1 Samuel Chapters 1,2,3, Commentary

FIRST SAMUEL CHAPTERS 1-3 Davis notes that the Biblical writers record history differently than the secular writers of the time. “Official historians of that period, especially in Egypt, had a tendency to color royal history so as always to present the king in a favorable light. Seldom does one read about the military, political and spiritual failures of a king” 1 In contrast, the Bible does not present a laundered history of the Jewish nation. “Triumph and tragedy are the two words which best describe the content of the books of Samuel. Some of Israel’s greatest moments of glory and darkest hours of defeat are retold with simplicity and candor” (p. 17). 

AUTHORSHIP

According to the Babylonian Talmud (A.D. 500), “Samuel wrote the book that bears his name” (Baba Bathra 14b). The same source also asserts that the first twenty-four chapters of 1 Samuel were written by Samuel himself (chapter 25:1 records his death), and that the rest of 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel was the work of Nathan and Gad (compare with 1 Chronicles 29:29). Yet, let us always remember that the Editor and final author is God (2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). The reader should be aware that the two books of Samuel were originally one book, which was designated as “The Book of Samuel”. The Septuagint (Greek Translation of the OT, 280 B.C.), was the first version to divide the material into two parts.

This division has persisted to the present day in all translations and versions, including Hebrew-printed Bibles. The book is appropriately named after Samuel, the principal character of the early narratives, who played such a prominent role in the anointing of Israel’s first two kings, Saul and David. 

DATE

We know that portions of First Samuel were written after the death of Samuel (25:1). In addition, the statement that “Ziklag…has belonged to the kings (plural) of Judah ever since” (1 Samuel 27:6), implies that Samuel was not written until after the division of the kingdom of Israel following the 1

The Birth Of A Kingdom, John J. Davis, p. 11

death of Solomon in 931 B.C. Samuel’s date of birth may be determined by the fact that he had sons old enough to be judges in Beersheba (1 Samuel 8:1-2), before Saul began to reign in 1050 B.C. That places Samuel’s birth around 1100 B.C., just prior to the outbreak of Ammonite and Philistine oppression and the birth of Samson. 

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

The events described in 1 and 2 Samuel center around the lives of three important figures, Samuel, Saul, and David. First Samuel opens with the birth of Samuel, probably around 1100-1120 B.C. 2 Samuel concludes with the story of royal succession in which David on his deathbed made provision for his son Solomon to follow him on the throne. This must be dated at 971 B.C. The entire period, then, consists of about 150 years.

“The ‘sea peoples’ (Philistines), as they were called in non-biblical sources, settled en masse in the coastal region of Palestine about 1200 B.C. About 1126 B.C. they began to extend their influence into the lowlands and mountains where they clashed with the Israelites…Samson vented his personal vengeance against the Philistines for twenty years of his judgeship (1105-1085 B.C.) Eli’s ineffective judgeship of forty years (1 Samuel 4:8) paralleled the forty years of Philistine oppression. During those years of Samson’s exploits and Eli’s decline, a young lad was growing to manhood at the tabernacle in Shiloh” 2 Outside of Israel at this time, many of the great empires of the ancient world were in a state of weakness that would allow Israel (especially under David) to develop nationally without external restraint. “The Hittites of Asia Minor has passed into insignificance. Assyria was in a state of decline. Egypt was weak and involved in internal conflict. The Philistines, having recently migrated from the Aegean Islands and Asia Minor constituted Israel’s main threat during this period” 3 

OUTLINE:

First Samuel: 1. Samuel as Judge: 1-7 2. The Reign Of Saul: 8-15 3. The Rise Of David: 16-31 Second Samuel: 2 3

The Books Of History, James E. Smith, p. 230 First & Second Samuel, J. Carl Laney, pp. 9-10

1. The Triumphs Of David: 1-10 2. The Troubles Of David: 11-20 3. The Appendix To David’s Career: 21-24

CHAPTER ONE Samuel will be born during a time of Philistine oppression (4:1,17), religious scandal (2:22), and limited prophetic influence (3:1). He is viewed as the last of the judges and the beginning of a long line of prophets (Acts 13:20).

1:1 The name of Samuel’s father is “Elkanah” (el KAY na), which means “God has created”. The word “Ramathaim-zophim” appears to mean “two-heights”, and elsewhere the town is called simply Ramah (1:19; 2:11; 7:17), one of several Israelite towns bearing that name. The precise location of this particular Ramah is a matter of uncertainty. In the book of Chronicles, Samuel is identified as a member of the Kohathite branch of the tribe of Levi (1 Chronicles 6:16,22, 31-33). “The reference to Samuel’s father as an Ephraimite, then, relates to the territory where he lived rather than to his tribal origin” 4 1:2 The name “Hannah” means “grace”, and the name “Peninnah” (pih NIN uh) means “pearl”.

Polygamy was permitted by the Old Testament law as in the case of a Levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5-10). Some writers suggest that Elkanah had probably taken a second wife, because Hannah was childless, yet the problems associated with polygamy are vividly illustrated in the verses that follow 1:3 The city of Shiloh was located about twenty miles north of Jerusalem.

From the time of Joshua it had been the religious center of the nation and the location of the tabernacle (Joshua 18:1). Pilgrimages to Shiloh were required at least three times yearly according to Exodus 23:14-17 and Deuteronomy 16:16. 1:4-6 There were good husbands in ancient times!

Elkanah really did love Hannah, he tried to do what he could to comfort her. He tried his best to manifest his love and reassure her that he loved her whether she had children or not.

God’s power even extends over childbearing, and His providence can open and close the womb (Genesis 30:2,22; 33:5; Psalm 127:3). “Women today who have been unable to bear children should realize that: (1) God may still be preparing them to be mothers, (2) God may be 4

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Frank E. Gaebelein, p. 570

preparing them to become foster or perhaps adoptive parents, or (3) God’s will may be that they not have children in order to be available to serve Him in some special way” (Laney p. 17). 2. Hannah’s rival, year after year mercilessly criticized her. Peninnah may have argued that God was punishing Hannah. “Year after year it went on—baiting Hannah, irritating her…..until the sobs broke out, goading her to complain against God. In any case, it drove Hannah to God, drove her to the throne of grace, to the presence of Yahweh, to fervent supplication” 5 1:8 Elkanah did not believe that Hannah had failed the family and neither did he believe that a woman was worthless unless she could bear a son.

“The reference to ‘ten sons’ suggests the ten sons born to Jacob during Rachel’s period of barrenness (Genesis 29:31-30:22)” 6 1:9-10 I am impressed, that instead of being angry with God, Hannah’s deep pain moved her to place all her confidence and trust in God. “The phrase, ‘greatly distressed’ (literally, ‘bitter of soul’), is descriptive of Hannah’s emotional condition—disappointed and distressed over her inability to bear children” (Laney p. 18). During this time, Eli was the high priest at the tabernacle. “This position (sitting near the tabernacle) may have permitted him to act simultaneously as a judge and a protector of worship” (Bergen p. 68).

1:11 The essence of Hannah’s prayer was “remember me!” Within her prayer she vowed to God that if God would give her a son, the child would be dedicated to being a lifelong Nazarite (Numbers 6:3-6). “Her son would begin his Levitical service as a child and would always refrain from wine, haircuts, and ceremonial defilement” (Laney p. 18). ”Nor does she ask that her son—should Yahweh grant him—be famous or prominent; all that matters is that he will belong to Yahweh” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 19).

1:12-14 “Old Eli, who had learned to indulge his wicked sons (2:22-25), 2930), could yet get riled over an inebriated woman” (Dale Ralph Davis p.

18). There is something sad about Eli’s response: 1. Was drunkenness a common problem among women after such sacrificial meals? “Another soused woman, half-crocked after the sacrificial meal?” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 19). 2. Or, were things so bad that Eli couldn’t recognize a person engaging in fervent prayer?

1:15 What an excellent description of fervent prayer, “I have poured out my soul before the Lord”. Compare with Psalms 42:4; 62:8; Lam. 2:19.

“Now there is a myth circulating around the church that often goes like this: ‘Believers in the Old Testament period didn’t have the freedom and personal approach in prayer that we do. Their worship consisted of a very 5 6

Looking On The Heart, Dale Ralph Davis, p. 18 The New American Commentary, Robert D. Bergen, p. 67

external, formal, cut-and-dried sacrificial procedure in which ritual killed off any spontaneity or intense spirituality” (Dale Ralph Davis pp. 19-20).

“The fact that Hannah was portrayed as conversing with Yahweh suggests that Yahwism was not as ‘sexist’ as some may portray it to be. A woman was not so unimportant in Israel as to be considered incapable of communicating with Israel’s God” (Bergen p. 69).

1:16 Observe Hannah’s attitude. In her mind a woman that would engage in drunkenness, especially during worship would be a worthless person. In addition, she makes it clear that she hasn’t touched any intoxicating beverages. Compare this verse with Deuteronomy 14:26.

1:17-18 Satisfied with Hannah’s explanation, Eli tells her to ‘go in peace’, and his hope was that God would grant her request. Note the result of earnest prayer---Hannah felt better. She experienced peace (Philippians 4:6-7). “Many Christians need to realize that Yahweh our God allows us to do this---to pour our griefs and sobs and perplexities at His feet. Our Lord can handle our tears; it won’t make Him nervous or ill at ease if you unload your distress at His feet” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 20). 1:19 Marriages in ancient times did have intimacy and romance. 1:20 The name “Samuel” means “name of God”, “heard of God”, or, “asked from God”.

1:21-23 “The best model of vow fulfillment in the Old Testament is presented here, as both Elkanah and Hannah make commitments to the Lord and then fulfill them diligently (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5). Elkanah is particularly exemplary, in that he not only voluntarily made vows and then fulfilled them annually, but he also affirmed his wife’s right to make commitments to God as well” (Bergen p. 71). Elkanah continues to faithfully lead his family in the observance of the annual festivals. The Law gave Elkanah the right to cancel Hannah’s vow (Numbers 30:10-15), yet he rather chose to confirm her vow, even though it meant losing the firstborn son from his beloved wife. “How easy it might have been for Hannah to rationalize her way out of keeping her vow. She could have argued that she had made a rash promise under severe emotional stress” (Laney p. 19). “Under the Mosaic law a woman was not obligated to attend the annual festivals…Eastern women nursed their babies up to three years” (Smith p. 249). 1:24-25 According to the Law (Numbers 15:810), when a bull was given as part of a vow offering, only three tenths of an ephah of flour and half a hin of wine were to accompany the offering.

But Hannah brought one ephah and a whole skin of wine—just over three times the amount needed for one bull. “Clearly, the writer expected the audience to be impressed with the extreme generosity represented by the gift and thus with the heart of faith that conceived it” (Bergen p. 73).

1:26-28 The “he” in this verse might be Eli or Samuel.

CHAPTER TWO 2:1-10 Hannah’s Prayer: This prayer begins with reminding all arrogant boasters (like the Peninnah’s of the world), that over them stands the Lord, who is aware of their thoughts and is constantly evaluating their deeds. “When warranted, the Lord will act as the great reverser of fortunes in matters of military force, food, and fertility. He can bring low, and He can exult….Most relevantly for Hannah, a barren woman may, with the Lord’s help, bear ‘seven children’—a number suggestive of completeness---while others who once had large families may end life bereft and mournful” (Bergen p. 76). She rejoices in the providential government of God. Hannah pointed out that often those who are rich, powerful and blessed are humbled. At the same time those who are poor, weak and dishonorable are suddenly exalted. “Over the long haul life has a way evening out. Hannah’s own experience is a prime example of this principle” (Smith p. 250). She announces that God will ultimately judge the whole world and exalt the power of His anointed (i.e. the Messiah). Ultimately the Lord would thunder against Peninnah and all others who oppose Him. “You must catch the logic of Hannah’s prayer. It is easy to react superficially to those opening scenes in 1 Samuel: ‘What’s the big deal?

So Hannah has a son now—that’s nice—and that rival wife Peninnah who has kids coming out her ears has had to eat crow; so now things have been calmed down a bit’…No. This is no piddly little affair—this is a manifestation of the way Yahweh rules and will bring his kingdom (vv.

5b,8). Hannah’s relief is a sample of the way Yahweh works (vv. 4-8)…The saving help Yahweh gave Hannah is a foretaste, a scale-model demonstration of how Yahweh will do it when He does it in grand style….Each one of Christ’s flock should ingest this point into his or her thinking. Every time God lifts you out of the miry bog and sets your feet upon a rock is a sample of” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 25)….God’s future judgment.

The Wicked Sons of Eli

2:11-12 Though they were priests, they didn’t know the Lord, just like one can be a preacher, deacon or elder and yet not have a relationship with God. Those who are contending with Jehovah (2:10) are not the people we might expect, i.e., Canaanites or Philistines, rather those who are contending with the Lord in this context are the priests! 2:13-17 Their arrogant disregard for the worship of God is manifested in several ways.

“A worshipper is cooking his portion of a peace offering for the postsacrificial meal he and his family will enjoy together. Here comes the ubiquitous (ever present) priest’s servant with his infamous three-pronged barbecue fork; he plunges it into the worshipper’s pot or kettle, and whatever the fork brings up he carts away to the priest’s quarters. The priest was already allotted the breast and the right leg (Leviticus 7:28-36), but the Shiloh fork-man was sent to stab more. It was worse. Before the fat was burned in honor of Yahweh (Leviticus 3), the priest’s lackey appears demanding fresh (uncooked) cuts from the worshipper. Should the worshipper remind the priest’s man that proper reverence should be shown Yahweh by first burning the fat on the altar, the young cleric would turn thug and threaten to take raw meat by force” (Dale Ralph Davis p.

30).

2:17 From a human perspective it may look like God is ignoring the sinful actions of these priests (for they are still alive and well), but God does see!

2:18-20 Yet, there is a ray of hope. “There are these short notes about little Samuel scattered through the text and standing in quiet contrast to the deeds of Hophni and Phinehas. They are silent witness to Yahweh’s provision. We might highlight them like this: Samuel serving, 2:11 Religious sins, 2:12-17 Samuel serving, 2:18-21 Moral sins, 2:22-25 Samuel growing, 2:26 Prophecy of judgment, 2:27-36 Samuel serving, 3:1a It must have seemed to many that there was no hope of improvement, no exit from the night. But in the middle of it all the text keeps whispering, ‘Don’t forget Samuel---you see how Samuel is serving’” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 31).

Even as a young apprentice priest, Samuel wore the linen ephod. “In his service at Shiloh, Samuel wore the ephod, a sleeveless, hip-length

garment that only members of the Levitical tribe were authorized to wear.

The clear implication is that Samuel was a member of this tribe (1 Chronciles 6:22-28)” (Bergen p. 79). Even though Samuel was gone from the household in Ramah, he was still very much in the heart of Hannah. In addition, the Lord continued to show kindness to Hannah by giving her additional children. “Hannah and her husband now disappear from our story; but they—and their houseful of noisy children (Psalm 127:3-5)— should remain witnesses to us of ‘the giving God’ (James 1:5)” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 33).

2:22-24 Eli was old, but he wasn’t deaf. He was hearing the rumors about the immorality being practiced by his sons. To their earlier callous treatment of their fellow Israelites (13-16), they added sexual immorality— and with women who served at the tabernacle (Exodus 38:8). These actions, at least for Phinehas, may have meant open adultery (4:19).

2:25 The Lord doesn’t take pleasure in the death of any sinner (Ezekiel 18:32; 33:11; 2 Peter 3:9), therefore the word “desire” here doesn’t mean that God took pleasure in condemning them. The phrase can also be translated, “it was the Lord’s will”. God allowed such men to remain in their sin, God didn’t intervene, and He allowed them to harden their hearts against the pleas to repent (Romans 2:1-5). Let us tremble at the fact that God isn’t going to stop us from self-destructing—if that is our determined choice. The text isn’t teaching that God prevented these two boys from repenting (2 Peter 3:9). 2:26 Compare with Luke 2:52.

2:27-30 An unnamed man of God (prophet) reminds Eli that God had revealed himself to his ancestor Levi’s house (in Aaron) before the Exodus.

Indeed, Aaron had been chosen to serve the Lord as the first in a long line of priests. Yet, the sons of Eli had kicked at the Lord’s offerings by gorging themselves on the best parts of the sacrifices. By doing basically nothing about the problem (which must have been going on for some time), Eli had demonstrated that he loves his sons more than God (Matthew 10:37).

While the priesthood of Aaron was perpetual, this branch of the family would be eliminated! Gaebelein writes, “Was Eli’s participation in his sons gluttony one of the reasons why, at the time of his death, he had become “heavy” (4:18)?” (p. 587). Also notice the word “yourselves” in 2:29.

God is no respecter of persons, He will only honor those who honor Him, so one is above God’s law, not even the priests, and unfaithful people can always be replaced. All this reveals that Eli’s rebuke, may have been very mild and perhaps too late in life (3:13).

2:31-34 The distress associated with the tabernacle, would be the capture of the ark (4:11) by the Philistines. “First, the current generations of Eli’s family would suffer penalties: Eli himself would witness distress in the Lord’s dwelling, and Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas would die on the same day…Secondly, future generations of Eli’s family would suffer penalties.

They would persistently experience untimely deaths, so that males who lived to old age would not be found among Eli’s descendants. By being denied elders, the most socially powerful age group of individuals in clanbased societies, the line of Eli would be denied a significant form of power and influence in society” (Bergen pp. 83-84).

2:34 The name “Hophni” which is pronounced (HOFF nigh) (meaning unknown). The name “Phinehas” (FIN ih uhs), had been used in times past for a very faithful priest (Exodus 6:25). 2:35 The faithful priest mentioned in this verse might initially refer to Samuel, and eventually this might also be a reference to the Messiah, because Samuel certainly did not have an enduring house (a long line of faithful priests are not found in his family).

The slaughter of the priests at Nob (1 Samuel 22:11-33) and Solomon’s banishment of Abiathar, the last representative of the house of Eli, certainly fulfilled a portion of the prophecy made to Eli (1 Kings 2:27). At this time the high priesthood was transferred to the family of Zadok, who remained faithful to David at the time of Adonijah’s rebellion (1 Kings 1:78). How refreshing is God’s determination! He will have a faithful priest!

God is determined and He will have proper leadership for His flock. “This may mean that judgment must begin at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17)” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 39).

2:36 “As for the member’s of Eli’s house, once fattened on priestly perquisites, soon not even the least benefit of priestly office would be theirs” (Gaebelein p. 588). “The priestly line of Eli would become so unimportant in the religious power structure of future generations that they would not even be eligible to receive payment for the services they rendered” (Bergen p. 84).

CHAPTER THREE 3:1 During this period of time messages from God, either auditory or visionary, were rare. “For this reason the narrative goes into some detail about the first revelatory experience of Samuel” (Smith p. 253). The text is helpful, because in certain religious circles it is assumed that God directly speaks to every believer, or that God is speaking every day to someone.

Even when God spoke, when the Scriptures were being revealed, there

were times when God didn’t say anything. Compare with Amos 8:11-12 “A pragmatic American would puzzle over this. His response would be: ‘No problem; let’s just send more fellows to…Bible College, or open a prophet’s vo-tech school.’ But if the word of Yahweh was rare it means that the word from Yahweh was rare. If a word does not come from Yahweh there will be no word of Yahweh. Man cannot coerce, manufacture, manipulate, or produce that word” (Dale Ralph Davis p.

42).

3:2 Aged and almost blind, Eli had retired for the night. 3:3 The lamps on the seven-branched lampstand (Exodus 25:31-37) were filled with olive oil, lit at twilight (30:8), and kept burning from evening till morning (27:20-21).

Thus Samuel’s encounter with the Lord on his bed in the tabernacle compound took place during the night. 3:4-6 When God spoke to Samuel it was so clear that Samuel thought it was Eli who was calling him.

I am always amazed when people claim that God told them something, but the voice they heard wasn’t clear. How often do we hear religious people say, “I had this feeling that God was trying to tell me something”, or, “God didn’t say it in these exact words, but this is what I thought He was trying to tell me”? 3:7 Samuel didn’t know the Lord in the sense of being a prophet and being acquainted with direct revelation from God. 3:8-10 Finally Eli perceived that the Lord was calling Samuel and told Samuel what to do. The word “listening” in verse 10 means, “to hear with interest” and can be translated, “obey”. Samuel was ready to listen to God’s word and obey. 3:11 What Samuel heard from the Lord was basically what the man of God had told Eli at the end of chapter 2. What God had to say would make the ears of everyone who heard it “tingle”.

The message would be so shocking that it would cause the ears of those who heard it to “ring like hammer blows on a bell” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 435). “Samuel’s first act as prophet was perhaps his most difficult; though only a child, he had to announce the Lord’s fatal judgment against Israel’s most powerful family” (Bergen p. 85). Compare with 2 Kings 21:12 and Jeremiah 19:3.

3:12 Everything that God had previously said to Eli would happen—from beginning to end, the entire prophecy would be fulfilled. 3:13 Eli was responsible because he knew what had been going on in reference to his sons. The death penalty would be exercised against Eli’s sons because they showed contempt for the priesthood (Deuteronomy 17:12), as well as disobeyed their father (21:18-21). Eli was implicated because he did not restrain them. This verse infers that the rebuke that Eli did give his sons in the previous chapter was simply too little, too weak or too late. In addition, in cases like this, God expected more than simply a rebuke. Eli

should have had his sons at the very least, removed from office, if not stoned for their behavior.

3:14 No sacrifice could avert the coming judgment. “Eli’s conscious failure to enforce divine law in his own family amounted to a high-handed (deliberate) sin; as such it could never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering (Numbers 15:30-31). 3:15 Samuel struggled with this revelation. Eli had cared for him as a father, and now Samuel had to tell Eli that God would judge him and his sons.

Samuel is caught in the dilemma that many elders and preachers have experienced. He must preach the word (2 Timothy 4:2), yet the word condemns those that he loves. “There is always this tension in the word of God, and any authentic messenger of that word knows and lives in it. If a preacher, for example, never places you under the criticism of God’s word, never tells you your sin but only smothers you with comfort, you must wonder if he is a phony. If his preacher contains only the judgment note and seldom offers comfort and encouragement, one must ask if he actually cares for God’s people” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 47).

3:16-18 Give Eli this much credit, he accepted what God had said. Yet, I do not see Eli falling down, fasting, pleading for mercy, or seeking God in prayer (Psalm 51). Maybe he did, but this text is silent. Most commentators see Eli manifesting a godly resignation, i.e., he resigns himself to accept whatever comes from God. But resignation can also cover a hard heart as well---there people who don’t get angry at God when they are rebuked, and yet they don’t get motivated either.

3:19-20 God was with Samuel and allowed none of his prophecies to go unfulfilled (literally, to fall to the ground). Soon Samuel became recognized by all Israel as God’s spokesman—this was true from Dan (the northernmost point) to Beersheba (the southern border), a distance of about 150 miles. In contrast to the Israelite leaders in the book of Judges who exercised authority in only small areas of a country, Samuel was recognized as a leader by the entire nation. “Because of his service at Israel’s central sanctuary during the earlier years of his ministry, pilgrims visiting Shiloh spread his reputation as a prophet throughout all Israel.

3:21 The Lord continued to appear to Samuel at Shiloh, i.e., God continued to speak directly to him. “What a sharp contrast there is here between the fully accredited Samuel on the one hand, and the very old Eli and his wicked sons on the other” (Smith p. 254).