Day 98 & 99 — We have been reading the Bible daily for a quarter of the year, and today, we begin the tenth book. Praise God! What have you learned about God? About yourself? (Note: SUNDAY’s readings are combined with MONDAY’s)
Day 98 – 1 Samuel 1 – 3 (Hannah, Samuel’s birth & call)
In Chapters 1 & 2, Hannah, the much-loved but barren wife of a Levite named Elkanah, prays for a son, promising to give him back to God all the days of his life. God hears and answers her prayer and Samuel is born. Like Samson, he is born under the Nazarite vow. But that is the only similarity.
After Hannah weans him, she takes the very young Samuel to the Tabernacle and gives him under the care of Eli, the priest. Every year, she visits him to bring new clothes. After fulfilling her promise, God gives Hannah five more children.
Samuel grew and ministered before the LORD in the presence of the old, fat, lazy priest, Eli, and his worthless, wicked sons. Hophni and Phinehas treated the offerings of the LORD with contempt and were very great sinners in His eyes. Eli mildly scolded them, but they continued in their sin, so God rejected the house of Eli.
In Chapter 3, the LORD calls Samuel. It seemed like Eli was calling the boy, so in obedience, he went to the old man three times. Finally, Eli realized God was calling him and told Samuel to answer, “Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.” And indeed, the LORD speaks to Samuel, prophesying the judgment on the house of Eli for his sons’ blasphemous behavior and his not correcting them. Samuel is afraid to tell Eli the word of the LORD, but the old man insists, and after hearing the judgement, acquiesces.
After that, Samuel grew, and all the words God spoke to/through him came to pass. Everyone – from Dan to Beersheba – knew he was established as a prophet of the LORD.
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Day 99 – 1 Samuel 4 – 8 (Philistines, the ARK, Eli, Samuel,)
In Chapter 4, Israel goes to battle against the Philistines and they lose. The elders ask why, but before God can answer, they bring out “the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim” from Shiloh, where the Tabernacle was set up. When the people see it, all of Israel gives a thunderous shout so loud the Philistines are afraid. They think the ARK is a god, like their carved images, instead of the earthly “throne” or dwelling place of Almighty God. They pump themselves up with “Take courage and be men and fight!”
They do, Israel loses, and the Ark of God is captured. Eli’s two sons are killed in battle. When Eli hears the news, he faints backward, breaks his neck, and dies. Phinehas’s wife goes into labor and also dies. The baby is named Ichabod, meaning, “The Glory has departed” from Israel.
In Chapter 5, the Philistines discover that having the Ark of the God of Israel is not such a great thing. First, the statue of their god, Dagon, falls before the Ark in a pose of worship. Then it is completely decapitated. Then, the men of the five cities of Philistia begin dying of a weird, horrendous disease as they pass the Ark from one town to another. Eek! Get rid of the thing, they cry.
In Chapter 6, they devise a plan to send it back to Israel, making it a test to see if “God” really is causing all their problems. They load it on a cart pulled by two milk cows who have young calves. No mama cow will leave her crying babies and pull a cart miles away, but they do, so Philistia knows that it is Israel’s God who is afflicting them. They also send some golden tumors and mice (???) to appease Israel’s God.
Chapter 7 describes how the Ark is kept in Abinadab’s house. His son Eleazar is consecrated (as a priest) to be in charge of it. And it remains there—twenty years!! NOTE: The Ark of the Covenant is there until King David brings it to Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 6.
Samuel chastises them and tells them to put away foreign gods, return to the LORD, and serve only Him. Samuel prays for them as they begin to repent. Suddenly, the Philistines come up against them, and they panic. But Samuel goes before the Lord and intercedes, and the LORD roars against the Philistines, who fled away. In memorial to this miracle, Samuel sets up a stone named Ebenezer, which means “Till now the LORD has helped us.” Peace comes to Israel, and Samuel judges them for all the days of his life.
Chapter 8 tells how Samuel gets old (60) and makes his sons, Joel and Abijah Judges over Israel. But they, like Eli’s sons, do not walk in the ways of the LORD but begin to take bribes and pervert justice. The elders see this and cry out for a king to judge them. Feeling rejected, Samuel prays to God, who tells him that Israel hasn’t rejected Samuel but they have rejected the LORD Himself. God tells Samuel to give them what they want…but to warn them how a king will reign over them.
Samuel warns them with a long list of how an earthly king will not be the same as their righteous King of Kings has been. He will conscript their sons for his army and take their daughters for his cooks and bakers. He will take the best of their crops, servants, and animals. And they will become his “slaves,”
Israel does not heed Samuel’s warnings but cries out, “No, there SHALL be a king over us that we may be like all the nations. Our king will judge us, go before us, and fight out battles.”
And God says, “Give them a king.”