I have found it important while reading 1 Samuel to remember the overall picture that this book fits into. The book of 1 Samuel is tied to both the books of Judges and Ruth because they are telling the story of the time when God raises up judges over the people of Israel. The people of Israel are doing what they find to be best in their own eyes instead of seeking after God. Upon this scene the young boy Samuel is born and dedicated to God by his mother Hannah.
“Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent” 1 Samuel 3:1 Samuel was growing up in a time where historically God had made himself known through visions, but there currently were infrequent visions from God. Is the decline of the Israelites adherence to God’s commands and statutes the reason for the lack of visions from God? Were the people not listening to God because they were so full of their own comings and goings just as it was written in Judges 21:25, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
In Judges 3 God calls to Samuel as he sleeps in the temple of the Lord where the Ark resided saying, “Here I am.” Samuel did not yet know God so He assumed it was Eli the priest who was calling to him. Two more times God calls to Samuel as he slept when finally Eli tells Samuel that it is the Lord speaking to him. How did Samuel and Eli feel when they both knew that God was speaking? Samuel was just a boy and I would imagine he would be fearful and Eli may have been jealous to have this boy being spoken to instead of himself. God tells Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.” 1 Samuel 3:11,12 God was about to fulfill all that he promised to do to Eli in 1 Samuel 2 because of the disobedience of Hophni and Phinehas. Does the disobedience and disregard for God of Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, point to bad parenting and a lack of following God on Eli’s part? I believe that some aspect of a parent’s ability to raise their children will always be evident in the behavior of the child but how much disobedience is inherent in the child? Upon hearing the words that God spoke to Samuel, how would you react if you were Eli? Would you blame shift the guilt to your sons or say that it was not fair to have this happen? Eli responds to these words from God by acknowledging that God is truly God and He can do what he chooses to do.
The words that God spoke to Samuel are played out in Judges 4 where the Israelites go to battle the Philistines. The men of Israel go to fight the Philistines and are defeated. The people cannot comprehend why they have been defeated but they assume that they will have victory if the Ark of the covenant is present. The fact that the people were not following God’s commands and that the blessing of God had been removed doesn’t occur to the men but they assume that the Ark’s presence automatically ensures God’s favor. How often do we make assumptions about our relationship with God thinking that function and practice are of greater importance than a relationship Him. The Israelites are defeated, Hophni and Phinehas are both killed, and the Ark is taken by the Philistines in fulfillment of all that God spoke to Samuel and Eli. Upon hearing that the Ark was taken Eli fell backwards from his chair and broke his neck and God was proved to be faithful to do all that He says. This is a dark time for the people of Israel. Have the Israelites fully realized that they are not abiding in God as they should and this is the reason for their troubles just as Moses’ Song foretold? The wife of Phinehas bore as son at the end of chapter 4 and named him Ichabod stating, ” The glory has departed from Israel.”
What does all of this mean for me today? I have thought a lot about what type of father I will become when I have children. Will I impart a God fearing legacy to my children and grandchildren? I need to cling God in order to even have a chance of building a God fearing legacy. I am always reminded of my favorite quote when I think about my legacy: “If my life is motivated by an ambition to leave a legacy, what I would probably leave is a legacy of ambition. But, if my life is motivated by the power of God’s spirit in me and the awareness of the indwelling Christ, if I allow His presence to guide my motives, that’s the only time I think we really leave a great legacy.” – Rich Mullins What will your legacy be? Will you stand up for what you believe and raise your children up in the fear of the Lord?
