God's Grace Through The Birth Of Samuel example essay topic

The passage I selected, 1 Samuel 1: 28, tells the story of the birth of Samuel and begins with a story about Samuel's mother, Hannah, who prays for a child during the family's annual pilgrimage to worship at Shiloh. Eli, the priest at Shiloh, hears her prayer and tells Hannah that her prayer will be answered. Hannah promises the Lord that if she is granted a child, she will return him to the Lord and his life will be dedicated to the Lord's work. The birth of Samuel was the first step in Gods plan to give Israel deliverance from their Philistine enemies. Samuel evolves as an important figure in telling the story of the Israelites' move from the judges' leadership to the establishment of a kingship. 1 Samuel is presented in the form of a narrative account of the life and contributions of Samuel.

Like most of the bible, scholars have tried to determine the author, date of writing, purpose of the text and the historical and chronological order of events. The author is unknown. Some scholars believe Za bud, son of the prophet Nathan, a priest and the 'personal adviser'; to King Solomon, wrote the text shortly after Solomon's death. Others believe Samuel himself wrote the text, while some scholars believe the priest, Ahimaaz, was the author. Most do agree that the composition and editing took place in several stages over a considerable period of time.

Scholars also believe the text of 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel were originally one manuscript. These scholars believe the book of Samuel was written as a part of a whole sequence beginning with Joshua and ending with Kings. Others believe two literary sources lay behind the present form of Samuel. Though differences have been noted, such as the story of David and Goliath being much shorter in the Septuagint, these scholars still have not determined the author, time of writing or the purpose of the text.

I noted some minor textual differences in my research but the main theme and message remained the same in all sources that I verified. The priestly families of this time were politically influential. The most important leader of the time for the Ephramites, Samuel's parents' tribe, was Eli. Whole families made pilgrimages once a year to sanctuaries, such as Shiloh, to worship. 1 Samuel 1: 28 gives a narrative account of Elkanah, his two wives, Peninnah and Hannah, and Peninnah's children, making the pilgrimage. A second wife was a sign of affluence.

This was at a time when it was viewed as a disgrace for married women to have no children. Elkanah's second wife, Penni nah, torments Hannah because of her barrenness. Hannah is in great distress and she prays. It was thought that children who are born to older women have a special purpose in life. Hannah's prayer for a child is heard, and Eli blesses her request for a child. Samuel's birth was perfectly natural, but the removal of Hannah's barrenness was entirely God's doing.

(Samuel means 'heard by God'; in Hebrew.) Scholars believe that one of the purposes of the text is to illustrate God's hand and purpose in all of these historical events. The story of Hannah should not be read to imply that God will remove our problems, but it does underline our faith and believing in our prayers. The reversal of fortune and grace are other significant themes of 1 Samuel. While Hannah is barren, her prayer is granted and she becomes the mother of six children. Later it is seen that men of privilege (Eli's sons) die in shame. After Samuel's birth, Hannah fulfills her promise and takes Samuel to Eli, the priest and judge, to live with his family.

One night, Samuel hears a voice, and three times he wakes Eli to find out why he is calling. Eli tells Samuel that he has not called and it must be the Lord speaking to him. God tells Samuel that he (Samuel) will eventually replace Eli and something terrible will happen to Eli's family. From this and many experiences to come, Samuel becomes known to his people as a prophet, or a messenger of God. Later, Samuel is not only viewed as a prophet, but also a seer (meaning a clairvoyant) and a judge. The people saw him as a leader and began to ask him for a king.

All surrounding lands had a king and they wanted the protection and leadership in battle that a king offered. Samuel admonished the people and told them that God provided their protection and he would lead them in battle. The people of Israel were gripped by internal and external crisis. The external threat comes from the Philistine's desire to expand their empire by conquering territory belonging to Israel. The internal crisis comes from Israel being a loose federation of tribes that cannot adequately defend itself from the Philistines. This combined with the corruption in the house of Eli (through his sons) make for chaotic times for the people of Israel.

The story of the first two kings, Saul and David, details struggles and successes. The stories explain both sides of the picture and show how God overruled in the history of Israel by interacting with David and others. The book of Samuel has two main themes: the problem of the leadership of God's people in Israel and the presence of God in their midst (through the ark of the covenant). The ark narratives show that God refuses to be manipulated. Carrying the ark into battle does not guarantee victory. Placing the ark in a Philistine temple does not ensure divine blessing.

Both themes come together when it is said that the Lord is 'with'; one leader or another and exemplifies that the Israelites are Gods chosen people. It is interesting to note that when the Philistine's defeat Israel and capture the ark of the covenant, the Philistine's do not turn out to have the upper hand. The ark of the covenant itself mediates the powerful presence of the Lord, bringing plagues on the Philistine people. Human leadership plays no role in these events.

The divine power mediated by the ark is equal to the challenge of the Philistine crisis. As a result, the demand for a human king seems unnecessary and shows that whatever will unfold in Israel will truly be by God's will. God's message throughout 1 Samuel is a call to repentance, a call of faith, God's election of Israel, his provision for his people, his faithfulness to them and his promise of a coming King. Samuel selects and anoints Saul as the first King of Israel. Later, Samuel also anoints David after Saul's leadership has ended. God interacted directly or through prophets with these kings throughout their leadership.

Though the monarchy ultimately failed, it was the basis for the messianic hope. My passage dealt only with Hannah being barren, her prayers for a child, Samuel's birth and Hannah's dedication for Samuel to serve God. On one level, it is God who closes Hannah's womb, God who grants her prayer for a child, and God to whom Samuel is given in service. On another level, the story does more than bring Samuel onstage. There are ties between his family story and the story of Israel's journey into kingship.

Elkanah's family is thought to be a parable of Israel's situation at that time in history. Hannah's anxiety over having no children, even though Elkanah loves her, parallels Israel's anxiety of having no king, in spite of the care and love of God. Also, Peninnah is described as a 'rival'; , a term rarely used to describe family relationships. It is usually used between nations. Israel was taunted by neighboring kingdoms may reflect tension between Hannah and Peninnah. The book of 1 Samuel begins with a salvation story.

New life comes out of barrenness. Hope from hopelessness. Despair transformed into thanksgiving and praise. From the story of Hannah, we learn the importance of prayer. As a society, we generally respect and admire strong-willed, successful individuals. We believe we can control most things in our life.

Hannah underlines the strength in faith. By having faith in God and turning our problems over to him, we can receive his grace. In Luke 18: 1-8, we are urged to persist in making our needs known to God in prayer. Hannah's story also tells of the proper response to God's grace. We are all taught that we must give to receive grace. Hannah knew that.

From the beginning, she promised to give God this child and dedicate his life to the Lord's work. When we receive the grace of God, we must return it through proper worship and giving to God through our service. Samuel was an important figure who led people through his prophecies and his relationship with God. He is also a man who later selects, anoints and gives the people of Israel their first King.

Just as Hannah received God's grace through the birth of Samuel, the future of Israel through the king's leadership is a gift from God. Samuel is a key figure, but God is the divine ruler.

Bibliography

Metzger, Bruce and Murphy, Roland, eds. The New Interpreters Bible. Vol. 2 of 12 Vols. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994.
Wenham, G.J., Moyer, J.A., Carson, D.A. and France, R.T., eds. New Bible Commentary. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1998.
Kohlenberger, , John R. and Barker, Kenneth L., eds. Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary: An Abridgement of the Expositors Bible Commentary. Chicago: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994.
Turlock, John H. The Old Testament Story. (5th Edition) New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999.
Barker, Kenneth L., ed. NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1995.