The Book of 1Samuel 1:1-7

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1 The Book of 1Samuel 1:1-7 Hannah Instrument of God Pt.1 (1/4/15) Today we begin a new book 1Samuel. Now when several people asked me what book we were going to study next and I told them 1Samuel they seemed about as excited as the prospect of sitting through a long insurance seminar. I think for many the problem is that history in general doesn t excite them and ancient history in particular. The mindset seems to be what can I learn from the history of Israel that could have any possible relevance to my life today? Forgetting completely the words of Paul the apostle in Romans 15:4 that the Old Testament Scriptures were given to us by God that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Or as the NLT puts it the [O.T.] Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God s promises to be fulfilled. I think you re going to discover that First and Second Samuel which originally in the Hebrew Scriptures were one book are, in many ways, about as relevant to our lives as the morning news. 1

2 You see the main issue that these books deal with is the issue of leadership Leadership. Since these things were written for our learning the thing we learn from the history of Israel is that in the absence of godly leadership a nation will suffer and decline whereas in the presence of godly leadership it will prosper and be strengthened. Or to put it another way as leaders go so goes a nation. We can see this clearly in the history of our own country as we compare the character, the faith and the godly conviction of many of our founding fathers and the effect they had on the formation of this nation With that of many of our present day leaders and the effect they have had on our country we can see that this truth is self-evident as leaders go so goes a nation. The books of 1 & 2 Samuel chronicle for us the lives of three of Israel s most famous leaders Samuel, Saul and David. Samuel served the nation as a prophet, priest and judge; Saul as its first king and David as its second king. Every story has a context and hi-story is no different. The background of the book of 1Samuel is that it opens up during the period of the Judges. The period of the judges covered about 340 years. 2

3 This was the period of time before the monarchy was established where the nation of Israel was still under a theocratic form of government (God was their King and ruled directly over them). Eventually the people demanded a king like the Gentile nations around them and so the Lord had Samuel, the last judge, crown Saul the first king and the nation moved from a theocracy to a monarchy. The period of the Judges was one of the blackest in Israel s history characterized by lawlessness, violence and social chaos a period summed up by the phrase there was no king in Israel so everyone did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. Whenever a nation rejects God s authority over them that nation will begin to decline and then degrade until it is finally destroyed. Our nation has entered into a period not unlike the period of the Judges in Israel s history where we have rejected God s laws in favor of doing whatever seems right in our own eyes. When we cut ourselves free from the moral absolutes that anchored us to God we set ourselves adrift in a sea of moral relativism. And if we continue in this course the result will be judgment and destruction of our nation. Someone has said, America, this once great, mighty and prosperous nation, has begun to grow sick and weak. We have turned our backs on God; we have severed ourselves from our Christian roots. And once the tree has been severed from its roots no matter how tall and strong and fruitful it once was it will slowly begin to wither and die. However all is not lost there s still hope! 3

4 Maybe you re thinking, How can you say that? I can say it because that s exactly the message of 1Samuel! The book of 1Samuel teaches us that even during the blackest periods of national decline God is still on the throne! And as someone has said, when He isn t allowed to rule, He overrules! He is the Lord of Hosts and His purposes will be accomplished! Before we go any further let me give you a little more background and then we ll get into the book. As I ve already said 1Samuel begins with Israel at a low point, spiritually, morally and nationally. This decline had started even before Joshua died and continued through the entire period of the Judges who were leaders raised up by God when the nation was still a theocracy. Sadly, most of these judges were corrupt as were the priests of the Lord at that time. And in the absence of godly leadership the people practiced idolatry, gave themselves over to all kinds of immorality and the result was lawlessness, violence, anarchy and a total devaluing of human life. This is very much like what we see going on in our society today. 4

5 And yet the book of 1Samuel begins by introducing us to a woman named Hannah whose name means grace. It seems that even in the blackest periods of human degeneration that God s grace is still present. We are going to see that it was out of Hannah s pain and her corresponding prayer that God birthed a new chapter in the nation s history by giving her a son who would go on to be a prophet, priest and judge. Warren Wiersbe As He often did in Israel s history, God began to solve the problem by sending a baby. Babies are God s announcement that He knows the need, cares about His people, and is at work on their behalf. The arrival of a baby ushers in new life and a new beginning; babies are signposts to the future, and their conception and birth is a miracle that only God can do (Gen. 30:1 2). To make the event seem even greater, God sometimes selects barren women to be the mothers, as when He sent Isaac to Sarah, Jacob and Esau to Rebekah, and Joseph to Rachel. The story of Hannah giving birth to Samuel teaches us that one person can make a difference if that person is broken and surrendered to God and prays! The name Samuel means asked of God (1 Sam. 1:20) which means that Samuel s very life became a testimony to the power of prayer that God is a God Who answers prayer especially when all hope seems gone. I ve outlined the first part of this book the part that deals with Hannah: I. Hannah s Suffering 1:1-7 II. III. IV. Hannah s Supplication 1:8-18 Hannah s Son 1:19-28 Hannah s Song 2:1-10 5

6 I. Hannah s Suffering 1:1-7 1 Samuel 1:1 (NKJV) 1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. So right off the bat we are introduced to a man named Elkanah. We are told he lived in the mountainous area of Ephraim in the town of Ramathaim Zophim (Ramah for short (v. 19) 15 miles north of Jerusalem). We are told the names of his father, his grand-father, his great grandfather and great great grandfather and none of them are important or well known they re all relatively insignificant and obscure people. That shouldn t throw us because God delights in using the weak, the foolish, the base and the nobodies to do His best work through. 1 Samuel 1:2 (NKJV) 2 And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. Hannah as I said means grace; and Peninnah means rubies but as someone has pointed out she was no gem. As we re about to see she was cruel and vindictive. 6

7 The fact that Hannah s name appears first indicates that she was Elkanah s first wife but because she was barren he married Peninnah who did bear him children something she never missed an opportunity to rub in Hannah s face. There are those who read that Elkanah had two wives and that others in the O.T. had multiple wives and they take it to mean that bigamy and polygamy are Biblical and therefore good. However there are things that God permitted under the Old Testament economy that were never a part of His original intention for marriage one being polygamy and the other being divorce except in the case of sexual infidelity. In the Bible polygamy is never put in a favorable light because it almost always led to strife, conflict and the favoritism of one wife over the other or others. (Leah and Rachael) 1 Samuel 1:3 (NKJV) 3 This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there. At this point in Israel s history the Tabernacle was in Shiloh and not on Mt. Moriah. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there. We are going to see that Eli wasn t a very spiritual priest and that his sons were flat out evil. Why did Samuel feel the need to mention that these two evil priests were ministering in Shiloh at this time? 7

8 I think the Holy Spirit led him to mention their names to first of all tell us that just because a person is in full time ministry doesn t mean they are really servants of God or even belong to Him. There are many churches today that are being pastored by wicked men and women who call themselves ministers of God. Paul the apostle had this to say about them 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (NKJV) 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. However I believe that primarily these two wicked priests were mentioned to show how godly Elkanah was That even though the priests were wicked he still went to Shiloh and offered sacrifices to the LORD because they re wickedness wasn t going to stop him from worshiping God. I have seen people over the years that have stopped going to church because some T.V. pastor or preacher was exposed as a fraud that embezzled money from the ministry or lived a lavish lifestyle what does that have to do with you worshipping the Lord? (Elaborate) 1 Samuel 1:4-7 (NKJV) 4 And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the LORD had closed her womb. 6 And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the LORD had closed her womb. 7 So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat. 8

9 Our hearts can t help but go out to Hannah since Elkanah was able to have children with Peninnah, Hannah knew that she was the infertile one. Did Hannah know at the time that the Lord had closed her womb? We don t know except Samuel, who wrote this portion of the book, tells us that is was the Lord Who had purposely closed Hannah s womb. There are only two reasons I can think of for why God would have done something like this as a judgment for sin; or for a purpose He had in mind. And in Hannah s case I believe both were true. I think that part of the reason God continued to keep Hannah from getting pregnant was because wanting a child had become an idol in her life. And even though the Bible tells us that children are a blessing from the Lord (Ps.127:3) and that wanting to have children is a good thing and not sin Anything or anyone that becomes a consuming passion other than God Himself is an idol in our hearts and God will not facilitate idolatry by giving it to us even if it s something good like children. I also think that pride was a factor in Hannah s desire to have a child she wanted to prove her worth as a woman because in that culture to be barren meant you were defective and even cursed by God and therefore you were looked down upon. And let s be honest part of the reason she wanted a child was so she could shut Peninnah up. 9

10 And so I believe that all of these things played a role in why God didn t allow Hannah to get pregnant they played a roll but weren t the main reason. You see God needed a man to lead the nation out of this period of national decline into spiritual revival and at that time He found no man in Israel He could use. A similar thing happened during the time of Ezekiel the prophet. The nation was once again in a time of severe national decline and God would have no choice but to judge them if no one began to intercede on their behalf Ezekiel 22:30-31 (NKJV) 30 So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. 31 Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads," says the Lord GOD. I wonder how often that has been repeated in history, where God is seeking a man who will fully dedicate his life to the plans and purposes of God only to find no one that seems to have been the case as the book of 1Samuel opens up. Since God couldn t find a man already alive He decided to grow one up starting with a baby who would grow up in the Tabernacle One that would serve God from time he was first able to walk and talk an instrument that God would prepare from childhood to adulthood and then use to bring the nation into revival. But before God could raise up a child He first had to have a woman who would be willing to surrender her child to God to be used all the days of his life. 10

11 Hannah became that woman a woman God withheld a child from until she was broken of self and willing to give the child to God the most precious thing she had as an offering of worship. It reminds us of what another woman did many centuries later her name was Mary of Bethany. (Explain) As we are able to spend some time with Hannah we see just how godly a woman she was and I believe much of her godliness and the depth of her relationship with God was the result of the suffering she went through which drove her to God each day. We ll have to stop here and pick it up next week. If all these things were written for our learning that we might learn patience and have hope by studying how God worked in their lives then apply that to your situation. If it seems that God is silent and that your prayers are going unanswered ask yourself if what you re asking for has become an idol in some way in your heart. Or maybe God is withholding His answer to your prayer until you repent of some sin you re involved in. Or maybe He s just waiting for the perfect moment to answer your request so that it will bring Him the most glory. Remember that Hannah had to be broken before she could be blessed. The same might be true with you. 11