Declaring the Lord Grace - I Samuel 1:1 - 2:11

1 SAMUEL 1: 1 TO 2:11, SEPT. 7, 2008 By: John Vandiver
Some of us may have assumed that the Lord’s grace was reserved for those of us who live under and abide by the teachings of the new covenant. We are quick to remind ourselves and others that we are saved “by grace” through our faith in Jesus Christ. There is no doubt that it is one of the most precocious promises and gifts proclaimed in the New Testament. However, when you look at the meaning of the word ‘grace’ and understand that it simply means ‘unmerited favor’ or ‘unearned blessing’ then it is easy to understand that all of creation, from Adam to the present has been living under grace. Every breath that we breathe, the food that we must have to sustain life and the water we drink are all gifts of grace. We have not earned and have done nothing to ever deserve God’s grace toward man.

I remember that several years ago there was a country song that became quite popular. One of the lines in it simply stated: “Oh Lord, it is hard to be humble.” There has never been a statement that was or is truer. It is very difficult for us to realize and admit that man is nothing without God. We can do nothing, not even live and/or die without the hand of God intervening. Every breath we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat is provided by the God of grace.

As adults we are faced with many trying circumstances in our lives. Some of these trials are short in duration while other might span many years. Many times we wonder just how long we will have to wait for God to answer our prayers and deliver us from what ever problem we are in. I am afraid that most of the time we fail to admit and declare that God has heard our prayers and delivered us from our troublesome situation. This lesson today will help us to declare that our success has been a direct result of the Lord’s grace extended for those times when we need him most. Folks, He has blessed us and answered our earnest prayers and we need to learn to give him credit, and declare that it is by His grace that we are survivors.

There are only a few men listed in the Old Testament that lived lives and influenced the lives of God’s people for good in the way that Abraham, Noah, Moses, Samuel and David did. If you want to think of these as ‘mountain top’ men, then you can think of Samuel as one of the highest peaks. The book of Samuel covers the area of Israel’s history that starts with his birth around 1100 BC to the end of King Saul’s reign and his death in 1010 BC. Israel has been ruled by judges for over 200 years. Eli and Samuel are the last of those judges. Samuel is born near the end of Eli’s life. Samuel grew up in the tabernacle as a “priest in training’ under Eli and was well qualified to be either a priest or a judge. You will soon learn that the nation has drifted away from God and that God raised Samuel up as the man to bring the nation back into his fold. I hope that we can have the faith to truly believe that God has the power to bring America back to Him. Those of us who have that kind of faith are obligated to pray each day for our country.

If you only learn one thing from this lesson it will be one of the most important lessons I have ever taught. When God raises up a nation that he is proud of and really wants to preserve—and that nation fails to keep his commandments, fails to honor him, fails to praise Him and worship Him, He does not immediately cast them out. America can repent and He will forgive us. All we need to do is repent and turn back to God and he will continue to BLESS AMERICA.

The book of Samuel in 1:1 begins when the judges still ruled Israel…possibly during the closing years of Samson’s life. He was the last judge and first priest and prophet to serve during the time of the first two kings. He established the first university with the primary goal of training prophets, and was well qualified as the founder and teacher of the prophets. He knew what it was to judge and govern people according to God’s will and not by man’s impulses. He was privileged to be the one to anoint Israel’s first king, Saul. He also had a hand in the training and dedication of King David to the greatest kingship recorded in the bible.

The heritage of Elkanah was a noted one; he had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. He loved Hannah but she was barren and she agreed for him to take her maid as wife to bear him children.

In 1:2—admittedly, some of the OT leaders such as Abraham, Jacob and David had more than one wife, but this was not God’s intention for marriage. In Gen. 2:24, God said that two people become one flesh and there is no place anywhere in the bible that God condoned three or more in a marriage. No one knows for sure why polygamy ever started, but it was probably because some women could not have children…and it was important for each man’s name to be extended into history. The practice had nothing to do with the will of God…but was a status symbol among men to have large families and to be able to obtain great wealth. Polygamy has always caused family problems. Regardless of the Mormon teaching, it can not be successful as you will see by studying the life of Hannah and Peninnah.

The tabernacle [tent meeting place] was practiced during the exodus from Egypt because they had not arrived at the Promised Land, and this was the temporary temple, that was built later when His people settled especially at Jerusalem. During the days of Samuel the tabernacle was located at Shiloh, the religious center of the nation at that time. Three times each year the men were required to attend a religious feast held here—the Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the feast of Tabernacles. You can find the instructions give for this in Deuteronomy 16.

In 1: 6 you see that Hannah had been unable to conceive children and in OT times a barren woman was a failure. Children were needed to help with the work—and children were also responsible for the care of aging parents. It is too bad that somehow the Liberals of today seem to feel that caring for the elderly is the responsibility of the government. The barren wives would often give one of her maid servants to her husband in order for him to have children that would keep his name alive.

As usually happens in the practice of polygamy, the two women did not get along peaceful; Peninnah tormented Hannah intentionally. Hannah was a godly woman; she turned to God for help. Her prayer life increased to the point that she sometimes appeared to be talking to herself and was accused of being drunk on wine. She promised God that if He would hear her prayer and give her a son that she would dedicate the son to God with no reservations. In God’s time she conceived and had Samuel—and true to her promise to God, after he was weaned she dedicated him to the work of God. I think this is a good place and time to remind each of us that we should be very careful about praying and promising God. Our prayer has a good chance of being answered—and when it is answered; we then have the obligation to keeping our promise to God.

In order for Hannah to keep her promise, it cost her the one thing she loved most…her young son Samuel. She felt so strongly about her promise that she took him to Eli for his dedication and then left him to live, work and grow up in the work of the Lord. Her gift was more than just a tithe, it was definitely a sacrifice.

In the last part of the chapter it is noted that she took a three year old bull to the temple also to be sacrificed. It was at the time of the weaning of the child, and Jewish history indicates that children were often as much a three years old before they were weaned, and it is thought that Samuel was about three years old when Hannah left him with Eli at the temple where he learned how to be priest and Judge.

There is an extensive list of Godly mothers in the Bible, and all have accomplished great things for God. Hannah has come down through history as one very close to Mary and Martha. It actually appears that the contrast between good and bad women named in holy script is far more extreme that the contrast of men. An evil woman is more evil than a snake; and evil man is the snake.