Bwebbservant
Sunday Evening Bible Study
March 18, 2001
I. Introduction
a. Goals of this study
i. Study 1 and 2 Samuel in their entirety as a single message
ii. Better understand the line of Messiah through types and prophecy
iii. Analyze the Shift from stoic to epicurean in society
iv. Examine Life and Times of the people 1000 years before Christ
b. How we will do this
i. Use maps, charts and graphs to understand relationships in certain areas
ii. Consider 1 & 2 Samuel as one book as the Hebrews did
iii. Evaluate civil, secular and religious life in 1000 year old terms from ancient literature
II. Previous Study
a. Everything has a Place on the timeline of God
b. The 6000 year old creation
c. Key events in Pre-Christian History
d. Geographical contributions
e. Theological position until the Kings
III. We will now examine 1 Samuel 1 under these sections:
a. Sorrow
b. Supplication
c. Son
d. Sacrifice
IV. Sorrow
a. Ramathaim-Zophim
i. Lit. ‘The heights of the Zuphite.’
ii. This designation is used to show a difference between this city and the other five in scripture which are also named in a generic sense Ramah
1. Ramah Benjamin (Joshua 18:25)
2. Ramah of Ephraim (1 Samuel 1:1)
3. Ramah of Naphtali (Joshua 19:36)
4. Ramah of Asher (Joshua 19:29)
5. Ramah of the South (Josh 19:8)
6. Ramah of Gilead (2 Kings 8:29)
iii. This Ramah – which could mean any hilly settlement – in Ephraim halfway between Jerusalem and Shilo.
iv. The birthplace and burial place of Samuel
v. Israel will demand a King in Ramah
vi. David will seek refuge from Saul in Ramah (1 Sam 19:18)
vii. In the New Testament we identify Ramah with Arimathea.
b. Ephraim
i. Second son of Joseph in Egypt
ii. Lit. means ‘fruitful’ named because God had made Joseph fruitful when everyone else wanted to kill him
iii. Joseph’s son Ephraim was half Gentile
iv. One of the twelve tribes who got a specific land portion
1. Inheritance of Ephraim is spelled out in Joshua 16:1-10
v. Joshua and Deborah were both Epriamites
1. Joshua had a long history of Godly service including foundational faith, miracles performed and sound leadership.
2. Deborah was a prophetess, a godly wife, and a judge of Israel
vi. At the time of the tribal census in Numbers 1:33 there was about 40,500 men eligible for military service.
vii. Ephriam was in the heartland of Israel and was thought to be a cultural, religious and political center.
c. Elkanah
i. Lit. means ‘God has possessed’
ii. It is a name given to 8 Old Testament men
iii. Was a Polygamist
1. Ministry is the difference between the Ideal and the Real
2. The Ideal is one man and one woman (Gen 2:24)
3. The Real allowed for:
a. Polygamy in case of a childless first marriage (cf. Duet 21:15-17)
b. Polygamy and Polyandry in the case of the Levirate marriage (Deut 25:5-10)
c. Both Polygamy and Polyandry bring jealousy, bitterness and misery.
iv. He was a Levite according to 1 Chronicles 6:26
d. Hannah
i. Lit. means ‘gracious’
ii. Name of only one woman in the Bible
iii. Fifth women mentioned in the Bible who was afflicted by barrenness and used as a sign of God’s activity.
1. Sarah
2. Rebekah
3. Rachel
4. The wife of Manoah, Samsons mother
5. Hannah
e. Penninnah
i. Lit. means ‘ruby’
ii. Secondary wife of Elkanah
iii. Had Sons and Daughters
iv. Was shallow and condescending
f. Shilo
i. An established religious center prior to the monarchy
ii. 20 miles north of Jerusalem and 10 miles northeast of Bethel
iii. First permanent home of the Tabernacle of God
iv. Shilo was destroyed in 1050 in the battle of Aphek and lost its importance after that though it remains inhabited to this day
g. Eli
i. Lit. means ‘the Lord is high’
ii. 13th judge and priest before the Lord
iii. Unblemished as a priest in his service.
iv. Pronounced a blessing and promise on Hannah
v. Confronted his disobedient sons to no avil.
vi. Died at age 98 when news of his two evil sons were killed in the battle of Aphek
h. Eli’s sons
i. Hophni
1. We will consider him more fully by his actions
ii. Phinehas
1. We will also consider him more later
iii. Priests before the Lord, wicked in their dealings with Israel, God and Worshipers.
i. Double Portion
i. A double portion was required for the First Born Son indicating that he was the next ruler in the tribe.
ii. A double amount shows a special blessing. Ex: grace pardons and cleanses while mercy only pardons.
iii. Hannah’s son was not to be in line for next chiefdom, yet Elkanah’s sacrifice was a picture of his replacement of any son she would have had. I.E. Elkanah is not worried about Hannah’s ability to bear him a child.
V. Supplication
a. Hannah (religious peoples; secular peoples) becomes a picture of the Israelite people caught between a bitter rival (Peninnah; Hophni and Phinehas; Joel and Abijah) and loving husband (Elkanah; Eli; Samuel)
b. The meal was eaten with the Priest and she did not take of any wine at the meal
c. After the meal she goes to pray
i. Israelite prayers of the time were spoken out loud in the presence of all.
ii. Her prayer is accompanied by inner unrest and outward weeping
iii. Only a portion of the prayer is recorded for us
iv. Her prayer includes:
1. Praise
2. Confession
3. Intercession
4. Petition
5. Consecration
v. A full list of Biblical prayer types includes:
1. Praise
2. Confession
3. Thanksgiving
4. Intercession
5. Petition
6. Listening
7. Consecration
vi. She was speaking in her heart, her lips were moving and no sound came out.
d. Eli is harsh at first
i. Hannah appears drunk
ii. Ryrie states that, “Apparently drunkenness was not uncommon even at the tabernacle”
e. Hannah shares her appeal with the man of God
i. She is not drunk but oppressed in spirit, which have similar outward characteristics
ii. She sets up a hyperbole
1. Not pour in to quench but pour out to the Lord.
iii. She is motivated to pray in this fashion by two things:
1. Great concern
a. To produce a Godly man, perhaps in response to how bad Hophni and Phinehas
2. Provocation
a. To have a son of her own, definitely in response to her rivals goading her
f. Eli pronounces a blessing
VI. Son
a. The Remembering of Hannah by the Lord
i. Zakar ‘to remember, to make male’
ii. This word in Hebrew has a specific connotation between those in a covenant, as here
b. In due time
i. 40 weeks or 280 days
c. She gave birth to a son and named him Samuel
i. Samuel is literally, ‘Heard of God’
ii. He will live out his namesake and is something that we should look for in his ministry
d. She gave birth to a plan
i. First to wean him
1. It is written that most Hebrew children were weaned between 2 and 3 years old (2 Macc. 7:27)
2. John Gill makes a distinction between three different weanings at this time in Israel:
a. First, from nursing by a mother or wet nurse
b. Second, from the tender age and the dry nurse
c. Third, from childish manner at 12 years of age (Bar/BotMitzvah)
3. Samuel would be at one of these points
a. More than likely it was at age seven at the passing of the second weaning based on his temple service and the clothes he wore.
b. The phrase (v23), “So she suckled him….” Could also be translated, “and she dwelled the woman and she (suckled/gave milk/imparted) her son (until/as far) as she (weaned/ripened/treated) him.” The language itself is really to clumsy here to be indicating he was around 3 and weaned from the breast.
ii. Second to turn him over to temple service
1. This would be a forever experience
2. He served at Shilo till destroyed in 1050
3. He will return to Ramah and settle there (1 Sam. 8:4)
e. She worked her plan
i. We need to be mindful of Proverbs 16:3 in every area of our life
ii. She did as she said she would do:
1. Which was harder? To promise to give a son before he is born or to take him and hand him over after he had been intimately involved with you. Due to her reliance upon God in this matter – evidence of Spiritual Maturity – the age of seven seems much more in the pattern of how God does things.
2. This sacrifice mirrors Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac in terms of intensity and with similar benefits and the sacrifice of God Himself when His Son is cut off in His prime.
iii. She made a sacrifice
VII. Sacrifices in the Old Testament…
a. Consisted of all three types of offerings
i. Meat
ii. Grain
iii. Drink
b. Consisted of a completed vow
c. Consisted of a great personal loss and was ensured of personal gain a fore figuring of faith in operation where we let go of our works and expect the overwhelming provision of God.
VIII. Next week we will examine the:
a. Song
b. Situation
c. Sign
d. Summons
IX. Conclusion
a. This week we have seen:
i. The groundwork for God’s readjusting of the priestly system
ii. The devotion of a Godly mother
iii. The beginnings of Samuels service to God, “And he worshipped the Lord there” 1 Samuel 1:28
b. For Next week please:
i. Read 1 Samuel 2:1-26
1. “A Song and a Situation”
ii. Contrast Hannah’s Song with Eli’s rebuke
Any Questions? Contact the Webbservant at… stephen.mack.howard@juno.com