Bible Study Notes on the Life of Samuel the Prophet, Part I

In my recent devotions I found myself drawn to reading about the life of Samuel the prophet in the Old Testament. If you were a regular attender in Sunday School, you've probably heard about how he was called by God as a child while serving in the tabernacle (the tent where the Ark of the Covenant was housed before King Solomon built the temple), and then how as an adult he played a pivotal role in the anointing of the first King of Israel, Saul, and the later anointing of his replacement, King David. The Bible, however, gives us quite a bit more information about the life of Samuel than just these three events.

First off, Samuel's birth and upbringing was anything but typical. He was, truly, a miracle child. But what stood out to me as I studied his beginnings wasn't the miracle of his birth, but rather the miracle of his mother's faith.

His mother, Hannah, was one of two wives, married to Elkanah, from the tribe of Ephraim. We don't know much about Elkanah except that he loved Hannah, who was barren at the beginning of the story, and that he clearly favored her over his other wife, Peninnah, who had given him several children. Any man who thinks that keeping two wives happy would be easy to do needs to study 1 Samuel 1:1-8 and read how miserable home life can be for the wives when a husband favors one over the other. Poor miserable Peninnah, though she had been blessed with children, most likely got such little love from her husband that she felt her only recourse was to belittle and provoke Hannah for her barrenness. We also need to note that in that culture to be without children was considered a curse from God. Hannah, childless, and ridiculed and belittled by her rival, Peninnah, was so desperately unhappy that she often wept and would not eat.

Her husband clearly did not understand why she was so miserable. In 1 Samuel 1:8 he even dares to gently rebuke her: "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?" I can't help but be unimpressed with this husband's response: how can he not realize what is happening in his own household and not rebuke his second wife for how unkindly she treats Hannah? For a culture that is supposed to be patriarchal and ruled by the husband there is no indication that he does anything to correct Peninnah for her mistreatment of Hannah, nor any indication that it kept him from seeking Peninnah's bed. Elkanah loved Hannah, but that did not make him a particularly wise and tactful husband.

In Elkanah's favor, he was a religious man, and he would go up every year to worship and sacrifice to the Lord at the tabernacle in Shiloh. (See 1 Samuel 1:3.) I do not doubt that God honored Elkanah because of his devotion and desire to do what is right. While this religious observance became a point of contention and emotional distress for Hannah because of how it emphasized yet again her barrenness and favored wife status (See 1 Samuel 1:4-5) which brought her unwanted attention from her rival, it did finally provide her with opportunity to pray and seek the Lord at the door of the tabernacle. We do not know if this was the first time she had prayed at the tabernacle in regards to wanting a son, or whether she had done this for years as her barrenness continued. We just know that this time, Eli the priest noticed her. (See 1 Samuel 1:9-12)

Poor Hannah. She's earnestly seeking the Lord for a son, weeping and praying silently in her heart, and the head priest serving at the tabernacle sees her and assumes she is drunk. I can't even imagine how devastating that would be: you've been dealing with a clueless husband, a malicious rival (we don't read anything about how her stepchildren treat her, but with a mother like Peninnah, we can guess it wasn't with kindness and respect!) and the overwhelming loneliness and fear of childlessness, and here one of the most revered men in all of Israel thinks you're a drunkard. I think I would have broken down and fled sobbing to my husband's side, it would have been just too much to bear. (See 1 Samuel 1:13-14)

But not Hannah. She's respectful, but truthful, and denies she's been drinking. That demonstrates to me that while she is a person of strong feelings, she is also a woman of inner strength. What I found interesting is that she doesn't tell Eli exactly what she was praying for, only that she was "pouring out my soul to the Lord" and praying out of "great anguish and grief." (See 1 Samuel 1:15-16)

Perhaps Eli knew her story and knew that she was childless, but it is not stated here. All we know is that he recognizes that she is speaking truthfully, honors her respectful manner, and while he does not apologize for assuming she was drunk, he does bless her. "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him." (See 1 Samuel 1:17) In later chapters we will learn that Eli was a morally weak man and he will end being judged harshly for his sins, but he was still God's priest, and God honored his words here. Hannah's prayer is answered and she conceives and gives birth to a son. (See 1 Samuel 1:19-20)

Where, you might ask, is this great demonstration of this mother's faith? We can find it in verse 18, when Hannah responds to Eli's blessing. "She said, 'May your servant find favor in your eyes.' Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast." We see in her behavior that Hannah believed and trusted that her prayers would be answered. I believe that is one of the main reasons why God blessed her with a son, because of her faith. She reminds me of the blind man in Luke 18:35-43 who calls out to Jesus and asks him to have mercy on him. This man simply tells Jesus what he wants, that he would like to see, and Jesus says "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." And immediately the man received his sight. Hannah trusted that God would honor his priest's word and give her what she asked for, a son, and she received what she asked for.

The name "Samuel" sounds like the Hebrew for "heard of God" because, as Hannah said in 1 Samuel 1: 20, "I asked the Lord for him."

To be continued...

Source
Women's Devotional Bible. New International Version