1 SAMUEL LESSON 2

     We will begin this lesson in I Samuel 2:1 "And Hannah prayed, and
said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the
LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy
salvation."

     This is a song of praise from Hannah. She begins by stating the
wonderful blessings God has bestowed upon her. The other women can no
longer look at her, and think that she is cursed of God. She is no
longer barren. Her weeping has been turned into joy. The "horn"
symbolizes strength. Her strength is in the LORD. She can speak of the
greatness of God boldly before her enemies. She begins a prophecy of
salvation here. She has been delivered. She speaks prophetically of
the great deliverance in the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.

     I Samuel 2:2 "[There is] none holy as the LORD: for [there is]
none beside thee: neither [is there] any rock like our God."

     She is very sure of the holiness of the LORD. She is aware, it
was the LORD who heard her prayer, and sent her a son. He, also, is
the Rock that will never fail her. He is the Rock that is unmovable.
Those that build on this Rock should have no fear of the storm.

     I Samuel 2:3 "Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let [not]
arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD [is] a God of
knowledge, and by him actions are weighed."

     Hannah is speaking of the fact that we are what God made us,
nothing more, and nothing less. We have nothing to be arrogant about.
It is the LORD who decides what will happen, and who it will happen
to. The Lord weighs our actions. He is the Judge. The knowledge of God
is beyond human comprehension. The following are a few of my favorite
Scriptures pertaining to this. Luke 1:51 "He hath shewed strength with
his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their
hearts." II Corinthians 5:10 "For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done]
in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or
bad." Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and
sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder
of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart."  We may be able to hide our
true self from each other, but we cannot hide from God. He knows all
things, even the desires of our heart. He is Knowledge. He is Wisdom.

     I Samuel 2:4 "The bows of the mighty men [are] broken, and they
that stumbled are girded with strength."

     The Hebrews, better than anyone else, should be aware that mighty
men are broken easily, when they are depending on their own strength.
Those who humbly obey the LORD, are those who win battles. Psalms 18:2
"The LORD [is] my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my
strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my
salvation, [and] my high tower."  II Corinthians 12:9 "And he said
unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made
perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

     I Samuel 2:5 "[They that were] full have hired out themselves for
bread; and [they that were] hungry ceased: so that the barren hath
born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble."

     At the beginning of this verse, it appears their money to buy
this plentiful bread is because they have sold out to the world. God
will not let the righteous go hungry, as we see in the following
verse.  Psalms 37:25 "I have been young, and [now] am old; yet have I
not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."  God can
rain manna from heaven, if He desires to. She is very familiar with
the fact that God can cause the barren to produce children. The number
"seven" means spiritually complete. She is, possibly, prophesying that
she will have more children. She gave her first to the service of the
LORD. We could see, also, the spiritual message in this: the Gentiles
were barren, away from God, but will have a multitude in Christ. The
feeble, in this, is speaking in a physical sense, as well as a
spiritual. Women do grow feeble after having many children. The law
will wax old, as well.

     I Samuel 2:6 "The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth
down to the grave, and bringeth up."

     It is not by chance that we live, and it is not by chance that we
die. Our days on this earth are numbered of God. The very breath we
possess is a gift from God. Surely, when we do go the way of all flesh
and our body dies, that is not the end. Sometime, those bodies will
rise again to eternal life, or eternal damnation.

     I Samuel 2:7 "The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth
low, and lifteth up."

     We can keep from being poverty stricken by working diligently
here in the United States. It is God who put us in the United States.
Some are born to wealthy parents. That is a blessing from God. God can
make you prosper at whatever you do. He can cause the land not to
produce for you. Our relationship with the Lord has a great deal to do
with whether we are blessed, or cursed of Him. What people generally
call good luck, is nothing more than blessings from God.  They were in
the right place, at the right time, because God put them there.

     I Samuel 2:8 "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, [and]
lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set [them] among princes,
and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the
earth [are] the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them."

     Most of the judges that were raised to great fame, were men of
low estate. We remember that, Gideon reminded the Lord of his
unworthiness, before he accepted his call to greatness. The earth, and
everything, and everyone in it, belong to the Lord. He can do with all
of it as He wishes. It is His possessions. We are what we are, because
of the blessings of God. He decides who will reign.

     I Samuel 2:9 "He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked
shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail."

     It is not our great physical strength that saves us. We must
place our trust in the Lord. Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things
through Christ which strengtheneth me."  We must walk in the Light of
the Lord, and He will keep our path. The wicked walk in darkness, and
cannot find their way. It is His Light that guides us.  It is not our
strength, but the strength of Christ in us, that makes us succeed.

     I Samuel 2:10 "The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to
pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge
the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and
exalt the horn of his anointed."

     The "adversaries of the LORD" are those who have chosen to follow
Satan, instead of God. The "thunder from heaven" is speaking of the
voice of God. The "LORD that judges" is the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is
the Judge. The "horn" symbolizes strength. This Scripture is
prophetic.  We see the "Anointed of God" is the Messiah, Christ. It is
His strength that tears down the adversaries. It is His strength that
holds the believers up. It is by His power, that He judges.

     I Samuel 2:11 "And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the
child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest."

     This has suddenly broken away from the prophecy of Hannah, and is
telling what happened next. Hannah and her husband Elkanah have left
the tabernacle and gone home. The beauty of this is, the fact that
Hannah did not complain. She left her son, Samuel, with Eli, to be
taught of the things of God. Samuel, from the time he was very small,
ministered unto the  Lord in the tabernacle. It appears, even from the
time he was brought to the service of the Lord {about 3 years old},
Samuel began to minister. At first, the things he did were just what
Eli told him. As he grew, he took on more and more responsibility.

     I Samuel 2:12  "Now the sons of Eli [were] sons of Belial; they
knew not the LORD."

     This has always been a mystery, how godly men and women can have
children who turn away from God. "Belial", in this particular
instance, means worthless. They went through the motions of performing
the duties of the priests, but they were not even saved. They knew not
God. They lived to please their own flesh.

     I Samuel 2:13 "And the priests' custom with the people [was,
that], when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came,
while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in
his hand;"

     This was not the law. This was the custom of these greedy people.
It appears that, Eli's sons had no regard for the law of God. They
made up customs that suited their desires.

     I Samuel 2:14 "And he struck [it] into the pan, or kettle, or
caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for
himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came
thither."

     There were specific portions that should have gone to the
priests. There was nothing random about the offerings that God had
instructed. The right shoulder of the offering went to the priests,
but it must be waved before the altar first.

     I Samuel 2:15 "Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's
servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast
for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw."

     The fat always belonged to God. There were no exceptions to this.
It is apparent that, either the priest did not know God's law, or just
did not have respect for God's law. This would have been a terrible
sin.

     I Samuel 2:16 "And [if] any man said unto him, Let them not fail
to burn the fat presently, and [then] take [as much] as thy soul
desireth; then he would answer him, [Nay]; but thou shalt give [it me]
now: and if not, I will take [it] by force."

     It appears, some of the people knew the law of God better than
the priests did. The people did not want to do this abominable thing.
The priests {the people's leaders} were forcing them to do this
terrible thing. The people, it seemed, did not mind the priests taking
even what belonged to the people. They just did not want them taking
what belonged to God. Not only did these priests want to take what did
not belong to them, but they wanted it, before it was cooked in the
proper way.

     I Samuel 2:17 "Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great
before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD."

     Not only were the sons of Eli sinning in this, but they were
causing the people to sin, also. This act of the priests symbolizes
what is going on in our churches today. This is such a shame, when the
leaders of the church lead their members into sin.

     I Samuel 2:18  "But Samuel ministered before the LORD, [being] a
child, girded with a linen ephod."

     Eli's sons were bringing disgrace to the worship in the
tabernacle. God had chosen for Himself a leader to do the things He
taught him. Samuel was chosen of God. He was just a child, and yet, he
served the LORD in the ways of the LORD. He even wore a linen garment,
while he was serving the LORD. Linen, was the plain garment of someone
dedicated to the LORD in service.

     I Samuel 2:19 "Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and
brought [it] to him from year to year, when she came up with her
husband to offer the yearly sacrifice."

     His mother still loved him as her firstborn. She never complained
that she had given him to the LORD, however. A beautiful gesture of
the mother's love is the fact that she made him a coat each year.
Young boys grow fast. He would need a larger size each year.

     I Samuel 2:20  "And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said,
The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to
the LORD. And they went unto their own home." I Samuel 2:21 "And the
LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and
two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD."

     The beautiful thing in all of this, is the fact that Samuel was
never part of the world. He was taught of the ways of God from
infancy. It is interesting, to me, that Eli did not think of this very
small child as a burden to take care of. He realized from the very
beginning that Samuel was of the LORD. He, perhaps, saw the traits in
Samuel, that he wished were in his own sons. Eli speaks a blessing
from God on Hannah and Elkanah for their unselfishness in giving their
firstborn to the LORD. Notice, in verse 21, the children Hannah has,
is because the LORD visited her. They were miracle children from God.

     I Samuel 2:22  "Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons
did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled
[at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation."

     This is a terrible sin before the LORD. The sad thing is that
this very thing still exists in our churches today. We can even try to
excuse it, by saying men and women were in a private place together
and things just got out of hand. There is no excuse acceptable for
this type of behavior. Call it what it is, sin. Eli's sons were sinful
men.  Whether these women worked in the tabernacle, or were just there
to worship, makes no difference. Sin is sin.

     I Samuel 2:23 "And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for
I hear of your evil dealings by all this people." I Samuel 2:24 "Nay,
my sons; for [it is] no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD'S
people to transgress."

     At this time, the high priest and the priests had certain control
of the people. The greater sin lay at the feet of these priests,
because of this control. Notice, the statement, "Ye make the LORD"S
people to transgress". Even today, it is a tendency of the
congregation to elevate the minister to a position of importance.
Leaders, whether in the church, or outside the church, should greatly
guard their conduct. They are leading others, and that carries with it
a great responsibility.

     I Samuel 2:25 "If one man sin against another, the judge shall
judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall entreat for
him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their
father, because the LORD would slay them."
     This sin is a sin against God.

     I Samuel 2:26 "And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour
both with the LORD, and also with men."

     In the midst of the sins of Eli, Samuel was growing upright in
the LORD. God did not overlook Samuel's loyalty to Him. The people
appreciated Samuel's loyalty to God, as well.

     I Samuel 2:27  "And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said
unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of
thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?"

     A "man of God", generally, means a prophet. It does not tell us
his name, but that is, probably, who is intended here. Whoever he is,
the message is from the LORD. God immediately reminds Eli, that it was
the LORD who brought them out of Egypt.

     I Samuel 2:28 "And did I choose him out of all the tribes of
Israel [to be] my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense,
to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy
father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?"
I Samuel 2:29 "Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering,
which I have commanded [in my] habitation; and honourest thy sons
above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the
offerings of Israel my people?"

     God had chosen Aaron and his descendents to be the high priest
and the priests of the tabernacle. This was the highest honor God
could pay a man, to make him high priest. He was to be above sin.
This honor carried with it the responsibility to put God and His law
above everything, and everyone. The high priest was God's
communication with man upon the earth. He spoke through the Urim and
the Thummin worn by the high priest. The high priest was in direct
communication with the LORD. All of this should have made the high
priest a man of tremendous integrity, one who knew and reverenced God
above all else. Samuel had allowed his sons to take the food that
belonged to God, and to the person offering, for themselves. Eli had
put his sons above God.

     I Samuel 2:30 "Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said
indeed [that] thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk
before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for
them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be
lightly esteemed."

     The punishment of the leader of the congregation {in this case
the high priest} is greater, because he sinned in full knowledge.
Judgement begins at the house of God. God removes the perpetual
priesthood from Eli, here, because he knew of the sins of his sons and
did nothing about it.

     I Samuel 2:31 "Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine
arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old
man in thine house."  I Samuel 2:32 "And thou shalt see an enemy [in
my] habitation, in all [the wealth] which [God] shall give Israel: and
there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever."

     This is just saying that, God will kill Eli's sons and Eli for
their sins. The "arm", in this case, is speaking of descendents. All
of the men of Eli's descendents will die young. They will not live to
be old men. There would be prosperity for the Hebrews under Samuel,
Saul, David, and Solomon's reign, but the house of Eli would not have
sons to live to old age to enjoy it.

     I Samuel 2:33 "And the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off
from mine altar, [shall be] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine
heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of
their age."

     This is the most hurtful of the judgements of God. God will allow
him to see the death of his sons. Just about the worst hurt parents
can have in this life, is to live to see the death of their children.
Even though his descendents are cut off living in their youth, they
will still be required to serve the LORD in the tabernacle.

     I Samuel 2:34 "And this [shall be] a sign unto thee, that shall
come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall
die both of them."

     We remember that, the same fate came to the two sons of Aaron,
who sinned against God. God will not allow them to live, to continue
in corrupting the congregation. Hophni and Phinehas are acting priests
in the tabernacle. They will both die for their sins in one day.
Judgement of God falls on them the same day.

     I Samuel 2:35 "And I will raise me up a faithful priest, [that]
shall do according to [that] which [is] in mine heart and in my mind:
and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine
anointed for ever."

     This is speaking of Samuel {in the near future}. It is most
assuredly speaking prophetically of Christ. He is the true High
Priest, after the order of Melchisedec. Notice, "forever" in the
Scripture above. Samuel was dedicated to God for his entire life. This
goes much further, and speaks of the eternal High Priest of us all;
Jesus Christ the Righteous. He will know the perfect will of God. Even
Jesus said, "Father, not my will, but thine be done".

     I Samuel 2:36 "And it shall come to pass, [that] every one that
is left in thine house shall come [and] crouch to him for a piece of
silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into
one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread."

     This is speaking of them coming to Samuel. The Levitical tribe,
and particularly the descendents of Eli, lived of the offerings in the
tabernacle. They needed this food offered to live.

                        1 Samuel 2 Questions


1.  What is verse 1 the beginning of?
2.  How does it begin?
3.  The "horn" symbolizes __________.
4.  Why is Hannah so happy?
5.  What does Hannah speak of prophetically, beginning with verse 1?
6.  Quote 1 Samuel chapter 2 verse 2.
7.  What does verse 2 say she is aware of?
8.  Those that build upon this ______ should have no fear of the
    storm.
9.  We are what _______ made us, nothing more, and nothing less.
10. The knowledge of God is beyond __________ comprehension.
11. Quote 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 10.
12. Quote Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12.
13. Who should know better than anyone else, that mighty men are
    broken easily, when they are depending upon their own strength.
14. Quote Psalms chapter 18 verse 2.
15. God's ________ is made perfect in our __________.
16. In verse 5, why is there plenty of money to buy bread?
17. Quote Psalms chapter 37 verse 25.
18. The ________ killeth, and maketh alive.
19. What many people call good luck is really what?
20. Most of the judges, who were raised up, were men of _______
    ________.
21. Quote Philippians chapter 4 verse 13.
22. Who are the "adversaries of the LORD"?
23. Who is the "Anointed of God"?
24. As Samuel grew, he took on more and more ___________.
25. The sons of Eli were the sons of _________.
26. How do we know that Eli's sons had no regard for God's law?
27. The fat always belonged to _______.
28. It seemed, some of the ________ knew the law of God better than
    the priests did.
29. Who were the sons of Eli causing to sin?
30. What did Samuel wear in the tabernacle?
31. What did Samuel's mother do for him, once a year?
32. Who speaks a blessing on Hannah and Elkanah?
33. Why does Hannah have more children?
34. What terrible sin, of the sons of Eli, do we read in verse 22?
35. Why did they not listen to the voice of their father?
36. Who was Samuel in favor with?
37. Who came and warned Eli of what was to happen?
38. What would happen to Eli's descendents?
39. What is the most hurtful of the judgements of God on Eli?
40. What happens to Phinehas and Hophni?
41. Who is verse 35 speaking of?
42. Why would Eli's descendents beg for food?
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