Eli: High Priest and Judge

Eli blesses Hannah / Samuel is born

1:1-18

• Because Hannah is barren, she is constantly mocked by Peninnah
• Visiting the [tabernacle] temple in Shiloh, Hannah weeps & silently prays for a son; she promises, the boy will be given to God & his hair won’t be shaved [indicating that he will be a Nazirite, separated as holy to God, see Num 6:1-8];
• Eli thinks she is drunk, but she explains her sorrow, so Eli blesses her

1:19-28

• Samuel is born; Hannah gives him to Eli [in Shiloh] so that he will always live before Yahweh

2:1-11

• Song: Hannah sings, ‘My heart rejoices in Yahweh… the strong & mighty are cast down… the poor are lifted up…, etc.’;
• then [Hannah] returns home, while Samuel stays with Eli

God rejects Eli / God calls Samuel

2:12-17

• Eli’s sons do not know God [despite being priests];
• they treat the holy offerings with contempt & take meat before it is offered to God [Eli allows this because he also benefits from it, see 2:29]

2:18-21

• Samuel serves God
• When Hannah visits Samuel, Eli blesses her & she has more children

2:22-25

• Eli’s sons commit sexual sin with the women who serve at the temple;
• when Eli hears of it, he asks them why they do it, and warns them that there can be no mediation for their sin

[but Eli does not punish them, nor remove them from the priesthood, nor restrain them, see 3:13]

2:26

• Samuel grows in favour with God and with the people [contrast this with Eli’s sons, 2:17, v23]

2:27-36

• Prophecy: A man comes to Eli bringing this message from God:
  1. ‘I gave your ancestor [Aaron] all the offerings [and all the breast & thigh meat as the High Priest’s portion, see Lev 7:31-35], but you scorn the offerings [see 2:13-16] & honour your sons above Me for your own gain.
  2. Therefore, there shall never be an old man in your household, & both your sons will die the same day [see 4:11].
  3. I will raise up a faithful priest who will rule over your household’

[Maybe referring to Samuel who acted as priest after Eli died / Similar to prophecy against Saul, 28:16-19]

3:1 – 4:1a

• Prophecy: Yahweh calls to Samuel at night, & tells him:

‘The sin of Eli’s household will never be forgiven’ [cf. Eli’s warning in 2:25]

• Samuel becomes established as a Prophet

Israelites versus Philistines #1 /

The Ark is captured / Eli’s family is killed

4:1b-2

• At Ebenezer: The Israelites fight the Philistines, but 4,000 Israelites are killed

4:3-11

• The Ark of the Covenant is taken into battle by Eli’s sons, but 30,000 Israelites are killed, & the Ark is captured by the Philistines [cf. 3:11] & both Eli’s sons are killed [cf. 3:12-14, 2:34]

4:12-18

• The same day: Eli hears the news, falls backwards, breaks his neck and dies

4:19-22

• The same day: Eli’s pregnant daughter-in-law hears the news, instantly gives birth, then dies

God versus the Philistines / The Ark is returned to Israel

ch. 5

• God punishes the Philistines with physical ailments for possessing the Ark of the Covenant

6:1-12

• After 7 months, the Philistines return the Ark to Israel along with offerings to God

6:13-20

• In Beth-Shemesh: The Israelites rejoice, but 70 of them look inside the Ark and they die

[v19, Young’s translation says it was 70 men including 50 chief men (YLT); some bibles translate it as 50,070 (e.g. KJV)]

6:21 – 7:1

• The Ark is taken to Kiriath-Jearim [It never returns to Shiloh, cf. Ps 78:56-61, Jer 7:9-14, 26:2-6]

Samuel: Prophet and Judge

A time of fasting

7:2

• 20 years later: The people begin to lament over God [seeking God with humble, sorrowful prayer]

7:3-6

• Samuel calls the Israelites to return to worshipping God, so they assemble to fast at Mizpah

Israelites versus Philistines #2

7:7-11

• The Philistines arrive to fight the Israelites; Samuel makes a [priestly] sacrifice & prays;
• God sends thunder [from heaven] and the Philistines are defeated

7:12

• The memorial stone: Samuel sets up a stone, names it ‘Ebenezer’ [‘Stone-of-help’], & says, ‘God has helped us up to now’

[contrast this with Ebenezer in 4:1, 5:1; the people must remember that God assists His people when they seek Him, however, they soon forget and want a king, see 12:8-12]

7:13-14

• The Philistines no longer enter [to capture land and dwell in] Israel’s borders, & the hand of God is against them [whenever they attack Israel] during the whole time Samuel remains alive;
• the Israelite cities that the Philistines had previously taken are now restored to the Israelites

Samuel’s ministry / The people want a king

7:15-17

• Samuel judged the Israelites in Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah & his home town of Ramah

8:1-3

• When Samuel is old he appoints his sons as judges, but they take bribes and pervert justice

[Samuel’s sons acted as judges in legal cases, but were not ‘raised up’ by God to be Judges (cf. Jdg 2:16);

Samuel still remained as the divinely appointed Judge of Israel until his death, see 1 Sam 7:15]

8:4-5

• The Israelite elders say they want a king to be their next Judge, because Samuel is old & his sons are wicked

[They want a king to lead them in battle, see 8:20, because they are afraid, see 12:12]

8:6-22

• God says, ‘They have rejected Me as King!’
• Samuel warns the elders, ‘The king will take your sons & daughters [as servants] & fields & grain [as taxes]!’ But they still want a king

Jdg / Ruth / 1-SAM / 2-Sam / 1-Kgs