1 Samuel 1:1-20--The Birth of Samuel

1 Samuel 1:1-20
English Standard Version

The Birth of Samuel
1 There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 2 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.

3 Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the LORD. 4 On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the LORD had closed her womb. 6 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb. 7 So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. 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. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. 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, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” 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. 16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” 17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.” 18 And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

​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.”

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We left off in the book of Judges saying that things were so bad because there was no king in Israel, and then we went to the book of Ruth that seemed to tell the story of a particular family of the line of Judah that maybe would be the one to provide that future king (since the kings were to come from Judah--there's also no wondering for those of us that know the rest of the story, as I quoted some other passages that let us know the importance of that story not only for King David, but also for Jesus).  However, we do not start the story of 1 Samuel with David or his family like we might expect.  No, we are instead going to take a look at the story of the author of this book, who is a very special character indeed and serves as a type of Christ.  He would have a miraculous birth, and he would serve Israel as their last Judge and their first Prophet, but it also appears from this chapter and some other passages in the book of 1 Samuel that he also would serve as high priest over all of Israel.  The only Messianic role that Samuel seemed to not play was king, though he seems to be of Judah for his family lineage traces back to Bethlehem (the same place David and Jesus would be from), but God had a different job for Samuel and that was to anoint kings, not to to be king.  Many call Samuel "The King-Maker," though he did not make the kings, he simply anointed Saul (who was the choice of the people) and then he would later anoint David, who was the one that God had chosen to rule over His people.  That's getting far ahead of this particular passage though.  While we study it though.

First off, we see an issue with Samuel's family that his father married two different women.  The text doesn't tell us that he married a second woman because his first wife was barren, but it seems to imply that, for the purpose of marriage was to heave children and Hannah could not have children but Peninnah could.  Peninnah gloated over the fact that she could have children and that Hannah could not.  You can only imagine the mean things that might have been said to Hannah to make her feel less loved, cursed by God, and like she was worthless because she could not provide the one thing for her husband that he wanted out of his marriage to her.

Though these things were said by Peninnah to Hannah, Elkanah showed through his actions that he loved Hannah, even though she was barren, for when the time came for the sacrifices to be divided among the family members at one of the annual feasts they celebrated together, Hannah would receive a double-portion to show Elkanah's favor towards her.  Even though Peninnah gave Elkanah many sons and Hannah gave him no children, Elkanah loved Hannah very much.  That doesn't' mean that Hannah didn't feel hurt by Peninnah's words or that she didn't feel cultural shame when they came out together as a family and Peninnah had so many children with her and Hannah had none.  So, when it was time that they were supposed to be joyous and feast together, Hannah would be weeping so much that she could not eat, and though her husband tried to comfort her, he could not say the right words for he looked at her sadness as some kind of indication that he was not enough for her, and he took it personall that he coudl not make her happy.

​Eli's sons were mentioned in passing in the last section talking about the fact that they were the ones ministering as priests before the LORD when the family went to make their annual sacrifices, but this next section will speak of the moral depravity that is now in the family of the high priest himself.  The priests (including the high priest) had work they were to do all day long to make atonement for the whole nation all day, every day.  It was a never-ending job.  When they weren't making blood sacrifices, they were tending to the golden lampstand and the altar of incense, where they would pray for the people and their prayers of intercession would rise up like the smoke of the incense and that too would be part of the process of atonement.  So then why do we see Eli sitting down?  We'll get to that soon, but he is sitting near the place where he can see Hannah praying fervently.  The text tells us that she is praying for a son to be born to her, and that if the LORD would just give her a son, she would make him a Nazarite (like Samson was supposed to be) and that she would give him to the LORD's service.  Eli doesn't hear her words.  He only sees her lips moving and hears her weeping, so in a bit of projection, he assumes she is drunk (probably because he has been eating and drinking too much).

Eli decides to confront her and ask her how long she is going to be a drunkard and commands her to put the wine away and be sober.  (Again, he's probably projecting and speaking this to himself).  Hannah hears him and assures him that she is not drunk, in fact she has had nothing to drink since she was so sad that she could not eat or drink anything.  She is troubled in spirit and is pouring her spirit out to the LORD.  Now Eli finally steps into his role as priest and acts as a mediator so that he can take her request to the LORD, and speaking from his position of authority as high priest, he promises her that by this time next year (the feast they were celebrating) that her request would be granted.  Hannah was able to go away happy knowing that the LORD had seen her and heard her and was going to do something about this pain that she lived with every day.  It was enough just to have a son even if she could not keep him because then Peninnah would have nothing to say to her anymore, and when people in the community tried to make fun of her, it would be okay because she could be proud that she gave her only son into the LORD's service--that would be a sacrifice none of the other Jewish mothers would have made.

So they went back home and the LORD remember Hannah and her request and caused her to conceive (by natural processes, this is not a miracle like the birth of Jesus, but it is still miraculous since she had been barren) and she named him Samuel meaning "Name of God" or "God Has Heard," it is probably this second meaning that Hannah intended for she named Samuel so that everyone knew that it was the LORD who heard her request and gave her a son.

We'll pick up the story next time after Samuel is weaned so that Hannah can present him to Eli and give him into the LORD's service.