LYRICS FOR TODAY'S SONGS
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Sermon Notes
1 Samuel 1:1-20 ISG

Literary Analysis
1 There was a certain man…whose name was Elkanah 2 He had two wives…And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.3 Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship…

4 On the day when Elkanah sacrificed… 8 And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

9 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose…10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. 11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”

12 As she continued praying before the LORD, 13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard… 15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD.

19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. 20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the LORD.”


Literary Connections to the Book of Judges
The Hebrew Bible is divided into three sections: the Torah (Law), the Prophets, and the Writings. The Prophets are divided into two parts: the Former and the Latter Prophets. First and Second Samuel are part of the Former Prophets, which include Joshua, Judges, 1–2 Samuel, and 1–2 Kings (Ruth is in the Writings in the Hebrew Bible). The Former Prophets record the history of Israel from their entry into the promised land under Joshua to their expulsion from the land in 586 BC. Though this history undoubtedly contains many literary sources written over this long period of time, in its final form it is a literary unit, complete with a macroplot, as well as several subthemes. In short, it is a story in every sense of the word, albeit one that displays great literary diversity.

Excerpt From: Robert B. Chisholm. “1 & 2 Samuel.” Apple Books.


The Text in Context
The judges’ period was a low point in Israel’s history. God’s people, without effective leadership, hit rock bottom morally, ethically, and spiritually. The final chapters of Judges contain alarming accounts of gang rape, civil war, mass slaughter of entire tribes and cities, and kidnapping. The book ends by declaring, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Judg. 21:25). First Samuel is a fitting sequel to Judges. Samuel reverses the downward leadership trend depicted in Judges and eventually anoints David as king, giving “the nation hope that the situation lamented at the end of Judges will be rectified. The book begins with an account of Samuel’s birth. The key figure in the story is an oppressed, childless woman named Hannah. That this woman is suffering and oppressed comes as no surprise since the book of Judges ends with Israelite women being victimized by their own countrymen’s misguided zeal and cruelty.”

Excerpt From: Robert B. Chisholm. “1 & 2 Samuel.” Apple Books.


Kingship of God
According to the biblical tradition, God is the King of the Universe; no human king can assume kingship except as the deputy of the divine King; see the commentary on 8:7. God has been enthroned as King from “before the Flood” (Ps. 29:10),292 that is, from eternity. This view is expressed early — even in the premonarchic period — in Exod. 15:18, “The Lord will reign forever and ever.”

The first occurrence of the word “king” in the books of Samuel is at 1 Sam. 2:10, where Hannah expresses her conviction that the Lord is the one who gives “power” (‘ōz) to his human deputy (the king) and lifts up the “horn of his anointed.” Here, though the Lord is not explicitly described as king, he is the one who “judges the ends of the earth.” While the term “to judge” here is from the root *dyn, not *špṭ (as in 8:6;//*mlk in v. 7), the expression “to judge the ends of the earth” is certainly suitable to the God who is king. In short, the kingship of Yahweh is here expressed clearly. In fact, in Ps. 96:10. According to the creation narratives in Genesis, in a sense, all human beings were created as “royal” figures, unlike in other ancient Near Eastern traditions where only kings represent deities as their “image.” In the biblical tradition, humankind, the image of God, was made as a deputy for the King of the Universe that he might rule and control other creatures for the King’s sake. So, when God allowed the people of Israel to have a human king (1 Sam. 8:6b-9), he gave them a king only as God’s earthly vice-regent or deputy.

Excerpt From: David Toshio Tsumura. “1 Samuel (NICOT).” Apple Books.

ISG Material

Study & Reflection Guide
1. Considering the larger motif/background of the story, Samuel is the link from the story of the Judges towards the story of the kings. The last reminder from the book of Judges says, Judges 21:25 (ESV) 25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Paint a picture of how the kingdom of God should look like? What is the role of God? And what makes Israel unique among all the nations around them? (1 Samuel 8:19-22)

2. Although the narrative includes human characters like Elkanah, Hannah and Eli, the main character of the story is God and how he rules his kingdom through Israel. Describe the struggle of Hannah (1 Samuel 1:2, 5-8) Does her struggle with barrenness remind you of other characters in the Scriptures? (hint: Abraham-?, Isaac-?, Jacob-?) How does this inform how you look at how God works in history?

3. The prayer of Hannah resembles an earlier story at the start of the book of Exodus. Compare 1 Samuel 1:9-11, 19-20 and Exodus 2:23-25. How does Hannah’s story retell the story of Israel’s slavery in Egypt?

4. Hannah’s prayer (v.11: look on, remember me) was an appeal to Aaron’s benediction (Numbers 6:24-27). Why is God’s face/presence the main thrust in the benediction? How do both prayers reinforce the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)?

5. Although Hannah plays an insignificant role in the whole ethos of God’s kingdom, her story intertwines with the larger story of God’s rule through Israel. How do you see yourself fit in the greater story of God’s kingdom on earth?

6. Pray for a realization of how we can see ourselves part of God’s kingdom on earth even in our daily interactions with the world.