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It's Dec 12

So, I'm doing a chapter a day starting with 1 Samuel 1 today....cuz I feel like I wanna get into the OT more. Anybody got any opinions on 1 Samuel 1.

Here's what I got out of it.

- Although the bible never says multiple wives are wrong (correct me here), it always seems to me that when someone has multiple wives there is drama

- After Hanna prayed in the temple, my version of the bible says God then "began making the arrangements for Hannah to have a kid"...making me think that prayers aren't answered right away sometimes...

- God does look out for people that are hurting, and pouring their hearts out to God

- Hanna was very righteous, because she could have kept the kid herself, but decided to follow through with God and give her kid up...even though she wanted to have a kid bad

- God blessed her by giving her many more kids, incredible

Now that's what I got out of it, I may be wrong, so correct me, but it may be something that's debatable, so we can agree to disagree.

Haven't read the chapter yet...but the part I highlighted...I remember a song when I was a kid...something about God answers prayers in 3 different ways...sometimes He says yes, sometimes He says no, and sometimes He says wait...

Samuel 1 (The First Book of Kings)

Chapter 1

1:1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite:

1:2 And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

1:3 And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.

1:4 And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:

1:5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb.

1:6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.

1:7 And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.

1:8 Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?

1:9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.

1:10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.

1:11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

1:12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth.

1:13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.

1:14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.

1:15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.

1:16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.

1:17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

1:18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

1:19 And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.

1:20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.

1:21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.

1:22 But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever.

1:23 And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.

1:24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young.

1:25 And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli.

1:26 And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD.

1:27 For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:

1:28 Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.

Here's the version I read:

Hannah Pours Out Her Heart to God
1There once was a man who lived in Ramathaim. He was descended from the old Zuph family in the Ephraim hills. His name was Elkanah. (He was connected with the Zuphs from Ephraim through his father Jeroham, his grandfather Elihu, and his great-grandfather Tohu.) 2He had two wives. The first was Hannah; the second was Peninnah. Peninnah had children; Hannah did not.
3Every year this man went from his hometown up to Shiloh to worship and offer a sacrifice to GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies. Eli and his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, served as the priests of GOD there. 4When Elkanah sacrificed, he passed helpings from the sacrificial meal around to his wife Peninnah and all her children, 5but he always gave an especially generous helping to Hannah because he loved her so much, and because GOD had not given her children. 6But her rival wife taunted her cruelly, rubbing it in and never letting her forget that GOD had not given her children. 7This went on year after year. Every time she went to the sanctuary of GOD she could expect to be taunted. Hannah was reduced to tears and had no appetite.

8Her husband Elkanah said, "Oh, Hannah, why are you crying? Why aren't you eating? And why are you so upset? Am I not of more worth to you than ten sons?"

9So Hannah ate. Then she pulled herself together, slipped away quietly, and entered the sanctuary. The priest Eli was on duty at the entrance to GOD's Temple in the customary seat. 10Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to GOD and cried and cried--inconsolably. 11Then she made a vow:

Oh, GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies,

If you'll take a good, hard look at my pain,

If you'll quit neglecting me and go into action for me

By giving me a son,

I'll give him completely, unreservedly to you.

I'll set him apart for a life of holy discipline.



12It so happened that as she continued in prayer before GOD, Eli was watching her closely. 13Hannah was praying in her heart, silently. Her lips moved, but no sound was heard. Eli jumped to the conclusion that she was drunk. 14He approached her and said, "You're drunk! How long do you plan to keep this up? Sober up, woman!"

15Hannah said, "Oh no, sir--please! I'm a woman hard used. I haven't been drinking. Not a drop of wine or beer. The only thing I've been pouring out is my heart, pouring it out to GOD. 16Don't for a minute think I'm a bad woman. It's because I'm so desperately unhappy and in such pain that I've stayed here so long."

17Eli answered her, "Go in peace. And may the God of Israel give you what you have asked of him."

18"Think well of me--and pray for me!" she said, and went her way. Then she ate heartily, her face radiant.

19Up before dawn, they worshiped GOD and returned home to Ramah. Elkanah slept with Hannah his wife, and GOD began making the necessary arrangements in response to what she had asked.



Dedicating the Child to God
20Before the year was out, Hannah had conceived and given birth to a son. She named him Samuel, explaining, "I asked GOD for him."
21When Elkanah next took his family on their annual trip to Shiloh to worship GOD, offering sacrifices and keeping his vow, 22Hannah didn't go. She told her husband, "After the child is weaned, I'll bring him myself and present him before GOD-and that's where he'll stay, for good."

23Elkanah said to his wife, "Do what you think is best. Stay home until you have weaned him. Yes! Let GOD complete what he has begun!"

So she did. She stayed home and nursed her son until she had weaned him. 24Then she took him up to Shiloh, bringing also the makings of a generous sacrificial meal--a prize bull, flour, and wine. The child was so young to be sent off!

25They first butchered the bull, then brought the child to Eli. 26Hannah said, "Excuse me, sir. Would you believe that I'm the very woman who was standing before you at this very spot, praying to GOD? 27I prayed for this child, and GOD gave me what I asked for. 28And now I have dedicated him to GOD. He's dedicated to GOD for life."

Then and there, they worshiped GOD.

This is funny, because this morning I opened up meh Bible to read, and I pick Samuel out of the blue for no reason in particular. Very peculiar.

God is speaking to you...and he says send Rotiking2004eva a ticket to Trinidad carnival, alongside his wife

Get thee behing me Satan.

December 13, 2005

1 Samuel 2
1Hannah prayed:
I'm bursting with God-news! I'm walking on air.

I'm laughing at my rivals.

I'm dancing my salvation.



2Nothing and no one is holy like GOD,

no rock mountain like our God.

3Don't dare talk pretentiously--

not a word of boasting, ever!

For GOD knows what's going on.

He takes the measure of everything that happens.

4The weapons of the strong are smashed to pieces,

while the weak are infused with fresh strength.

5The well-fed are out begging in the streets for crusts,

while the hungry are getting second helpings.

The barren woman has a houseful of children,

while the mother of many is bereft.



6GOD brings death and GOD brings life,

brings down to the grave and raises up.

7GOD brings poverty and GOD brings wealth;

he lowers, he also lifts up.

8He puts poor people on their feet again;

he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope,

Restoring dignity and respect to their lives--

a place in the sun!

For the very structures of earth are GOD's;

he has laid out his operations on a firm foundation.

9He protectively cares for his faithful friends, step by step,

but leaves the wicked to stumble in the dark.

No one makes it in this life by sheer muscle!

10GOD's enemies will be blasted out of the sky,

crashed in a heap and burned.

GOD will set things right all over the earth,

he'll give strength to his king,

he'll set his anointed on top of the world!



11Elkanah went home to Ramah. The boy stayed and served GOD in the company of Eli the priest.



Samuel Serves God
12Eli's own sons were a bad lot. They didn't know GOD and could not have cared less 13about the customs of priests among the people. Ordinarily, when someone offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant was supposed to come up and, while the meat was boiling, 14stab a three-pronged fork into the cooking pot. The priest then got whatever came up on the fork. But this is how Eli's sons treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh to offer sacrifices to GOD. 15Before they had even burned the fat to GOD, the priest's servant would interrupt whoever was sacrificing and say, "Hand over some of that meat for the priest to roast. He doesn't like boiled meat; he likes his rare." 16If the man objected, "First let the fat be burned--God's portion!-then take all you want," the servant would demand, "No, I want it now. If you won't give it, I'll take it." 17It was a horrible sin these young servants were committing--and right in the presence of GOD!-desecrating the holy offerings to GOD.
18In the midst of all this, Samuel, a boy dressed in a priestly linen tunic, served GOD. 19Additionally, every year his mother would make him a little robe cut to his size and bring it to him when she and her husband came for the annual sacrifice. 20Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, "GOD give you children to replace this child you have dedicated to GOD." Then they would go home.

21GOD was most especially kind to Hannah. She had three more sons and two daughters! The boy Samuel stayed at the sanctuary and grew up with GOD.



A Hard Life with Many Tears
22By this time Eli was very old. He kept getting reports on how his sons were ripping off the people and sleeping with the women who helped out at the sanctuary. 23Eli took them to task: "What's going on here? Why are you doing these things? I hear story after story of your corrupt and evil carrying on. 24Oh, my sons, this is not right! These are terrible reports I'm getting, stories spreading right and left among GOD's people! 25If you sin against another person, there's help--God's help. But if you sin against GOD, who is around to help?"
But they were far gone in disobedience and refused to listen to a thing their father said. So GOD, who was fed up with them, decreed their death. 26But the boy Samuel was very much alive, growing up, blessed by GOD and popular with the people.

27A holy man came to Eli and said: "This is GOD's message: I revealed myself openly to your ancestors when they were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. 28Out of all the tribes of Israel, I chose your family to be my priests: to preside at the altar, to burn incense, to wear the priestly robes in my presence. I put your ancestral family in charge of all the sacrificial offerings of Israel. 29So why do you now treat as mere loot these very sacrificial offerings that I commanded for my worship? Why do you treat your sons better than me, turning them loose to get fat on these offerings, and ignoring me? 30Therefore--this is GOD's word, the God of Israel speaking--I once said that you and your ancestral family would be my priests indefinitely, but now--GOD's word, remember!-there is no way this can continue.

I honor those who honor me;

those who scorn me I demean.



31"Be well warned: It won't be long before I wipe out both your family and your future family. No one in your family will make it to old age! 32You'll see good things that I'm doing in Israel, but you'll see it and weep, for no one in your family will live to enjoy it. 33I will leave one person to serve at my altar, but it will be a hard life, with many tears. Everyone else in your family will die before their time. 34What happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be the proof: Both will die the same day. 35Then I'll establish for myself a true priest. He'll do what I want him to do, be what I want him to be. I'll make his position secure and he'll do his work freely in the service of my anointed one. 36Survivors from your family will come to him begging for handouts, saying, "Please, give me some priest work, just enough to put some food on the table.'"

When I read this last night 2 things primarily stuck out to me.


1) Hannah's prayer was incredible and showed the power of God. I love how God can turn a bad situation into a good one, so if I am doing poorly spiritually, emotionally or financially...no need to fear, cuz God will if he chooses. On the flip side, God can humble anyone he so chooses. I think my favorite line was 8He puts poor people on their feet again;

he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope, The "burnt out life" part can be me in a nutshell or many people, so it's good to know that God can refresh and rebuild me.


I loved how Hannah said,"I'm bursting with God-news! I'm walking on air.

I'm laughing at my rivals.

I'm dancing my salvation."

Obviously taking a jab at the other wife of her husband who dissed her consistently for not having a kid.


The second thing I think was great about this passage was
2) No matter what position you are in, you can be an unrighteous person. Look at the Priests sons...they were who people went to in the temple when giving a sacrifice, and they were some unrighteous people...stealin what is basically teh collection at those time...THAT IS SOOOOOOOOOO RELATIVE TO TODAY. They stole the 'good portions' of the meat sacrificed for themselves, when they were supposed to randomly stick a fork down there and get the portions God chose for them. God was watching though, and they will get theirs and die on the same day and be taken away from the throne.

This kinda messes me up because in going to church I'd think you're supposed to have some sort of trust in the leadership, but at teh same time, know that they can be just as unrighteous as the next person. I bet some in the crowd back then didn't even know the sons were unrighteous or just let them get away with it. In the end God deals with it.


other points
- samuel remained righteous even though everyone around him was unrighteous

- I don't remember how Hophni and Phinehas die, but I'm eager to see them die on the same day.


* Disclaimer * these are MY interpretations, and are 100% up for debate, but in the end, we can agree to disagree and I don't want no arguements...

"Speak, God. I'm Ready to Listen"
1The boy Samuel was serving GOD under Eli's direction. This was at a time when the revelation of GOD was rarely heard or seen. 2One night Eli was sound asleep (his eyesight was very bad--he could hardly see). 3It was well before dawn; the sanctuary lamp was still burning. Samuel was still in bed in the Temple of GOD, where the Chest of God rested.
4Then GOD called out, "Samuel, Samuel!"

Samuel answered, "Yes? I'm here." 5Then he ran to Eli saying, "I heard you call. Here I am."

Eli said, "I didn't call you. Go back to bed." And so he did.

6GOD called again, "Samuel, Samuel!"

Samuel got up and went to Eli, "I heard you call. Here I am."

Again Eli said, "Son, I didn't call you. Go back to bed." 7(This all happened before Samuel knew GOD for himself. It was before the revelation of GOD had been given to him personally.)

8GOD called again, "Samuel!"-the third time! Yet again Samuel got up and went to Eli, "Yes? I heard you call me. Here I am."

That's when it dawned on Eli that GOD was calling the boy. 9So Eli directed Samuel, "Go back and lie down. If the voice calls again, say, "Speak, GOD. I'm your servant, ready to listen.'" Samuel returned to his bed.

10Then GOD came and stood before him exactly as before, calling out, "Samuel! Samuel!"

Samuel answered, "Speak. I'm your servant, ready to listen."

11GOD said to Samuel, "Listen carefully. I'm getting ready to do something in Israel that is going to shake everyone up and get their attention. 12The time has come for me to bring down on Eli's family everything I warned him of, every last word of it. 13I'm letting him know that the time's up. I'm bringing judgment on his family for good. He knew what was going on, that his sons were desecrating God's name and God's place, and he did nothing to stop them. 14This is my sentence on the family of Eli: The evil of Eli's family can never be wiped out by sacrifice or offering."

15Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then rose early and went about his duties, opening the doors of the sanctuary, but he dreaded having to tell the vision to Eli.

16But then Eli summoned Samuel: "Samuel, my son!"

Samuel came running: "Yes? What can I do for you?"

17"What did he say? Tell it to me, all of it. Don't suppress or soften one word, as God is your judge! I want it all, word for word as he said it to you."

18So Samuel told him, word for word. He held back nothing.

Eli said, "He is GOD. Let him do whatever he thinks best."



19Samuel grew up. GOD was with him, and Samuel's prophetic record was flawless. 20Everyone in Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, recognized that Samuel was the real thing--a true prophet of GOD. 21GOD continued to show up at Shiloh, revealed through his word to Samuel at Shiloh.

The Chest of God Is Taken

Here's what I got out of 1 Samuel 3 from reading last night.


- Maybe it's hard sometimes to hear when God is speaking to you????? Samuel was called 3 times, but only on the fourth ( with help from Eli did he know God was speaking to him

- I'm glad Samuel stayed righteous during this time even though everyone around him was unrighteous

- I'm impressed by Eli, he wanted to know in full what God said to Samuel...and before ( Chapter 3) he knew that God was gonna destroy his family and priesthood. He was kinda righteous and even after hearing the bad news he was like,"Well, Gods gonna do it so that's how it's gonna be", he didn't seem mad or sad or angry, just dealt with it....Sad to see God didn't change his mind on punishing him due to this good attitude towards punishment, but say what, God knows what he's doing. Sin has punishment.

These are my assessments, and up for interpretation..

1 Samuel 4 (The Message)
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson



1 Samuel 4
1Whatever Samuel said was broadcast all through Israel. Israel went to war against the Philistines. Israel set up camp at Ebenezer, the Philistines at Aphek. 2The Philistines marched out to meet Israel, the fighting spread, and Israel was badly beaten--about 4,000 soldiers left dead on the field. 3When the troops returned to camp, Israel's elders said, "Why has GOD given us such a beating today by the Philistines? Let's go to Shiloh and get the Chest of GOD's Covenant. It will accompany us and save us from the grip of our enemies."
4So the army sent orders to Shiloh. They brought the Chest of the Covenant of GOD, the GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies, the Cherubim-Enthroned-GOD. Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, accompanied the Chest of the Covenant of God.

5When the Chest of the Covenant of GOD was brought into camp, everyone gave a huge cheer. The shouts were like thunderclaps shaking the very ground. 6The Philistines heard the shouting and wondered what on earth was going on: "What's all this shouting among the Hebrews?"

Then they learned that the Chest of GOD had entered the Hebrew camp. 7The Philistines panicked: "Their gods have come to their camp! Nothing like this has ever happened before. 8We're done for! Who can save us from the clutches of these supergods? These are the same gods who hit the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues out in the wilderness. 9On your feet, Philistines! Courage! We're about to become slaves to the Hebrews, just as they have been slaves to us. Show what you're made of! Fight for your lives!"

10And did they ever fight! It turned into a rout. They thrashed Israel so mercilessly that the Israelite soldiers ran for their lives, leaving behind an incredible 30,000 dead. 11As if that wasn't bad enough, the Chest of God was taken and the two sons of Eli--Hophni and Phinehas--were killed.



Glory Is Exiled from Israel
12Immediately, a Benjaminite raced from the front lines back to Shiloh. Shirt torn and face smeared with dirt, 13he entered the town. Eli was sitting on his stool beside the road keeping vigil, for he was extremely worried about the Chest of God. When the man ran straight into town to tell the bad news, everyone wept. 14They were appalled. Eli heard the loud wailing and asked, "Why this uproar?" The messenger hurried over and reported. 15Eli was ninety-eight years old then, and blind. 16The man said to Eli, "I've just come from the front, barely escaping with my life."
"And so, my son," said Eli, "what happened?"

17The messenger answered, "Israel scattered before the Philistines. The defeat was catastrophic, with enormous losses. Your sons Hophni and Phinehas died, and the Chest of God was taken."

18At the words, "Chest of God," Eli fell backwards off his stool where he sat next to the gate. Eli was an old man, and very fat. When he fell, he broke his neck and died. He had led Israel forty years.

19His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and ready to deliver. When she heard that the Chest of God had been taken and that both her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went to her knees to give birth, going into hard labor. 20As she was about to die, her midwife said, "Don't be afraid. You've given birth to a son!" But she gave no sign that she had heard.

21The Chest of God gone, father-in-law dead, husband dead, she named the boy Ichabod (Glory's-Gone), 22saying, "Glory is exiled from Israel since the Chest of God was taken."

Its doesn't seem that deep to me. Samuel is gaining notoriety. We finally see how Hophni and Phineas die. It's weird that out of fear the Philitines still killed Israel. Guess it goes to show that God had a plan and didn't care if Israel 'should have' won, but intervened and made sure that the sins of Eli and his sons were paid on this day. Saddens me that Eli got the word and died right there...must've been tough for him to say the least.

Ichabod was born...and I don't know how that is significant, but I'll stay tuned to find out.

I thought Eli died becuz he got work the the ark of the covenant was in the hands of the philistines (I think) and out of shock he feel ova and broke his neck. His sons were having relations in the temple how, disrespectful.

OH...I missed that. I just thought he died because of his sons, but I guess the Chest of God was what did it...thanks. '

So, was the Chest of God being in the wrong hands more important than the death of his sons?