A man named Elkanah had two wives - Peninnah, who had given him children, and Hannah, whom he loved more, but could not give him children. Hannah prays silently at the temple, asking God for a son. Eli, the priest, thinks she's muttering drunk, but she explains that she has been pouring her heart out to God. He blessed her that her prayer will be answered, and she goes on her way. Hannah conceives & gives birth to Samuel. After he is weaned, she brings him to the temple and offers him to the Lord, and so he will spend his life in God's service. She leaves him with Eli, the priest, and visits him yearly.
Eli the priest happens to have worthless men as sons. They disgrace the Lord's offering in the temple by breaking rules regarding the eating of sacrificial meat. (something about the fat being burned off....). Eli rebukes his sons, but evidently it wasn't punishment enough to fit the crime. He was rather indulgent in his simple rebuke. A man of God condemns Eli's household for his son's wickedness.
Samuel, one evening, is lying down in the temple near the Ark of the Covenant. He hears the Lord calling his name but doesn't realize that it's the Lord, so he gets up and goes to Eli, assuming Eli was calling him.This happens three times before Eli ascertains that the Lord is calling Samuel, and so he orders Samuel to respond to the Lord, instead. So Samuel answers God, and God tells Samuel of the pending punishment hanging over the head of the Eli & Co. Samuel is afraid to tell Eli, but is honest with him when he asks Samuel for a report of what the Lord said. This, to me, seems to be a test of faithfulness for Samuel. He had to be made of pretty tough stuff to be able to judge an entire nation. Samuel grows. The Lord is with him. He develops a reputation as a prophet amongst Israel.
Israel goes to war with the Phillistines, and Israel is defeated(thirty thousand die). Amongst Israel's casualties are Phinehas and Hophni, Eli's sons. The Phillistines capture the Ark of the Covenant, and decide to keep it in the temple of Dagon (their false god) as a war trophy. A man reports back to Eli of his sons death, and then Eli keels over dead upon hearing the news that the Ark of the Covenant has been captured. (Unsurprising. He was 98, obese and blind. I'm young and healthy and my pulse went rapid when I read that the Ark was taken...)
Phinehas' pregnant wife goes into labor upon hearing the news, and evidently dies shortly after giving birth to Ichabod, whom she named so because "the glory has departed from Israel!"
The Phillistines commenced to learn a lesson about messing around with the God of Israel. Every morning when they entered Dagon's temple, they found Dagon face down on the ground in front of the Ark. Then one day they found him face down with his head and hands broken off. The people were afflicted with tumors, and the Phillistines become desperate to get rid of the Ark. They return it to Israel with a "guilt offering" of five golden tumors and five golden mice.
Samuel charges Israel to put away their foreign gods, specifically mentioning Ashtaroth. (Of all people, why are the Israelites concerned about fertility?.....) The Phillistines try to stir up some battle against Israel, but for the moment, God holds them back.
Samuel is getting on in years, and appoints his sons Joel and Abijah as judges over Israel. Joel and Abijah do not walk in the ways of the Lord, however, and Israel, disappointed in them, demands to be given a king "like all the other nations." Samuel warns the people that being under the reign of a king means making themselves vulnerable to oppression. Still, they demand a king. Samuel consults God, who tells him to go ahead and give them a king if that's what they want, since they have rejected their God as king. (I had a bad feeling this would turn out like the quail incident....)
Now we introduce Saul. He and his servant are roaming around looking for his father's lost donkeys. They have heard that a "seer" is about , and decide to pay him a visit. They enquire with a lady about Saul's whereabouts, who informs them that he is busy on temple business, and to hurry if they expect to see him. God had already told Samuel to expect to meet Saul, who he would anoint as king, and through whom God would save Israel from the Phillistines. Samuel tells Saul not to worry about the donkey's, that they have been found already. They eat together, Saul spends the night, and as they are leaving the next day, Samuel tells Saul to let the servant go on ahead of them, so that he can make known to Saul what God has instructed. Samuel proceeds to take a flask of oil and anoints Saul as king of Israel. Then he gives him some specific instructions of where to go and what to do - meet two people by a tomb, they will say this & that to you, come to the Oak of Tabor, meet three people who are carrying bread and you take the bread from them.... Then he is to go toward the temple, and people will be coming toward him, playing instruments. Then he will be filled with the Spirit of God, and will prophesy, and will be changed into another man. All these things came to pass.
But......... when Saul's uncle questioned him about where he'd been and what had been happening -- He gives his uncle only a small portion of the truth. He tells his uncle that he was seeking the donkeys, and went to see Samuel, and that Samuel told him the donkeys had been found...... And that's all he says. Before we get into comparing Saul and David, we have a comparison between Saul and Samuel. When God called Samuel, he was faithful and honest about it. When God called Saul, he hid the truth.
Saul didn't just hide from his uncle, however. When Samuel was about to present Saul to Israel as their new king, he wasn't able to find Saul. The Lord said to Samuel, "Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage." Can you imagine??? Hiding at your own coronation??? They fish him out from his hiding spot, and the people commence to shout "long live the king!". Samuel explains and records the rights & duties of kingship for the people.
(to be continued...)
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