Wednesday, February 20
Read 1 Samuel 2
Think About It:
After Hannah left her son with Eli, she could have gone off alone and had a good cry. Instead she burst out into a song of praise to the Lord. The world doesn’t understand the relationship between sacrifices and song, how God’s people can sing their way into sacrifice and sacrifice their way into singing. Before He went to the garden where he would be arrested, Jesus sang a hymn with his disciples (Matt:26-30). Paul and Silas sang hymns to the Lord after they had been humiliated and beaten (Acts 16:20-26). Frequently in the psalms you will find David praising God in the middle of difficult situations.
Hannah was praying and rejoicing at the same time! She was thinking of God’s blessings to the nation of Israel as well as herself and her home. Hannah knew in her heart that God was going to do great things for His people, and her son would play an important part in accomplishing God’s will. Her worship came from her heart and was saturated with the joy of the Lord.
In the rest of the chapter you will see a deliberate contrast between Samuel and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas. Eli’s sons “abhorred the offering of the Lord” in verse 17, but “Samuel ministered before the Lord” in verse 18. The two brothers committed evil deeds at the tabernacle and invited God’s judgment, but Samuel served at the tabernacle and grew in God’s favor (verse 26). The priestly line would end in Eli’s family, but Samuel would be called of God to carry on a holy priesthood (2:34-3:1). From the human viewpoint, it looked as though Eli’s evil sons were getting away with their disobedience, but God was preparing judgment for them while He was equipping and training his servant Samuel to continue his work. The two young priests committed many sins and caused others to sin.
As high priest, Eli had the authority to discipline his sons, but he refused to do so. If Eli had been a man of God, concerned for the Glory of God, he should have disciplined his sons and demanded for them to repent. If they did not, he should have replaced them.
- Think about your family. What do their outward actions suggest? Is it a life Holy to the Lord, or is there tolerated sin that will surely bring judgement on your family?
- Take time to discuss this with the entire family. Repent and ask the Lord for forgiveness and feel the sweet joy of release. Then sing to the Lord and praise His Name!!
Family Time:
- After Hannah took her son to Eli, the priest, at the House of the Lord in Shiloh, she prayed, rejoiced and praised God, thanking Him for answering her prayer. What do we learn about God from Hannah’s prayer?
- What should our reaction be when we pray? When God answers our prayers?
- Even though Samuel lived with Eli, who was training for service to the Lord, what did Hannah do to stay connected to the son for whom she prayed?
