Kingdom and Chaos
1st Samuel 1 – Hannah and Samuel
January 13, 2019
1st Samuel opens with contrasting narratives – the corrupt religious leaders who are taking advantage of people and a faithful family who is serving God.
Elkanah is faithful. Eli and his sons are corrupt. The Kingdom is in Chaos
1 Samuel 1:3 NIV
Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord.
1 Samuel 1:10-11, 15-17 NIV
“In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord. 11 And she made a vow, saying, "O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head." 15 "Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief." 17 Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him."
• The story of barren, childless women is a common one in Scripture. Sarah was barren before she gave Abraham a son. Later, Elizabeth was barren before she gave birth to John the Baptist.
• It seems strange that a book of the Bible that focuses on epic priests, kings, battles, and giants would open with a sad woman wanting a child.
• This is a remarkable event! Hannah is the first woman recorded in Scripture to enter the Temple and pray!
God hears our honest prayers.
When was the last time we prayed with honesty, conviction and boldness?
When was the last we prayed with such intensity that people around us thought something was wrong?
Jesus in the Garden “Take this cup from me.”
Hebrews 5:7 NIV
During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.
God sees our radical obedience.
The Nazirite vow was no small vow. It meant you were serious. No barbers and no alcohol. You were committed to holy things for life.
Radical? We think: dramatic, new, brave
Radical comes from the Latin “radix”, which means, “root.”
When we’re rooted, we can be radical.
Later, a grown Samuel must confront King Saul who has grown more religious but less obedient.
Saul is losing his rootedness. He is no longer obeying God.
1 Samuel 15:22 NIV
“But Samuel replied: "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
• This does not mean we are to quit our jobs and go off on some mission, but it is an invitation to give all our lives away for the mission.
• God is calling all of us into public ministry, to be salt and light.
• God is repairing the broken places of our lives and giving us greater capacity to receive the harvest that is surely coming.
• God is calling all of us out of the ordinary, predictable and familiar into a radical life of obedience.
Matthew 5:5 NIV
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
Surrendered, rooted people can thrive in a world of chaos.
The Table:
1 Samuel 2:1-2 NIV
Then Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. 2 "There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”
