December 06, 2025
Last week we concluded the book of Judges with these words:
“In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.”
The stories in Judges graphically demonstrate what happens when God’s people deliberately turn from his leadership and choose to follow their own passions – they were hardly better than the nations they had dispossessed.
That brings us to Samuel, the last Judge of Israel. He serves as a link between the time of the Judges and the Monarchy, so our story begins with him.
Modern Bibles divide The Book of Samuel into 2 – 1st and 2nd. However, they were originally 1 book, first divided in the Septuagint (the earliest Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible – 285-246 BC). For our study, we are going to treat them as one volume.
The Book of Samuel opens with Elkanah, who, according to 1st Chronicles 6:23, was a Kohathite, of the tribe of Levi. He lived with his family in the hill country of Ephraim in the city of Ramah.
Elkanah had 2 wives, Peninnah and Hannah. Peninnah had many children, but Hannah had none. To have no children in that culture was viewed as a disgrace and Peninnah was only too happy to remind Hannah of that fact.
However, Elkanah love Hannah more.
The Tabernacle was still at Shiloh and Eli and his 2 sons, Hophni and Phinehas were priests there.
Year after year Elkanah would go and sacrifice to Yahweh at Shiloh.
One year, during this time, Hannah, in bitterness of soul, went before Yahweh. She prayed for a son and promised that if Yahweh blessed her, she would dedicate him for his entire life to Yahweh’s service – he would be a Nazarite.
Eli, who was sitting at the entrance of the Tabernacle, saw Hannah. Her lips were moving, but no words were coming out - He accused her of being drunk.
Hannah explained that she was not drunk. She was in deep anguish and grief and was pouring her soul out to Yahweh.
Eli blessed her and sent her on her way.
In the course of time, Hannah had a son and named him Samuel. She chose not to return to Shiloh until after he was weaned. When Samuel was 2-3 years old, Hannah took him, along with an offering, and returned to Shiloh.
After offering their sacrifice, they brought the boy to Eli:
Hannah: "I am the woman you saw praying to Yahweh. This is the child I prayed for. As promise, I am giving him to Yahweh for his whole life.”
Then she prayed, "My heart rejoices in Yahweh; in him my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like Yahweh; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for Yahweh is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry hunger no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away. Yahweh brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. Yahweh sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are Yahweh's; upon them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose Yahweh will be shattered. He will thunder against them from heaven; he will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed."
Elkanah and Hannah went home, but Samuel stayed with Eli. Every year, Hannah would return to Shiloh with a new robe for Samuel.
Hannah went on to have 3 sons and 2 daughters and Samuel continued to grow up in the presence of Yahweh.
Woven into this sweet story of promises made and promises kept, we have Eli’s sons:
“who were wicked men; they had no regard for Yahweh. The sin of the young men was very great in Yahweh’s sight for they were treating his offering with contempt”
Meanwhile, Samuel was ministering before Yahweh.
Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing – including having sex with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. However, instead of having his sons removed from office, Eli could only manage a rebuke, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours.”
We should not be surprised that Hophni and Phinehas refused to listen to their father.
Meanwhile, Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with Yahweh and with men.
Eli’s sons had crossed the line. Not only had they sinned against God, they had also misrepresented Him before the people and betrayed the sacred office to which they had been appointed.
A man of God came to Eli with a message not only rebuking the sins committed in his family, but also declaring that Eli’s male descendants would die young – bringing an end to Eli’s priestly dynasty: “Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel? Therefore, Yahweh, the God of Israel, declares: 'I promised that your house and your father's house would minister before me forever.' But now Yahweh declares… The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your family line and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, in your family line there will never be an old man…. And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you – they will both die on the same day. I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before my anointed one always.”
Meanwhile, Samuel ministered before Yahweh under Eli.
In those days the word of Yahweh was rare and there were not many visions.
One-night Samuel went to bed…
Yahweh: Samuel!
Samuel: Here I am! (he got up and went to Eli – God had never spoken to Samuel before)
Eli: I did not call you, go back to bed.
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Yahweh: Samuel!
Samuel: Here I am! (he got up again and went to Eli)
Eli: I did not call you, go back to bed.
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Yahweh: Samuel!
Samuel: Here I am! (he got up for a 3rd time and went to Eli)
Eli: I did not call you, go back to bed. If you hear the voice again say, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”
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Yahweh: Samuel!
Samuel: Speak, for your servant is listening.
The words Yahweh spoke to Samuel confirmed the words the man of God had spoken to Eli: "I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. At that time, I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family. For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them. Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli that their guilt would never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.'"
Samuel wanted to spare Eli, so kept quiet. Finally, Eli made Samuel swear to tell him the truth – the judgment against his house was now unavoidable.
Eli’s response was simple: “It is Yahweh, let him do what seems good to him”
Yahweh was with Samuel as he grew and all Israel, from north to south, recognized that he was a prophet of God.
And Yahweh continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.
After the Philistines were subdued, Samuel’s role will begin to draw to a close and our focus will switch to the Monarchy, so we conclude today with these words:
“Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life making a circuit every year from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in those places. He continued to live at Ramah, where he also judged the people. And he built an altar to Yahweh there.”
Until Next Time…………..
