1 Samuel Chapter 20
Bible History has numerous examples of how a son can be a grossly inferior leader, compared to his father e.g. Hophni and Phinehas were corrupt, while their father Eli was not; Solomon had good diplomatic skills that greatly benefited Israel, while his son Rehoboam was an arrogant bully who produced The Division Of Israel. But the opposite could also prove true. Jonathan was well-balanced emotionally and politically, while his father Saul was a deeply disturbed man whose poor leadership of Israel would have eventually destroyed the nation.
Jonathan had been promised by his father Saul that he would stop trying
to kill David: "Saul hearkened to the voice of Jonathan; Saul swore, "As
The Lord lives, he shall not be put to death." (1 Samuel 19:6 RSV). For
that reason, Jonathan at first refused to believe it when David told
him that it had happened again, and again, and again.
"Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before
Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before
your father, that he seeks my life?"
And he said to him, "Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father
does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me; and why
should my father hide this from me? It is not so."
But David replied, "Your father knows well that I have found favor in
your eyes; and he thinks, 'Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be
grieved.' But truly, as The Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is
but a step between me and death." (1 Samuel 20:1-3 RSV)
Jonathan then tested his father's word. The result was not only the
truth that Saul was indeed seeking to kill David, but Saul lost his
temper so badly that he even tried to kill Jonathan with a spear, just
as he had done with David.
"Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him,
"You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have
chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your
mother's nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the
earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send
and fetch him to me, for he shall surely die."
Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, "Why should he be put to death?
What has he done?" But Saul cast his spear at him to smite him; so
Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death." (1
Samuel 20:30-33 RSV)
Jonathan then secretly met with David to confirm the truth about Saul for the last time.
"Then Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn
both of us in the name of The Lord, saying, 'The Lord shall be between
me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants, for ever.'"
And he rose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city." (1 Samuel 20:42 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 21
David was now living the life of a fugitive. It was a bizarre situation;
the king that David had served, and had always been loyal to, was
trying to kill him, while the surrounding territories where David was
forced to flee were controlled by the enemies of Israel that David had
fought against, for Saul. Making his vulnerability even worse, David had
been forced to flee without supplies or weapons.
David arrived at Nob, a city of priests near Jerusalem, and asked for
help from the high priest there. He innocently helped David because of
David's reputation as a loyal man of Israel, under King Saul. David was
given the replaced bread of the Presence (see the Fact Finder question
below), as well as Goliath's sword that David had taken in battle.
"So the priest gave him the holy bread; for there was no bread there but
the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before The Lord, to be
replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away." (1 Samuel 21:6 RSV)
"And David said to Ahimelech, "And have you not here a spear or a sword
at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me,
because the king's business required haste." And the priest said, "The
sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah,
behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you will take
that, take it, for there is none but that here." And David said, "There
is none like that; give it to me." (1 Samuel 21:8-9 RSV)
A herdsman of Saul, Doeg the Edomite, witnessed the priest's assistance to David.
"Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained
before The Lord; his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's
herdsmen." (1 Samuel 21:7 RSV)
David then fled into Philistine territory, where he found himself in as much danger as at home in Judah.
"And David rose and fled that day from Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath [see Gath of the Philistines].
And the servants of Achish said to him, "Is not this David the king of
the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, 'Saul has
slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands'?" And David took these
words to heart, and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath." (1
Samuel 21:10-12 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 22
David then continued his search for a safe place. Although he didn't
find one, David did manage to gather together a few hundred disgruntled
and marginally-outlawed men who were willing to help defend him. His
rag-tag band of warriors would form the beginning of a new army.
"David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when
his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there
to him. And every one who was in distress, and every one who was in
debt, and every one who was discontented, gathered to him; and he became
captain over them. And there were with him about four hundred men." (1
Samuel 22:1-2 RSV)
David then crossed into Moab, but returned back into Judah.
"And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab; and he said to the king of
Moab, "Pray let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what
God will do for me." And he left them with the king of Moab, and they
stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. Then the
prophet Gad said to David, "Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and
go into the land of Judah." So David departed, and went into the forest
of Hereth." (1 Samuel 22:3-5 RSV)
In the meantime, Saul was actively hunting David. He wasn't getting much
information about David's present wherabouts, but he did learn, from
Doeg the Edomite, that David had received help from the unwitting priest
at Nob.
"And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, "Hear now, you
Benjaminites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and
vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders
of hundreds, that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses
to me when my son makes a league with the son of Jesse, none of you is
sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant
against me, to lie in wait, as at this day."
Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, "I
saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, and
he inquired of The Lord for him, and gave him provisions, and gave him
the sword of Goliath the Philistine." (1 Samuel 22:7-10 RSV)
Saul then questioned Ahimelech about his helping David. The high priest
answered truthfully, and innocently. Ahimelech had done nothing wrong.
"Then Ahimelech answered the king, "And who among all your servants is
so faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and captain over
your bodyguard, and honored in your house? Is today the first time that I
have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to
his servant or to all the house of my father; for your servant has known
nothing of all this, much or little." (1 Samuel 22:14-15 RSV)
Saul's bizarre behavior prevailed again. He ordered the murder of the high priest and all of the lesser Levites
at Nob. The unlawful order was refused by the law-abiding members of
Saul's forces, but Doeg the Edomite committed the massacre that Saul
wanted - 85 Levites and the entire city "he put to the sword; both men
and women, children and sucklings, oxen, asses and sheep, he put to the
sword." Only one survivor, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and
fled to David.
"And the king said to the guard who stood about him, "Turn and kill the
priests of The Lord; because their hand also is with David, and they
knew that he fled, and did not disclose it to me." But the servants of
the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of The
Lord.
Then the king said to Doeg, "You turn and fall upon the priests." And
Doeg the Edomite turned and fell upon the priests, and he killed on that
day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. And Nob, the city of
the priests, he put to the sword; both men and women, children and
sucklings, oxen, asses and sheep, he put to the sword.
But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David." (1 Samuel 22:17-20 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 17
The incident of David and Goliath the giant Philistine is one of the most famous events of Bible History.
It took place after the armies of Israel and the Philistines had faced
each other in a standoff for many days across the valley of Elah, about
15 miles west of Bethlehem.
"Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; and they were
gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh
and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. And Saul
and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the valley of
Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. And the
Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on
the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them." (1 Samuel
17:1-3 RSV)
"And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six Cubits and a span [see also Biblical Weights and Measures]. He had a helmet of bronze [see also Brass, Bronze, Copper]
on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of
the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had greaves of
bronze upon his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his
shoulders. And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his
spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer
went before him. He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why have
you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you
not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down
to me." (1 Samuel 17:4-8 RSV)
It was hardly a great moment for the army of Israel - no Israelite,
including King Saul himself and three of David's older brothers,
accepted the challenge.
"When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid." (1 Samuel 17:11 RSV)
Although in Saul's service, young David also worked at home as a Shepherd near Bethlehem. One day, David's father Jessie sent David to see how his other sons were doing.
"And Jesse said
to David his son, "Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched
grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your
brothers; also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their
thousand. See how your brothers fare, and bring some token from them."
(1 Samuel 17:17-18 RSV)
When David arrived and heard the Philistine giant (Goliath was about 9
feet tall) not only mocking Israel, but blaspheming The Lord, David
volunteered to meet him in battle. Despite the king's lack of confidence
in him, at that point, and the jealous rebuke of his three brothers who
themselves lacked the courage to do what David was about to do, David
killed the Philistine and took his head as a trophy (see the Fact Finder
question below). With the giant killed, the Philistine army retreated
back toward Gaza (see also The Truth About Israel and the "Palestinians") with Israel in hot pursuit.
"When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David
ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put
his hand in his bag and took out a stone, and slung it, and struck the
Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he
fell on his face to the ground.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone,
and struck the Philistine, and killed him; there was no sword in the
hand of David. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine, and took
his sword and drew it out of its sheath, and killed him, and cut off his
head with it.
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. And
the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the
Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded
Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron.
And the Israelites came back from chasing the Philistines, and they
plundered their camp. And David took the head of the Philistine and
brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent." (1 Samuel
17:48-54 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 18
Despite his victory over Goliath, for King Saul, and other victories later, for King Saul,
David was sometimes in more danger from Saul than he was from the
Philistines. Saul foolishly resented the best player on his own team.
"And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him; so that
Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all
the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants.
As they were coming home, when David returned from slaying the
Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and
dancing, to meet King Saul, with timbrels, with songs of joy, and with
instruments of music. And the women sang to one another as they made
merry, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands."
And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him; he said, "They
have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed
thousands; and what more can he have but the kingdom?" And Saul eyed
David from that day on." (1 Samuel 18:5-9 RSV)
Saul's animosity toward David because murderous. Saul's poor judgment
ability was full blown by then; instead of appreciating a very loyal
young warrior who was winning battles for the king, the king got jealous
and tried to kill David himself.
"And on the morrow an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the Lyre,
as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand; and Saul cast the
spear, for he thought, "I will pin David to the wall." But David evaded
him twice.
Saul was afraid of David, because The Lord was with him but had departed from Saul." (1 Samuel 18:10-12 RSV)
Saul then tried to murder David in another way, by sending him to war,
hoping that he would be killed. Saul even tried to get David killed by
means of an offer of the king's daughter in marriage (see Michal).
"So Saul removed him from his presence, and made him a commander of a
thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. And David had
success in all his undertakings; for The Lord was with him. And when
Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in awe of him." (1 Samuel
18:13-15 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 19
David and Saul's son Jonathan
had become close friends. Jonathan refused Saul's order to kill David
(Jonathan himself had nearly been put to death by his father Saul - see
the notes for 1 Samuel Chapter 14).
Jonathan pleaded for David's life, and "Saul hearkened to the voice of
Jonathan; Saul swore, "As The Lord lives, he shall not be put to death."
He didn't keep the promise.
"And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they
should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David.
And Jonathan told David, "Saul my father seeks to kill you; therefore
take heed to yourself in the morning, stay in a secret place and hide
yourself; and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field
where you are, and I will speak to my father about you; and if I learn
anything I will tell you."
And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him,
"Let not the king sin against his servant David; because he has not
sinned against you, and because his deeds have been of good service to
you; for he took his life in his hand and he slew the Philistine, and
The Lord wrought a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and
rejoiced; why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David
without cause?"
And Saul hearkened to the voice of Jonathan; Saul swore, "As The Lord
lives, he shall not be put to death." (1 Samuel 19:1-6 RSV)
David remained loyal to Saul, but Saul broke his word about not harming David. Saul again tried to murder David.
"And there was war again; and David went out and fought with the
Philistines, and made a great slaughter among them, so that they fled
before him.
Then an evil spirit from The Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house
with his spear in his hand; and David was playing the lyre. And Saul
sought to pin David to the wall with the spear; but he eluded Saul, so
that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled, and escaped." (1
Samuel 19:8-10 RSV)
With his wife Michal's (Saul's daughter - see the link above) help, David escaped to Samuel.
"That night Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, that he
might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, told him, "If
you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed."
19:12 So Michal let David down through the window; and he fled away and
escaped." (1 Samuel 19:11-12 RSV)
"Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt at Naioth." (1 Samuel 19:18 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 14
Saul's son Jonathan
was a brave young man who would later become a close friend of David.
Jonathan was no "palace prince," or "figurehead commander." Jonathan
personally took the battle to the enemies of Israel, as in this example
when he and his armor bearer alone attacked a Philistine garrison.
"And the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor-bearer, and
said, "Come up to us, and we will show you a thing." And Jonathan said
to his armor-bearer, "Come up after me; for The Lord has given them into
the hand of Israel." Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet,
and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his
armor-bearer killed them after him; and that first slaughter, which
Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, was of about twenty men within as it
were half a furrow's length in an acre of land." (1 Samuel 14:12-14
RSV)
Saul, although
usually a battlefield winner, nevertheless continued to make serious
errors of judgment, more and more often. In this example, he ordered his
army to fast until they achieved a battle victory, thereby weakening
his own army at a time when they needed all of the strength that they
could muster.
"And the men of Israel were distressed that day; for Saul laid an oath
on the people, saying, "Cursed be the man who eats food until it is
evening and I am avenged on my enemies." So none of the people tasted
food." (1 Samuel 14:24 RSV)
Saul's troops nevertheless won the battle, in their weakened state, but
afterwards were so famished that they plundered whatever they could, in
any way that they could get it.
"They struck down the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And
the people were very faint; the people flew upon the spoil, and took
sheep and oxen and calves, and slew them on the ground; and the people
ate them with the blood."
And Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them,
'Let every man bring his ox or his sheep, and slay them here, and eat;
and do not sin against The Lord by eating with the blood.'" (1 Samuel
14:31-32,34 RSV)
Saul was correct that his men were sinning by eating meat with the blood
in it, but it was Saul's fault, for letting his troops starve, that
they behaved that way. He seemed to have started to correct his mistake,
but then made another one by ordering the killing of his own loyal son
Jonathan for trying to get food for the famished troops. Jonathan was
not executed however because the troops refused the foolish order - in
effect, they rebuked their commander in chief's deadly incompetence with
a mutiny.
"Then the people said to Saul, "Shall Jonathan die, who has wrought this
great victory in Israel? Far from it! As The Lord lives, there shall
not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he has wrought with God
this day." So the people ransomed Jonathan, that he did not die." (1
Samuel 14:45 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 15
Saul's poor judgment continued, this time far more seriously, by his disobeying The Lord's direct order to destroy everything in a battle against the enemy Amalekites.
"Thus says The Lord of hosts, 'I will punish what Amalek did to Israel
in opposing them on the way, when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and
smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them,
but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel
and ass.'" (1 Samuel 15:2-3 RSV)
Saul obeyed The Lord's order to destroy everything, except for what Saul decided that he didn't want to destroy.
"And Saul defeated the Amalekites, from Havilah as far as Shur, which is
east of Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and
utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep and of
the oxen and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and
would not utterly destroy them; all that was despised and worthless they
utterly destroyed." (1 Samuel 15:7-9 RSV)
Saul's excuse was that he was going to sacrifice what he kept to The
Lord. Along with a rebuke, Samuel delivered The Lord's message to
disobedient King Saul, in effect, you're fired. It was the last time that Samuel and Saul saw each other (with one possible exception i.e. 1 Samuel 28:11-20).
"And Saul said to Samuel, "I have obeyed the voice of The Lord, I have
gone on the mission on which The Lord sent me, I have brought Agag the
king of Amalek, and I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the
people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted
to destruction, to sacrifice to The Lord your God in Gilgal."
And Samuel said, "Has The Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of The Lord? Behold, to obey is
better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For
rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as iniquity
and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of The Lord, he has
also rejected you from being king." (1 Samuel 15:20-23 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 16
Saul was still king, but his coming replacement was chosen - David, a young shepherd from Bethlehem.
"The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, seeing I
have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil,
and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." (1 Samuel 16:1 RSV)
"And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to
Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are
all your sons here?"
And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep."
And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down till he comes here."
And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful
eyes, and was handsome. And The Lord said, "Arise, anoint him; for this
is he."
Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his
brothers; and the Spirit of The Lord came mightily upon David from that
day forward. And Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah." (1 Samuel 16:10-13
RSV)
With the removal of the royal anointing, The Lord's Holy Spirit also
left Saul. Ironically, the still-young David entered Saul's service as
an armor-bearer, and sometimes David played the harp for Saul, "so Saul
was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him."
Saul might not have been as comforted if he had then realized that his
harp player was going to be his replacement as king.
"Now the Spirit of The Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from The Lord tormented him." (1 Samuel 16:14 RSV)
"And David came to Saul, and entered his service. And Saul loved him
greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying,
"Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight."
And whenever the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre
and played it with his hand; so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and
the evil spirit departed from him." (1 Samuel 16:21-23 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 11
Jabesh-Gilead (i.e. Jabesh in Gilead) was an Israelite town, of the half tribe of Manasseh, east of The Jordan River.
The eastern tribal territories were in effect a buffer between the
heartland of Israel, west of the Jordan, and the many eastern nations
that often went to war with Israel. It was inevitable that the east of
the Jordan Israelite tribal territory would be first up in any war
because they were the frontier to the east. The territory of Ammon was
in much of what is today the Kingdom of Jordan - their modern-day
capital city even has the same name, Amman (i.e. Ammon).
"Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead; and all
the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty with us, and we will
serve you." But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "On this condition I
will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and
thus put disgrace upon all Israel."
"The elders of Jabesh said to him, "Give us seven days respite that we
may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there
is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you." (1 Samuel
11:1-3 RSV)
The Ammonite demand that the Israelites gouge out one of their own eyes
was an outrage, and the fact that some of the Israelites even considered
doing it to themselves was even more outrageous. Saul, and The Holy
Spirit, responded appropriately.
"And the Spirit of God came mightily upon Saul when he heard these
words, and his anger was greatly kindled. He took a yoke of oxen, and
cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel
by the hand of messengers, saying, "Whoever does not come out after Saul
and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!" Then the dread of The
Lord fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. When he
mustered them at Bezek, the men of Israel were three hundred thousand,
and the men of Judah thirty thousand. And they said to the messengers
who had come, "Thus shall you say to the men of Jabesh-gilead:
'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have deliverance.'"
When the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, they were glad." (1
Samuel 11:6-9 RSV)
Saul led Israel to victory, for The Lord i.e. "for today The Lord has
wrought deliverance in Israel." Saul also seemed to be capable of making
wise decisions, occasionally - he refused to kill fellow Israelites
because they didn't "vote" for him (see Royal Democracy).
"And on the morrow Saul put the people in three companies; and they came
into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and cut down the
Ammonites until the heat of the day; and those who survived were
scattered, so that no two of them were left together.
Then the people said to Samuel, "Who is it that said, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring the men, that we may put them to death."
But Saul said, "Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today The Lord has wrought deliverance in Israel."
Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and there
renew the kingdom." So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they
made Saul king before The Lord in Gilgal. There they sacrificed peace
offerings before The Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel
rejoiced greatly." (1 Samuel 11:11-15 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 12
Samuel's time of service was nearing an end. He had served The Lord
well, but without making himself anything more than a servant to the
actual Leader of Israel, The Lord. Samuel knew that a choosing a human
king in place of The Lord was a mistake. All that Israel ever had to do
was to obey the invincible King that they already had from the
beginning.
"If you will fear The Lord and serve him and hearken to his voice and
not rebel against the commandment of The Lord, and if both you and the
king who reigns over you will follow The Lord your God, it will be well;
but if you will not hearken to the voice of The Lord, but rebel against
the commandment of The Lord, then the hand of The Lord will be against
you and your king. Now therefore stand still and see this great thing,
which The Lord will do before your eyes. Is it not wheat harvest today? I
will call upon The Lord, that he may send thunder and rain; and you
shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in
the sight of The Lord, in asking for yourselves a king." (1 Samuel
12:14-17 RSV)
Samuel's last warning - only The Lord can save you.
"So Samuel called upon The Lord, and The Lord sent thunder and rain that
day; and all the people greatly feared The Lord and Samuel.
And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to The Lord
your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins this
evil, to ask for ourselves a king."
And Samuel said to the people, "Fear not; you have done all this evil,
yet do not turn aside from following The Lord, but serve The Lord with
all your heart; and do not turn aside after vain things which cannot
profit or save, for they are vain. For The Lord will not cast away his
people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased The Lord to
make you a people for himself. Moreover as for me, far be it from me
that I should sin against The Lord by ceasing to pray for you; and I
will instruct you in the good and the right way. Only fear The Lord, and
serve him faithfully with all your heart; for consider what great
things he has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be
swept away, both you and your king." (1 Samuel 12:18-25 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 13
Saul was a good warrior, but his wisdom was shallow. After his military success, The Lord's
military success, against the Philistines, Saul began to view himself
as the deliverer of Israel, rather than a mere servant of the Deliverer
of Israel (the same sort of mistake that cost Moses entry into the
physical promised land - see Why Did Christ Put Moses To Death?).
When faced with a very large enemy force of armored cavalry (30,000
chariots, 6,000 horsemen and "troops like the sand on the seashore in
multitude"), Saul lost his courage, rather than simply counting on The
Lord to deal with them, as He had been already doing. Saul waited for
Samuel, when he should have waited on The Lord, as The Lord told him to
do.
"And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand
chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and troops like the sand on the
seashore in multitude; they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the
east of Beth-aven. When the men of Israel saw that they were in straits,
for the people were hard pressed, the people hid themselves in caves
and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, or crossed the
fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at
Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. He waited seven days,
the time appointed by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and
the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, "Bring the burnt
offering here to me, and the peace offerings." And he offered the burnt
offering. As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering,
behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and salute him." (1
Samuel 13:5-10 RSV)
When Samuel arrived, it was obvious what Saul had done. It was the first
of a series of faithless blunders that Saul would make in the next few
years.
"And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly; you have not kept
the commandment of The Lord your God, which he commanded you; for now
The Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel for ever. But
now your kingdom shall not continue; The Lord has sought out a man after
his own heart; and The Lord has appointed him to be prince over his
people, because you have not kept what The Lord commanded you." (1
Samuel 13:13-14 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 6
Although the Philistines had been allowed to capture The Ark Of The Covenant (see also What Did The Ten Commandments Look Like?),
as a stinging lesson to both them and the Israelites, the Philistines
were soon very eager to return it to Israel - but they had a problem
even doing that because any unauthorized humans were killed for carrying
it.
"The ark of The Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said,
"What shall we do with the ark of The Lord? Tell us with what we shall
send it to its place." (1 Samuel 6:1-2 RSV)
Their solution was to simply load it on a cow-powered cart and let it find its own way home - with The Lord's help.
"The men did so, and took two milch cows and yoked them to the cart, and
shut up their calves at home. And they put the ark of The Lord on the
cart, and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors.
And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one
highway, lowing as they went; they turned neither to the right nor to
the left, and The Lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the
border of Beth-shemesh.
Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the
valley; and when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they
rejoiced to see it. The cart came into the field of Joshua of
Beth-shemesh, and stopped there. A great stone was there; and they split
up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to The
Lord. And the Levites
took down the ark of The Lord and the box that was beside it, in which
were the golden figures, and set them upon the great stone; and the men
of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on
that day to The Lord. And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it,
they returned that day to Ekron." (1 Samuel 6:10-16 RSV)
The matter of who could possess The Ark was still not settled however; when unauthorized Israelites looked inside, they experienced the same wrath as the Philistines did.
"And he slew some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked into
the ark of The Lord; He slew seventy men of them, and the people mourned
because The Lord had made a great slaughter among the people. Then the
men of Beth-shemesh said, "Who is able to stand before The Lord, this
holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?" So they sent
messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, "The
Philistines have returned the ark of The Lord. Come down and take it up
to you." (1 Samuel 6:19-21 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 7
Eleazar of Kirjath-jearim was sanctified to have charge of The Ark,
although not allowed to touch it, while it remained in the house of his
father Abinadab, a Levite. The Ark would stay there for about twenty
years, after which King David
arranged for its journey to Jerusalem (a journey that again proved that
not just anyone could touch The Ark; an unauthorized Israelite, Uzzah,
was killed by The Lord on the way - see Raiders Of The Lost Ark).
"And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of The Lord, and
brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill; and they consecrated
his son, Eleazar, to have charge of the ark of The Lord. From the day
that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some
twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after The Lord." (1
Samuel 7:1-2 RSV)
The Philistine threat was still serious, but whenever the Israelites
truly sought to obey The Lord, He helped them - as in this example of
His thundering "shock and awe" that enabled the Israelites to defeat the
then in-disarray Philistines.
"And the people of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry to The
Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the
Philistines." So Samuel took a sucking lamb and offered it as a whole
burnt offering to The Lord; and Samuel cried to The Lord for Israel, and
The Lord answered him. As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering,
the Philistines drew near to attack Israel; but The Lord thundered with a
mighty voice that day against the Philistines and threw them into
confusion; and they were routed before Israel. And the men of Israel
went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, as far
as below Beth-car." (1 Samuel 7:8-11 RSV)
Samuel is generally regarded as the last of The Judges prior to the establishment of the Israelite monarchy (see Israelite Monarchy - The Origin).
"Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. And he went on a circuit
year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah; and he judged Israel in all
these places. Then he would come back to Ramah, for his home was there,
and there also he administered justice to Israel. And he built there an
altar to The Lord." (1 Samuel 7:15-17 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 8
Although many incorrectly believe that democracy was the relatively
recent invention of the "free" nations of the world, democracy has always existed because no leader, of any kind of political system, can gain and hold political power without the support of the majority of the people (see Royal Democracy). As would often be the case in Bible History
(and in human history in general, ancient or modern), sons who held the
office that their father did were sometimes disastrously inferior
leaders, either because of stunted judgment ability or corruption (which
is actually the same thing since corruption is the fruit of poor
judgment). Samuel had been a very good leader of Israel, but his sons
were not their father - and the people made it clear that they would not
"elect" them to serve in Samuel's place.
"When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. The name
of his first-born son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they
were judges in Beer-sheba. Yet his sons did not walk in his ways, but
turned aside after gain; they took bribes and perverted justice. Then
all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah,
and said to him, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your
ways; now appoint for us a king to govern us like all the nations." (1
Samuel 8:1-5 RSV)
The request grieved Samuel for two reasons. First and foremost, the
Israelites already had a King, The Lord, and secondly, Samuel was merely
a servant of the King, not a king, or a father of kings. Nevertheless,
The Lord told Samuel to give the people what they wanted - as another
lesson about counting on men for deliverance rather than on God.
"But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to
govern us." And Samuel prayed to The Lord. And The Lord said to Samuel,
"Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for
they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king
over them." (1 Samuel 8:6-7 RSV)
The Lord had always been a fair and just King; human leaders are always
inferior substitutes because human leaders always end up serving not the
people, but their own carnal lust for power over everyone and
everything.
"So Samuel told all the words of The Lord to the people who were asking a
king from him. He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will
reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots
and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; and he will
appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties,
and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his
implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your
daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of
your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his
servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and
give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your
menservants and maidservants, and the best of your cattle and your
asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks,
and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of
your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but The Lord will not
answer you in that day." (1 Samuel 8:10-18 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 9
Israel's first human king would be Saul, of the tribe of Benjamin. Saul
was a tall, physically-impressive man, but he lacked wisdom.
Nevertheless, he was the suitable choice for the moment.
"There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son
of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of
wealth; and he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man.
There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he;
from his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people." (1
Samuel 9:1-2 RSV)
"Now the day before Saul came, The Lord had revealed to Samuel:
"Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of
Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel.
He shall save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have
seen the affliction of My people, because their cry has come to Me."
When Samuel saw Saul, The Lord told him, "Here is the man of whom I
spoke to you! He it is who shall rule over my people." (1 Samuel 9:15-17
RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 10
After being selected by God (1 Samuel 9:15-17, quoted above), Saul was
anointed by The Lord, through Samuel (1 Samuel 10:1), before being
publicly "elected" by lot:
"Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed
him and said, "Has not The Lord anointed you to be prince over His
people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of The Lord and you
will save them from the hand of their enemies round about" (1 Samuel
10:1 RSV)
"Now Samuel called the people together to The Lord at Mizpah; and he
said to the people of Israel, "Thus says The Lord, the God of Israel, 'I
brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of
the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing
you.' But you have this day rejected your God, who saves you from all
your calamities and your distresses; and you have said, 'No! but set a
king over us.' Now therefore present yourselves before The Lord by your
tribes and by your thousands."
"Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of
Benjamin was taken by lot. He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its
families, and the family of the Matrites was taken by lot; finally he
brought the family of the Matrites near man by man, and Saul the son of
Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found.
So they inquired again of The Lord, "Did the man come hither?" and The
Lord said, "Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage."
"Then they ran and fetched him from there; and when he stood among the
people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.
And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom The Lord has
chosen? There is none like him among all the people." And all the people
shouted, "Long live the king!" (1 Samuel 10:17-24 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 3
The Tabernacle (see The Tabernacle In The Wilderness; also What Happened To The Tabernacle?)
lamps were to be kept burning continually (Leviticus 24:1-3), so "the
lamp of God had not yet gone out" in the verses below was not referring
to the lamps themselves, but what the lamps symbolized (see also The Light Of Life). The unfaithfulness of Eli, by his weakness in not correcting his two corrupt sons and awaiting successors Hophni and Phinehas,
as well as the sons' blatant corruption itself, resulted in the "light"
of The Lord's Word to diminish for the house of Eli i.e. "the Word of
The Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision."
"Now the boy Samuel was ministering to The Lord under Eli. And the word
of The Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. At
that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim, so that he could
not see, was lying down in his own place; the lamp of God had not yet
gone out, and Samuel was lying down within the temple of The Lord, where
the ark of God was." (1 Samuel 3:1-3 RSV)
The "light" was however to begin shining brightly again, in the boy Samuel. When The Lord spoke to Samuel, he ran to Eli who heard nothing.
"Then The Lord called, "Samuel! Samuel!" and he said, "Here I am!" and ran to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me."
But he said, "I did not call; lie down again." So he went and lay down.
And The Lord called again, "Samuel!" And Samuel arose and went to Eli,
and said, "Here I am, for you called me."
But he said, "I did not call, my son; lie down again." Now Samuel did
not yet know The Lord, and the word of The Lord had not yet been
revealed to him." (1 Samuel 3:4-7 RSV)
Eli then realized that The Lord was speaking to Samuel, so he told the
lad to listen and receive. The message, to Samuel, was about Eli.
"And The Lord came and stood forth, calling as at other times, "Samuel!
Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for thy servant hears."
Then The Lord said to Samuel, "Behold, I am about to do a thing in
Israel, at which the two ears of every one that hears it will tingle. On
that day I will fulfil against Eli all that I have spoken concerning
his house, from beginning to end. And I tell him that I am about to
punish his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his
sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I
swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be
expiated by sacrifice or offering for ever." (1 Samuel 3:10-14 RSV)
Eli then demanded that Samuel tell him what The Lord had said. Eli
resigned himself to what he heard - he surely must have known that it
was coming anyway.
"But Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son." And he said, "Here I am."
And Eli said, "What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May
God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all
that he told you." So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from
him. And he said, "It is The Lord; let him do what seems good to him."
(1 Samuel 3:16-18 RSV)
Samuel thereafter grew, physically into a man, but moreover in his service to The Lord.
"And Samuel grew, and The Lord was with him and let none of his words
fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that
Samuel was established as a prophet of The Lord. And The Lord appeared
again at Shiloh, for The Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by
the word of The Lord." (1 Samuel 3:19-21 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 4
Whenever Israel's faithfulness and obedience grew weak, Israel's enemies
were allowed to grow strong. The corruption of the house of Eli brought
such a defeat.
"Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines; they encamped at
Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. The Philistines drew
up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was
defeated by the Philistines, who slew about four thousand men on the
field of battle." (1 Samuel 4:1-2 RSV)
The Israelites then presumed that The Lord would be required to help
them if they took His Ark into battle - faulty logic because The Ark,
containing the Ten Commandments, was about obedience to The Lord, not
mere show. Eli's corrupt sons Hophni and Phinehas took The Ark into
battle.
"So the people sent to Shiloh, and brought from there the ark of the
covenant of The Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim; and the
two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the
covenant of God." (1 Samuel 4:4 RSV)
The Lord delivered a defeat unto Israel. As well, The Ark was captured, and Hophni and Phinehas were killed.
"So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled,
every man to his home; and there was a very great slaughter, for there
fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. And the ark of God was
captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain." (1
Samuel 4:10-11 RSV)
Eli himself was not spared the wrath that his weakness as high priest had brought about. Eli too, died that day.
"He who brought the tidings answered and said, "Israel has fled before
the Philistines, and there has also been a great slaughter among the
people; your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark
of God has been captured." When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell
over backward from his seat by the side of the gate; and his neck was
broken and he died, for he was an old man, and heavy. He had judged
Israel forty years." (1 Samuel 4:17-18 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 5
The Philistines had captured The Ark of The Covenant, as a lesson to the
Israelites. But the temporary possession of The Ark provided another
lesson to everyone, ancient or modern - no one but specific Levites
could have possession of The Ark without The Lord's wrath coming upon
them (see the Fact Finder question below).
First, the Philistines took The Ark to Ashdod, but they soon decided to pass it on to their fellow Philistines in Gath.
"The hand of The Lord was heavy upon the people of Ashdod,
and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its
territory. And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said,
"The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us; for his hand is
heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god." So they sent and gathered
together all The Lords of the Philistines, and said, "What shall we do
with the ark of the God of Israel?" They answered, "Let the ark of the
God of Israel be brought around to Gath." So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there." (1 Samuel 5:6-8 RSV)
The people of Gath were given the same lesson, so they passed The Ark on to the Philistines of Ekron.
"But after they had brought it around, the hand of The Lord was against
the city, causing a very great panic, and He afflicted the men of the
city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out upon them. So they
sent the ark of God to Ekron." (1 Samuel 5:9-10 RSV)
Ekron learned their lesson too. They were, not long after, quite happy to return The Ark to the Israelites.
But when the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out,
"They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to slay us
and our people." They sent therefore and gathered together all The
Lords of the Philistines, and said, "Send away the ark of the God of
Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not slay us and
our people." For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city.
The hand of God was very heavy there; the men who did not die were
stricken with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven." (1
Samuel 5:10-12 RSV)
Ruth Chapter 4
At the behest of Naomi, Ruth, in effect, proposed marriage to Boaz, who
accepted. But according to established law and custom, Boaz had to
consult with those who were closer of kin, "in order to restore the name
of the dead to his inheritance."
"And Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the next
of kin, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, "Turn aside,
friend; sit down here"; and he turned aside and sat down.
And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, "Sit down
here"; so they sat down. Then he said to the next of kin, "Naomi, who
has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land
which belonged to our kinsman Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you
of it, and say, Buy it in the presence of those sitting here, and in the
presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it;
but if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one
besides you to redeem it, and I come after you."
And he said, "I will redeem it."
Then Boaz said, "The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you
are also buying Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the dead, in order to
restore the name of the dead to his inheritance."
Then the next of kin said, "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair
my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot
redeem it." (Ruth 4:1-6 RSV)
And so Boaz and Ruth were married. To them a child was born, Obed, who would become the father of Jesse, who would become the father of King David - the key human ancestor of Jesus Christ.
"So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and he went in to her, and
The Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son." (Ruth 4:13 RSV)
"Salmon of Boaz, Boaz of Obed, Obed of Jesse, and Jesse of David." (Ruth 4:21-22 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 1
Hannah was one of the two wives of Elkanah, a Levite through the line of Kohath, living in Ephraim (Levites
lived throughout the other tribal territories). Hannah was unable to
have children, a situation that caused her much distress for many years.
"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 Ephraimite. 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." (1 Samuel 1:1-2 RSV)
Hannah prayed to The Lord for a child, who she would dedicate entirely to The Lord's service i.e. a life-long Nazirite.
"She was deeply distressed and prayed to The Lord, and wept bitterly.
And she vowed a vow and said, "O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look
on the affliction of thy maidservant, and remember me, and not forget
thy maidservant, but wilt give to thy maidservant a son, then I will
give him to The Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch
his head." (1 Samuel 1:10-11 RSV)
Elkanah and Hannah returned home and the prayer was answered favorably.
"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; and in due time Hannah conceived and bore a
son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, "I have asked him of The Lord." (1 Samuel 1:19-20 RSV)
As promised in her prayer, Hannah delivered her child Samuel to the
Tabernacle, then in Shiloh, where he would begin his life of dedicated
service.
"And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a
three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine; and she
brought him to the house of The Lord at Shiloh; and the child was young.
Then they slew the bull, and they brought the child to Eli.
And she said, "Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who
was standing here in your presence, praying to The Lord. For this child I
prayed; and The Lord has granted me my petition which I made to him.
Therefore I have lent him to The Lord; as long as he lives, he is lent
to The Lord." And they worshiped The Lord there." (1 Samuel 1:24-28 RSV)
1 Samuel Chapter 2
Eli was the high priest when Samuel was brought to The Lord's service.
Although Eli was apparently honorable, his sons, and awaiting
successors, Hophni and Phinehas, were grossly corrupt.
"Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they had no regard for The Lord." (1 Samuel 2:12 RSV)
"Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of The Lord;
for the men treated the offering of The Lord with contempt." (1 Samuel
2:17 RSV)
In the mean time, Samuel lived and grew in The Lord's service. Hannah
brought her firstborn son new clothes each year. She had more children
over time, but only Samuel was given to the service of the tabernacle.
"Samuel was ministering before The Lord, a boy girded with a linen
ephod. And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to
him each year, when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly
sacrifice.
Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, "The Lord give you
children by this woman for the loan which she lent to The Lord"; so then
they would return to their home. And The Lord visited Hannah, and she
conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew
in the presence of The Lord." (1 Samuel 2:18-21 RSV)
The corrupt behavior of Hophni and Phinehas, and Eli's failure to
correct them, eventually brought The Lord's condemnation of that entire
line of the priesthood (see the Fact Finder question below).
"Therefore The Lord the God of Israel declares: 'I promised that your
house and the house of your father should go in and out before me for
ever'; but now The Lord declares: 'Far be it from Me; for those who
honor me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly
esteemed." (1 Samuel 2:30 RSV)
"And this which shall befall your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall
be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day. And I will
raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is
in my heart and in my mind; and I will build him a sure house, and he
shall go in and out before my anointed for ever." (1 Samuel 2:34-35 RSV)
