Samuel is a book about small salvations that matter. It’s about ordinary people being blessed with extraordinary grace. The first book of Samuel opens with an introduction to two men. Elkanah, the husband of Hannah, and Eli, a priest and the father of Hophni and Phinehas. Eli and Elkanah are a contrast between two houses. Samuel, alongside Hophni and Phinehas, are a contrast between sons.
Elkanah’s house is generally faithful. They go up to Shiloh to offer sacrifices. Eli’s house is generally unfaithful. His sons go to Shiloh to eat, rob and rape.
Elkanah’s son Samuel comes to serve in the House of the Lord. Eli’s sons serve themselves. Samuel is becoming great in the Lord. Eli’s sons are also growing great, in wickedness.
All of which leads to the fall of Eli and his entire house.
The reason given is for Eli’s downfall is that his Sons have sinned. They sin against the sacrifices for instead of taking the portion set aside for them by God, they take God’s portion. They grab the fat of the sacrifice, the Lord’s bread and threaten violence. They insult the Lord and seduce the women who are serving in the Tabernacle (1 Samuel 2:17)
And so, in time a man is sent from God to brings charges against Eli and his sons.
He begins, like so many of the Prophets, by reminding Eli of all the good things God has done and then goes on to lay out the charges.
Why does God condemn Eli when it is his sons who are the ones committing the sins?
Though Eli did rebuke his sons, he then went ahead – waste not want not – and ate of those sacrifices which belong to the Lord and which his sons had corrupted. Instead of making sure that the Lord receives the fat of the offering, Eli has become fat.
Eli treats God “lightly” and gives “weight” to his sons (1 Samuel 2:29-30). By giving weight to his sons, Eli makes himself, “weighty” with the fat of the Lord’s offerings but this weightiness will mean his death.
He gets so fat that he dies by falling off his chair and breaking his neck (1 Samuel 4:18).
God’s judgement is not just on Eli, but on His own House. The word House is used 8 times in just a few short verses (1 Samuel 2:27-32).
Because Eli brought disgrace to the Lord’s House, God is going to bring down the House of Eli. Israel had played fast and loose with God in their worship and it would cost them dearly.
And so, Eli falls off his chair, breaking his neck and dies when he hears that the Ark of the Covenant has been taken by the Philistines and placed in the temple of Dagon (1 Samuel 5:1-2).
But what goes around come around and by morning the giant statue, Dagon, falls flat on his face before the ark and his neck is broken.
This is the working and character of God.
If He tears down one house, it is so He can build a better one. God was disciplining Israel for playing fast and loose with worship, but He would also punish the Philistines for their corrupt worship.
God would remove the old priest and the old house, but He would give us a better priest and a better house. Both of which point to Jesus.
This is why Hannah’s prayer back in 1 Samuel 2 is so important.
What happened to Hannah could happen to anyone. Okay, so she can’t have children, then she can. Happens all the time. Why such a big song over such a small and relatively common event?
Hannah sings about God’s salvation and all that God had done for her. And what God has done for Hannah reflects His way with all mankind. God is a saving God.
The song then moves from Hannah’s experience to the way the Lord rules heaven and earth.
And here is what it will mean when God fully, finally and visibly rules and reigns. It will mean the deliverance of His people and the shattering of His opponents. Something that Hannah expects the Lord will do this through His King,
He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail. Those who oppose the Lord will be shattered. He will thunder from heaven against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth and will give power to His king. He will exalt the horn of His anointed one. (1 Samuel 2:9-10)
This is the way of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
Hannah’s experience is a sample of the way the Lord works with all His people and the way He will work to bring His Kingdom into full view. What happens to Hannah is a foretaste of God’s plan for all His little ones and that’s why such a seemingly ordinary event in the life of a seemingly ordinary woman is so important.
Every time God lifts you out of a miry bog and sets your feet upon a rock, you are getting a taste of what He has accomplished through His Son, Jesus.
It’s a tiny salvation, one of many in your life, that God graciously accomplishes so that you will believe in the ultimate act of His saving grace through Jesus.
Hannah’s story, along with all of our seemingly small and insignificant stories are stories of God’s stubborn mercies. Mercies that triumph over judgement otherwise deserved.
What do You Want to Read About?