Samuel, Saul and David

Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Liz Nixon:

What did I like about today’s passage?

These chapters are the start of 1 & 2 Samuel, charting the lives of three men, Samuel, Saul, and David. The start contains a prophetic prayer of joy foretelling what will happen through the next years, prayed by Hannah, the mother of Samuel. Her prayer highlights the main themes of the books: God exalting the humble and bringing down the proud, God working all things together for good, and messianic prophecies about God raising up a King in the future.

I like seeing God notice an infertile woman, a woman who would have known deep shame for her infertility, particularly in a society which valued women pretty much only for the children they provided their husband, and which saw barrenness as a sign of being out of favour with God. Hannah’s shame is furthered by her husband’s other wife, who had managed to conceive many children and taunted Hannah about this. It must have been hard for Hannah, both at home and within her wider community, but she prays to God in her anguish and her grief. She chooses to give her pain to God and trusts Him in a difficult situation. God sees her, hears her, heals her, and kindly gives her a much longed for son, a son who transitions the nation to a time of kingly rule.

I also love the interaction between Samuel and God, with Samuel hearing the voice of God for the very first time at a young age. It’s exciting to see God choosing to speak to a young child.

What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

These chapters show me that God sees everything and everyone: He sees the barren woman Hannah desperate for a child and she conceives; He sees the disobedience and greed of the current priest’s sons and they die on the same day; He sees the obedience of Hannah giving her only son to God and He graciously gives her more children; and He sees the little boy Samuel, who from a young age worshipped and served the Lord, and God makes him into one of Israel’s greatest prophets. I love the phrase “The Lord remembered her” – we see God remembering individuals and acting on their behalf throughout the Bible.

I’m reminded of the mistaken belief that God favours the wealthy, the priests, Kings, impressive people, typically men. This passage is a reminder that God speaks to a wide range of people, including young children and barren women!

What am I going to do differently as a result?

I want to think differently and more accurately about God. He’s not just concerned with the people I would assume. He will speak to or through whomever He wants.

Who am I going to share this with?

I’m going to talk with my young children about Samuel hearing from God at a young age and encourage them to expect to hear from God too.