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Transcription
In this transcription, the host covers the transition of leadership in the nation of Israel, starting from the books of Moses and ending with the birth of Samuel. It highlights the importance of having children, especially sons, in Jewish culture. The focus is on Hannah, who was initially barren but prayed to God and eventually gave birth to a son named Samuel. Hannah's prayer praises God for his power and sovereignty. The transcription ends with a call to humble ourselves before God and exalt Him as Lord. I am Julie Callio, your host, and thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to tune in with me today. If, by chance, you want to contact me, you can do that at vab.bc.pc at gmail.com. Today we are covering chapters 1 and 2a of 1 Samuel, which becomes another transitional chapter of the leadership in the nation of Israel. In the books of Moses, we have the beginning of humanity with Adam and Eve, and their descendant of Noah with the flood. After that new start, Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and through them started the beginning of nations, which is found in chapter 10 of Genesis. Through Shem, which is where we get the word Semitic, came the patriarch Abraham, who also became the father of many nations, and kings would come from him, Genesis chapter 17 verses 5 and 6. The Jewish line came through Abraham's son Isaac, and then through Jacob, whom the Lord changed his name to Israel, and he had twelve sons, which became the twelve tribes of Israel. Genesis ended with Jacob's family in Egypt due to a severe famine in the land. They became enslaved there, and the Lord raised up Moses to lead them out, and then Moses' brother Aaron and his line became the priests who were to be intermediators between God and man. As Israel grew, so did the leadership. We see in Deuteronomy chapter 1 verses 9 through 17 that each tribe was to select wise and respected men to serve as judges. Once Moses died, Joshua was selected by the Lord to lead the people to take the land that was promised them by the Lord. The book of Joshua is the first book of history in the Christian Bible. We learn that in Joshua chapter 18 that the tent of meeting, or the tabernacle, was set up at Shiloh, which was centrally located for the various tribes, and the people were to go there to worship. At the end of Joshua chapter 23 verse 2, we find that the leadership included elders, leaders, judges, and officials, which also included the priests. Judges began with the death of Joshua and Eleazar the high priest, so now we have the next generation. We learn in Judges, the second book of history, that people did what was right in their own eyes. They turned from serving the Lord their God. This brought oppression from other people that still lived in the land. Once that oppression became severe, they would cry out to the Lord, who then would raise up a judge to fight and set them free. There was peace and rest in the land as long as the judge lived, but once he died, then the cycle would repeat. The writer of Judges also showed us that with each judge, the cycle of sin became worse to the point that even the leadership had become corrupt, and the Jewish nation in many ways acted like the pagan nations around them. With the book of Ruth, the third book of history, we see a glimpse of a remnant, that there were still some faithful people who sought the Lord and tried to obey him, and at the end of Ruth, we get a glimpse of the lineage of David who would become king. This is where 1st Samuel begins, in the home of Elkanah from Ephraim, who had two wives, Hannah and the other, Penanah. Penanah had children, but Hannah had none. For my faithful listeners, you should see this pattern of the Lord. Abraham's wife Sarah was barren and didn't give birth to a son until she was 91 years old. Genesis chapter 17 verse 17, then chapter 18 verse 10, and then chapter 21. Isaac and his wife Rebekah were barren for 20 years. It said Isaac prayed to the Lord on her behalf, Genesis chapter 25 verses 20-26, and she had twins. Jacob, one of those twins, was to marry Rachel, but his father-in-law did a switcheroo and gave him the oldest daughter Leah instead. Rachel, the younger one, and the one Jacob loved, was barren, but the Lord saw that Leah was unloved and opened her womb. With each son, she named them in hopes of being loved until the fourth son Judah, and then she gave praise to the Lord, Genesis chapter 29 verses 31-35. Rachel, the loved wife, was still barren, and she cried out to Jacob, Give me children or I'll die! Poor Jacob. This is when Rachel gave Jacob her servant girl in her place, and Jacob had two sons with Bilhah. Once Leah stopped having kids, she gave Jacob her servant girl, Zilpah, and she had two sons. It was not until later that Rachel had two sons, Joseph and the second brought about Rachel's death, Benjamin. I remind you of this background because we saw some amazing things that God did in the midst of barrenness. We also see that when there is more than one wife, there is a lot of turmoil. Since Hannah was mentioned first here, she probably was the first wife, and because of her barrenness, that is probably why Elkanah had a second wife who could have children. One thing I learned in my Old Testament class was when Eve, the first woman, was made, she was praised for herself, not because she was able to have children, but after the fall in Genesis chapter 315, we have the first mention of a promised one who would come from the seed of Eve that would crush Satan's head. Since we have the New Testament, we know that is Jesus who was born of the Virgin Mary, but ever since that promise was made, there was great emphasis upon women having children, especially males, which would continue the line and in the Jewish custom would keep the land that was allotted to them and to their tribe. 1 Samuel 1 verse 3 tells us that Elkanah and his family were a part of the remnant that was faithful to the Lord, and they went to Shiloh yearly to worship at the tabernacle. In 1 Samuel 1 verse 5, we see that Elkanah loved Hannah and would give her a double portion for the offering. We also see in verse 6 that Hannah viewed the other wife as her rival who would provoke and irritate Hannah because she could not have children. This bothered her so much that she wept and would not eat. In chapter 1 verse 8, Elkanah asked Hannah, Why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons? One thing I find interesting in scripture is the women who were loved by their husbands, that wasn't enough, and the women who had children but were unloved, that also wasn't enough. St. Augustine wrote in his Confessions, You have made us for yourselves, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. That is what Hannah did. Hannah went to the Lord in her bitterness of soul, and she vowed to the Lord that if he would remember her and give her a son, that she would give him back to the Lord all the days of his life. Now Eli the priest saw her at the tabernacle and thought she was drunk. He rebuked her. She explained she was pouring out her soul unto the Lord. And Eli told her, Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked him. We know that Hannah went away and believed because of her actions. She left, she ate, and her face was no longer downcast. They worshipped before they went home to Ramah. Verse 19 says, Akana laid with Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. She conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, which in Hebrew means heard of God. After Samuel was weaned, she took him to Eli the priest, along with her offering, and gave him for the service of the Lord. The end of chapter 1 says, And he worshipped the Lord there. Chapter 2 verses 1 through 10 is Hannah's prayer unto the Lord. Being a musician, I picture her singing at the top of her lungs like a musical. Dr. Betz, my Old Testament professor, said, This poem sets the theme of the entire book of Samuel. God lifts the lowly to places of prominence, and he brings down the arrogant. Her song or prayer is similar to Jesus' mother Mary in Luke chapter 1 verses 46 through 55. Verse 1 starts with praise unto the Lord, and he lifted her up and delivered her from her enemies, mainly the other wife. Then in verse 2, we see that her God, the God of Israel, is the only God who is holy, and he is the rock we can stand upon. Their God knows, and he judges the deeds of people. In verses 4 and 5, the Lord brings down the prideful and raises up the lowly. Verse 6 declared that God is the giver of life and the bringer of death. Verses 7 through 9, we see that the Lord is sovereign, meaning he is over all things and people. Then we see that it is not with strength that people prevail, but it is through the Lord. Those who oppose him will be shattered, and the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. In verse 10b she proclaimed, he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed. One of the things we will see is the people selected a king, but it is not the Lord's king which will bless Israel, and that blessed king would be King David, a man after God's own heart. In verse 11, then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the Lord under Eli the priest. So ladies, are you on the side of the prideful or the lowly? God is holy and we are not, which is why in the Old Testament they had priests and sacrifices, but in the New Testament, Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for our sinfulness. In Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21 says, God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Do you know that God knows your circumstances? He knows your heartache and he knows your joy, and you can bring it all to the Lord. Not only does he know, but he hears you, and when we humble ourselves like Elkanah, he will remember us. Because the Lord is holy and he knows all things and is over all things, there really are only two options. Either one day the Lord will bring us down to our knees, or we willingly fall down before him and exalt him as Lord. Paul the Apostle said in Philippians chapter 2 verses 10 and 11, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Hannah gave glory to God the Father, and ladies, let's be like her. Until next time, and thanks so much for listening.
