1Samuel 1
Sunday School
Introduction: 1 Samuel gives the history of Israel and specially
the ninety-five-year period from just before the birth of Samuel to
the death of Saul (c. 1104-1011 B.C.). It will begin with the
leadership of Eli, pass through Samuel and Saul, end as David becomes
king. The book of 2 Samuel will take over from there.
When this book begins, Israel was a theocracy. The nation was ruled
by God as He selected individual men to lead. Those rulers were
called Judges. Once chosen, a judge lead for the remainder of his
life. When the judge died, the people typically did what they wanted
until they went so far into sin that God allowed an enemy to conquer
them. When the people would repent, God would anoint a new judge to
deliver and lead them.
There is a book in the Old Testament, Judges, that details that time
period, including how it began. The book of 1 Samuel reveals how it
ended.
Outline:
1 Samuel is a historical book which follows the lives of five people.
The outline will reflect that.
I. \\#1Sam 1:1-2:11\\ Hannah - A Woman God Honored
II. \\#1Sam 2:12- 4:22\\ Eli - A Failed Father
III. \\#1Sam 5:1-8:22\\ Samuel - The Humble Servant
IV. \\#1Sam 9:1- 16:14\\ Saul - A Missed Opportunity
V. \\#1Sam 16:14-1Sam 31:13\\, David - A Man After God’s Heart
I. \\#1:1-8\\ Hannah’s Situation
A. The story of Elkanah, Hannah, and Peninnah is essentially a
story of good people.
1. There is no question that Hannah was a good woman.
a. Hannah displayed godliness, faith, and honored her
promise to give her child to God, at the time not
expecting to ever have another.
b. The first chapter and a portion of the second detail
the godliness of Hannah.
2. Elkanah seems to be a good man.
a. \\#5\\ states plainly that Elkanah loved Hannah.
b. \\#5\\ The extra portion of plenty that he gave to
Hannah, as well as, the comfort that he gave \\#8\\,
are a reflection of a good man.
3. \\#7\\ The worst of the three seems to be Peninnah as she
was very hateful to Hannah.
a. Even so, Peninnah probably was not as bad as we might
thing. My primary reason for thinking that is as a
rule, good people don’t marry bad people.
b. We don’t have any information on Peninnah, but I will
do some guessing.
(1) My guess is that Peninnah was probably the
younger of the two wives and wanted a "place"
in her husband’s heart.
(2) That is something that Hannah did not seem to
worry about, indicating that she knew she had
a place in his heart.
(3) I suspect that Peninnah was the "newer" of the
wives and perhaps the younger, and that Elkanah
married her to have children.
(a) In my mind, it is doubtful that Elkanah
would have taken a second wife had Hannah
been able to bear children.
(b) If that were the reason Elkanah took a
second wife, it would be logical for him
to take a younger wife.
c. In this situation, it is easy to see how both wives
might be insecure and view the other wife as her
competition.
B. But the story of Elkanah, Hannah, and Peninnah was also one of
a very bad situation. They were all three married.
1. Polygamy is the legal term.
2. Polygamy is wrong and was wrong; however, it was not
explicitly declared wrong in the Old Testament.
a. Why not?
b. I suspect because there is only so much that could be
declared as sinful.
c. The Bible is pretty large as it is and some things are
revealed gradually through the Bible.
(1) We did not understand much about the Persons of
the Holy Ghost or the Messiah until the New
Testament revealed it.
(2) And we literally knew nothing of the Church Age,
among many other things.
C. However, there is enough to indicate that God NEVER intended
polygamous relationships.
1. \\#Ge 2:21-25\\
Ge 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father
and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife:
and they shall be one flesh.
a. Notice that this verse was not written for Adam and Eve
alone.
(1) i.e. Adam did not have a father or mother.
(2) God was establishing a precept for marriage that
would last as long as the earth lasts.
b. Yet, God speaks of "a man," "his wife," and "one flesh."
c. Although vague, all of the words are singular, i.e. God
did not say "a man" and "his wives shall be one flesh,
but "a man" and "his wife."
d. (It is interesting that we have no Bible records of one
woman having more than one husband. I wonder if that
is because the Scripture did say "a man.")
2. Another indication is the fact that God degreed adultery
wrong; however, I am sure that a polygamist would say that
he WAS married to both women and so no adultery was
involved.
Ex 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
3. \\#Matt 19:3-6\\
a. By the New Testament, polygamy is clearly defined as
wrong.
b. Notice that Jesus, speaking of what the Father said "at
the beginning," told us how many make up a marriage,
TWAIN or TWO.
Matt 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man
leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his
wife: and they TWAIN shall be one flesh?
6 Wherefore they are no more TWAIN, but one
flesh. What therefore God hath joined together,
let not man put asunder.
c. This is a section where Jesus was clearing up another
misunderstanding about marriage, namely that God did
not mind divorces.
4. \\#Romans 7:1-3\\ - Although illustrated only by the
woman’s role in the marriage, a person who was honest
would understand that Paul was defining adultery for both
genders.
Romans 7:1 Know ye not, brethren, for I speak
to them that know the law,) how that the law hath
dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound
by the law to her husband so long as he liveth;
but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from
the law of her husband.
3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be
married to another man, she shall be called an
adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is
free from that law; so that she is no adulteress,
though she be married to another man.
5. \\#1Cor 7:2\\ - Again the singular is used to tell us that
a wife has ONE husband and a husband has ONE wife.
1Cor 7:2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let
every man have his own wife, and let every woman
have her own husband.
6. And while the Bible details problems within monogamous
marriages, I do not know of a polygamous marriage in the
Bible that did not have problems.
a. Lamech \\#Ge 4:19\\
b. Abraham, Sarah, Hagar
c. Jacob, Rachel, Leah, Zilpah, Bilhah
d. David
e. Solomon
f. Others
II. \\#1:9-18\\ Hannah’s Recourse - She Prayed.
A. \\#9\\ Shiloh was the first "permanent" home of the
Tabernacle, serving so for 369 years. It was first
mentioned in \\#Jos 18:1\\ and continued to be the place of
worship until the Ark was captured by the Philistines. It
likely remained a religious symbol to Israel until the Temple
was built by King David.
https://www.holylandsite.com/shiloh
B. It was to Shiloh that Elkanah and his family traveled to
worship God.
C. \\#10\\ Hannah "prayed unto the Lord" - This would not have
been the only time she prayed. Being in Shiloh, she prayed
earnestly knowing that she was near the very presence of God.
D. \\#11\\ Hannah made a promise that if God would give her
child, she would give him to the Lord and no razor would ever
come upon his head.
E. \\#Numbers 6:1-8\\ That would indicate that Samuel was to be a
Nazarite.
F. \\#18\\ With Eli’s assurance, Hannah felt God’s peace and "was
sad no more."
III. \\#1:19-28\\ Hannah’s Answer
A. \\#23-24\\ Babies were not rushed to weaning in those days as
their mother was able to provide their babies with a steady
diet of food. Some children may not have been weaned until
they were 4 or 5 years old.
B. We spoke of Elkanah’s goodness. His grace to Hannah is seen
in that:
1. He allowed her to stay at home and not go to the feasts as
she felt she should.
2. He allowed her to give their son to Eli for God’s service.
This was no small sacrifice on either of their parts.
IV. \\#2:1-12\\ Hannah’s Praise - Hannah either spoke on the spot or
from memory a psalm she composed,
A. \\#1\\ She speaks of being victorious over her enemies.
1. Specifically that may have been Peninnah or her
Infertility or even her age.
2. It is possible that God left off with specific names so
that anyone could apply this psalm to their own life.
B. \\#2\\ Hannah testified that there was none like the Lord.
C. \\#3\\ Hannah told the arrogant not to be proud. She was
warning them that there was a God in heaven who heard and
answered prayers.
D. \\#4-8\\ Hannah shared how God changed the places of people.
1. \\#4\\ The bows of the mighty can be removed and the weak
can be girded with strength.
2. \\#5\\ The full can become hungry and the hunger can be
filled.
3. The barren can bear seven and the mother of many can
become feeble.
4. \\#6\\ It is the Lord who kills and makes alive, Who
brings people and sets people up.
5. \\#7\\ Who makes some rich and some poor, Who humbles some
and Who exalts others.
6. \\#8\\ God raises the poor and the beggar and makes them
sit with princes.
7. The earth is the Lord’s.
E. \\#9\\ The Lord will protect the saints while they rest
(the time when their feet are uncovered), and He will make
make the strong sit in silence (for He rules over them).
F. \\#10\\ God will judge His enemies.
1. While portions of this psalm could be Hannah’s personal
psalm, this last section reveals God’s end time plan.
2. It is a Messianic promise of the revelation of Jesus
Christ.
V. \\#2:18-21\\ Hannah Reward
A. \\#18\\ Hannah gave Samuel to the Lord.
B. \\#19\\ Hannah made and gave Samuel a coat. Coats seem to
be a sign of love and authority in the Bible (Joseph).
C. \\#20\\ Eli, needing a youth to pass his spiritual mantle to,
gave Hannah a blessing, that the Lord would give her more
children.
D. \\#21\\ And the Lord gave Hannah 3 more sons and two more
daughters!
This is the last we read of Hannah in the entire Bible, but she was
a Woman That God Honored.
<Outline
Index> <Close Window>
