1 Samuel 1:25 Kommentar

The history of Samuel here begins as early as that of Samson did, even before he was born, as afterwards the history of John the Baptist and our blessed Saviour. Some of the scripture-worthies drop out of the clouds, as it were, and their first appearance is in their full growth and lustre. But others are accounted for from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception. What God says of the prophet Jeremiah is true of all: "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee," Jer 1:5. But some great men were brought into the world with more observation than others, and were more early distinguished from common persons, as Samuel for one. God, in this matter, acts as a free agent. The story of Samson introduces him as a child of promise, Jdg. 13. But the story of Samuel introduces him as a child of prayer. Samson's birth was foretold by an angel to his mother; Samuel was asked of God by his mother. Both together intimate what wonders are produced by the word and prayer. Samuel's mother was Hannah, the principal person concerned in the story of this chapter. I. Here is her affliction - she was childless, and this affliction aggravated by her rival's insolence, but in some measure balanced by her husband's kindness (Sa1 1:1-8). II. The prayer and vow she made to God under this affliction, in which Eli the high priest at first censured her, but afterwards encouraged her (Sa1 1:9-18). III. The birth and nursing of Samuel (Sa1 1:19-23) IV. The presenting of him to the Lord (Sa1 1:24-28).

This chapter gives an account of the parents of Samuel, of the trouble his mother met with from her rival, and comfort from her husband, Sa1 1:1, of her prayer to God for a son, and of her vow to him, should one be given her, Sa1 1:9 of the notice Eli took of her, and of his censure on her, which he afterwards retracted, and comforted her, Sa1 1:12 of her conception and the birth of her son, the nursing and weaning of him, Sa1 1:19 and of the presentation of him to the Lord, with a sacrifice, Sa1 1:24.

And they slew a bullock,.... One of the three Hannah brought, unless the singular is put for the plural, and so all three were slain, some for sacrifice, and some for food perhaps; or if only one was slain, it might be offered as a sacrifice previous to the presentation of Samuel; or else was made a present of to Eli, at the introduction of Samuel to him, as follows: and brought the child to Eli: to be under his care, to he instructed and trained up by him in the service of the tabernacle; from hence it appears that Elkanah the husband of Hannah came along with her at this time.

49. Above it was said of Anna alone: "And she brought him with her, after she had weaned him." But now it is added concerning both Elkanah and Anna: "And they sacrificed a calf, and offered the boy to Eli." The calf was sacrificed when Samuel was brought and offered. If therefore Elkanah was there both when he was being brought and when he was being offered, why was it not said "they brought him with them," just as it was said "they sacrificed" and "they offered"? But because we have referred these things to the Church and to Christ, it pertains to her to nurse, to her to bring, but to offer and sacrifice pertains to herself and to Christ. For she herself applies the word of preaching, but she by no means supplies to those to whom she imparts doctrine the power of fulfilling the work. For by speaking she presents the letter of Scripture, but she can give the good itself to those seeking it only together with the Bridegroom. Therefore the calf is sacrificed when divine grace is poured into the heart of one seeking good things, so that the good things which one determines by resolving, one may cheerfully expend in the pursuit of good work. For the calf is then sacrificed, because the offering of good work proposed is received by Almighty God through the oblation of a devout mind, if what the mind presents to Him by vowing is wholly sacrificed to God through cheerfulness. Concerning this sacrifice of the calf the Lord says in the Gospel: "If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will my heavenly Father give the good spirit to those who ask Him?" Hence Paul says: "He who sows in blessings will also reap from blessings; each one as he has purposed in his heart, not from sadness or from necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver." For what is it to purpose in the heart, if not to propose from deliberation? Therefore when he said "he purposed," he affirmed, as it were, that the calf was brought. But when he added "not from sadness or from necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver," he explained how the calf that was brought is to be sacrificed. Calves are therefore brought when we are prepared to propose well the doing of mighty deeds, but the calf is sacrificed when the deliberation of a good purpose is expended on God in the oblation of great devotion. Moreover, both, that is the husband and wife, are said to have sacrificed the calf, because the same cheerfulness is shown to faithful subjects by the voice of the preacher, and divine grace is propagated in their hearts. Therefore they sacrifice the calf together when in the heart of a subject progressing well the divine agrees with human preaching. Moreover, three calves are brought, because when we propose to bring help to the fallen and to those standing, and to bring the assistance of guardianship to ourselves, while we attend to these things with one good intention, they are indeed three with respect to the work, but one in the gift of oblation. They are indeed three, because they are rendered toward us and toward our neighbors with different regard and at different times, but they are one calf, because they are proposed together, and are expended on God with equal devotion of oblation, and there is one cheerfulness in them, and no other is had. 50. "And they offered the boy to Eli." In Eli are figured not only the persons of the ancient teachers, but also their doctrine. What then does it mean that the boy Samuel is said to have been offered to Eli, except what is openly understood: that whoever strives to benefit others by preaching ought not only to write new things, but also old things? Hence the Lord also says in the Gospel through a parable: "Therefore every scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings forth from his treasure new things and old" (Matthew 13:52). Samuel is therefore offered to Eli when the mind of a well-progressing subject is instructed in the knowledge of the law and the prophets, so that in the books of the ancients he may read the letter that kills, but also understand according to the Spirit that gives life; and so receive what sounds outwardly that, beyond the sound of the letters, he may recognize what the Spirit sounds within; and hold new things for faith, but, as often as necessary, bring forward the old Scriptures for the confirmation of the New Testament. For then he will be able to defend the new when he recognizes their reasoning from the old. Therefore Samuel is openly said to have been offered to Eli, because only he sufficiently preaches the new who does not ignore that reasoning by which the old things are to be understood. And because we cannot understand those same old Scriptures without a teacher, and a teacher accomplishes nothing in us by teaching if what he himself speaks outwardly is not poured into our hearts through divine grace, the mother did not offer the boy alone, but with her husband. And to him to whom she entrusted her son, Anna made herself known with a word of proclamation, saying: (Verse 26) "I beseech you, my lord, as your soul lives, I am that woman who stood before you here."

Some account of Elkanah and his two wives, Peninnah and Hannah, Sa1 1:1, Sa1 1:2. His annual worship at Shiloh and the portions he gave at such times to his wives, Sa1 1:3-5. Hannah, being barren, is reproached by Peninnah, especially in their going up to Shiloh; at which she is sorely grieved, Sa1 1:6, Sa1 1:7. Elkanah comforts her, Sa1 1:8. Her prayer and vow in the temple, that if God would give her a son, she would consecrate him to His service, Sa1 1:9-11. Eli, the high priest, indistinctly hearing her pray, charges her with being drunk, Sa1 1:12-14. Her defense of her conduct, Sa1 1:15, Sa1 1:16. Eli, undeceived, blesses her; on which she takes courage, Sa1 1:17, Sa1 1:18. Hannah and Elkanah return home; she conceives, bears a son, and calls him Samuel, Sa1 1:19, Sa1 1:20. Elkanah and his family go again to Shiloh to worship; but Hannah stays at home to nurse her child, purposing, as soon as he is weaned, to go and offer him to the Lord, according to her vow, Sa1 1:21-23. When weaned, she takes him to Shiloh, presents hear child to Eli to be consecrated to the Lord, and offers three bullocks, an ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, for his consecration, Sa1 1:24-28.

OF ELKANAH AND HIS TWO WIVES. (Sa1 1:1-8) a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim--The first word being in the dual number, signifies the double city--the old and new town of Ramah (Sa1 1:19). There were five cities of this name, all on high ground. This city had the addition of Zophim attached to it, because it was founded by Zuph, "an Ephrathite," that is a native of Ephratha. Beth-lehem, and the expression "of Ramathaim-zophim" must, therefore, be understood as Ramah in the land of Zuph in the hill country of Ephratha. Others, considering "mount Ephraim" as pointing to the locality in Joseph's territory, regard "Zophim" not as a proper but a common noun, signifying watchtowers, or watchmen, with reference either to the height of its situation, or its being the residence of prophets who were watchmen (Eze 3:17). Though a native of Ephratha or Beth-lehem-judah (Rut 1:2), Elkanah was a Levite (Ch1 6:33-34). Though of this order, and a good man, he practised polygamy. This was contrary to the original law, but it seems to have been prevalent among the Hebrews in those days, when there was no king in Israel, and every man did what seemed right in his own eyes [Jdg 21:25].

I. History of the People of Israel Under the Prophet Samuel - 1 Samuel 1-7 The call of Samuel to be the prophet and judge of Israel formed a turning-point in the history of the Old Testament kingdom of God. As the prophet of Jehovah, Samuel was to lead the people of Israel out of the times of the judges into those of the kings, and lay the foundation for a prosperous development of the monarchy. Consecrated like Samson as a Nazarite from his mother's womb, Samuel accomplished the deliverance of Israel out of the power of the Philistines, which had been only commenced by Samson; and that not by the physical might of his arm, but by the spiritual power of his word and prayer, with which he led Israel back from the worship of dead idols to the Lord its God. And whilst as one of the judges, among whom he classes himself in Sa1 12:11, he brought the office of judge to a close, and introduced the monarchy; as a prophet, he laid the foundation of the prophetic office, inasmuch as he was the fist to naturalize it, so to speak, in Israel, and develope it into a power that continued henceforth to exert the strongest influence, side by side with the priesthood and monarchy, upon the development of the covenant nation and kingdom of God. For even if there were prophets before the time of Samuel, who revealed the will of the Lord at times to the nation, they only appeared sporadically, without exerting any lasting influence upon the national life; whereas, from the time of Samuel onwards, the prophets sustained and fostered the spiritual life of the congregation, and were the instruments through whom the Lord made known His purposes to the nation and its rulers. To exhibit in its origin and growth the new order of things which Samuel introduced, or rather the deliverance which the Lord sent to His people through this servant of His, the prophetic historian goes back to the time of Samuel's birth, and makes us acquainted not only with the religious condition of the nation, but also with the political oppression under which it was suffering at the close of the period of the judges, and during the high-priesthood of Eli. At the time when the pious parents of Samuel were going year by year to the house of God at Shiloh to worship and offer sacrifice before the Lord, the house of God was being profaned by the abominable conduct of Eli's sons (1 Samuel 1-2). When Samuel was called to be the prophet of Jehovah, Israel lost the ark of the covenant, the soul of its sanctuary, in the war with the Philistines (1 Samuel 3-4). And it was not till after the nation had been rendered willing to put away its strange gods and worship Jehovah alone, through the influence of Samuel's exertions as prophet, that the faithful covenant God gave it, in answer to Samuel's intercession, a complete victory over the Philistines (1 Samuel 7). In accordance with these three prominent features, the history of the judicial life of Samuel may be divided into three sections, viz.: 1 Samuel 1-2; 3-6; 7.