came and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were set, that he could not see. And the man said unto Eli, "I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to-day out of the army."

And he said, "How went the matter, my son?"

And he that brought the tidings answered and said, "Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken."

And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

THE MEANING OF THE STORY

189. We turn to the Books of Samuel, which take their name from one of the great heroes of Israel. He did not write the books, for they contain the story of what happened long after his death, but as he was the noblest character in the books they were named after him.

190 (§58A). At the beginning of this story we learn that Elkanah the husband and Hannah his wife had no children. They had gone up to Shiloh to the sacred building that was called the house of God, and had celebrated a sacred feast. But Hannah was greatly troubled that she had no child. What did she do? What did she promise if she could have a son? We remember from the story of Samson that leaving the hair uncut was a mark that the child was to serve God.

191 (§58A). When Hannah prayed, did she speak aloud? What did Eli, the old priest, think about her? Tell in your own words their conversation.

192 (§58B). The boy whom Hannah longed for was born. What was his name? It was the custom to kill animals at the house of God as a sign of thanksgiving: what did Hannah take with her for this sacrifice? What did she say to Eli? Note that she brings the boy to the old priest to learn the duties of the house of God.

193 (§59). Perhaps the wrong-doing of the priests seems rather difficult to understand. Eli, the old priest, was assisted by his two sons. Their duty was to offer the sacrifices for the people, and they would be allowed part of the meat as their pay. That was one of the ways in which a priest had his living. But these young priests would send their servants to stick a large fork into the pot where the meat was boiling and whatever came out they would take. Or they would take the meat first, before the offering to the Lord had been made, and this was considered a dishonor to the sacrifice. It often happens that public officers are more anxious to get what they can than to do their duty.

194 (§59). How did the father feel about his sons? What did he say to them? What ought he to have done to them? Why did he not do so?

195 (§59). What was happening to Samuel all this time? The linen ephod was a white dress such as a priest would wear. Who made the boy's garments? Think what those happy meetings of the parents and boy once a year must have been.

196 (§60). Imagine how the little church, or temple, was at night. There was a room in which the sacred box called the ark was kept. A lamp burned in this room all night. Samuel had a room near by, where he slept, and old Eli had another. What wonderful thing happened to Samuel one night? Tell it in your own words. Nearly all men and women who have become great have heard calls in some manner in their youth. Joan of Arc, the young girl who saved France from her enemies, thought that she heard God calling to her, though she was only thirteen years of age. This was a vision that Samuel saw in the night. Do you remember the dreams of Joseph? It is often in conscience and in times of thoughtfulness that God speaks to us.

197 (§60). How did Samuel do as Eli had told him? Note that God tells the boy that a great punishment will come upon Eli's family. How was Eli to blame for the wickedness of his sons?

198 (§60). What did Samuel do as soon as he got up in the morning? What does this show us regarding his duties? What did he think about the vision? But old Eli knew that there was something very important that had happened. Tell in your own words the conversation between them. Note that the poor old man can simply say that he must bear what comes upon him. What do you think of Eli?

199 (§61A). With whom did Israel go to war? Locate the country of these enemies on the map. How did the battle come out? The people thought that if they could have the ark with them they could conquer. They thought the Lord would fight for them. Where did they go to get the ark? Who were with the ark?

200 (§61A). When the two priests brought the ark to the camp, what happened? What effect did this have upon the Philistines? What was the result? What happened to the two priests? What happened to the ark?

201 (§61B). When a Hebrew felt very sad he covered his head with dust and tore his dress. Tell the story of how the news of the defeat was brought to Eli. How old was the priest? What was he doing? Why did he care so much about the ark of God? What happened to him? Eli was a noble man himself, but could he not have done better for Israel than he did? Remember that young Samuel was growing up while these things were going on.

WRITTEN REVIEW

Think of what paragraph 196 means to you. It is at Samuel's age that most young people come into the full membership of the church. Write what you think that means.