The Life of Samuel Series - Study #1

“The Birth of a Giant”

1 Samuel Chapter 1

Study #1 in The Life of Samuel Series 

INTRODUCTION:

There are two kinds of giants: those that are great, and those that are merely large. Webster’s Dictionary defines “giant” as: (1) A living being of great height or size; or (2) A person or thing of extraordinary power, significance, reputation, or importance; a very successful and powerful person or organization (e.g., a giant in the field of physics, politics, etc.) 

In English we use the word giant in both senses and rely on context to tell which meaning is intended. For example, we might say that Abraham Lincoln was a giant of a man. However, while taller than average, he was not physically large. Yet he was a giant in a more important sense, in character, conviction, and courage. 

In Portuguese and in many other languages, we rely not only on the definition of the word but also upon word placement in the sentence to clarify the meaning. For example, if I say, “Ele é um homem grande,” it means that he is a large man, big in physical stature. However, if I turn the sentence around and put the adjective before the noun to say, “Ele é um grande homem,” it means that he is a great man, like Abraham Lincoln, or George Washington, or Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf. 

TRANSITION:

In the Bible we find both kinds of men. For example, Goliath was a giant, literally, and he came from a whole family of giants. They were all huge and extraordinarily strong. And Saul, the first king of Israel, although not technically a giant was, according to the Bible, “head and shoulders above every other man in Israel.” Evidently, he was very tall, of large stature, and devilishly handsome—every woman’s dreamboat. Unfortunately, however, he was not great in character, integrity, honesty, or good sense. 

On the other hand, we learn that David was small in stature. He was the youngest of his family, the runt of the litter. Although he learned about warfare and became mighty in battle, it was not because of his physical size but because of his intelligence, leadership skills, relationships with the men in his command, and his dependence upon God. He was not a giant, but he became a great man. 

Today and for the next few weeks we are going to investigate the life of a giant—one of my favorite characters in Scripture—the man Samuel. He was a special man for a special time. His birth was miraculous, a direct answer to prayer. From his earliest years his life was dedicated to God’s service. He stood in the gap as the bridge between two great periods of Israel’s history—the time of the Judges, and the reign of the kings. In fact, he was the last of the Judges and the first of the prophets, and he was the prophet who anointed the first two kings of Israel. 

Samuel was not perfect, but he was remarkable. He was good, and wise, and he loved and served God with all his heart. He had the ability to look deeply into a person’s soul and know what was going on in there. He had heart for God and lived his life in a way to try and please and honor God in all he did. He was fearless. He was not afraid to confront sin and call it by its real name. He was respected by men, honored by God, and feared by those who chose to do evil. His life is worth studying, and worth emulating. In this study I want us to look at the birth of this giant of a man. 

NOTES on the Text:

To understand Samuel, we must also understand his parents, especially his mother, Hannah. The story of Samuel’s birth is familiar to many of us. It is recorded in the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel, chapter 1. It is interesting to observe that very often the finger of God is seen very clearly in connection with the birth and early training of those who were to become His greatest agents—e.g., Moses, Samson, John the Baptist, and Jesus. Very often the family from which the great man comes is among the obscurest and least distinguished of the country.

Samuel came from an interesting family. His father, Elkanah, was of the priestly line of Levi, meaning that Samuel was a Levite as well. You can read more about his family line in 1 Chronicles 6:3ff. He grew up in the hill country near Shiloh, the place where the Tabernacle sat for many years until the Temple was built in Jerusalem. 

His father had two wives—Hannah (meaning “grace”), and Peninnah (“pearl”). Hannah was his first wife, and Elkanah loved her very much, but she was barren and could not give him heirs, so he took a second wife, who was very fertile and bore him many sons and daughters. However, as a result the home situation was hellish. Peninnah grew to despise Hannah, probably out of jealousy because Elkanah continued to show favour to Hannah even though she was barren. The text says that because Hannah was Elkanah’s favorite wife, she received double portions. Because of this, Peninnah tormented Hannah continually and verse 7 of our text says that this went on year after year. 

Elkanah was a godly man and he loved Hannah dearly, but verse 6 tells us “…the Lord had closed her womb.” To be barren in Israel was a great shame, both for the woman as well as for the man, because it meant that their family line would be cut off with no heir to carry on their family name and lineage. This certainly bothered Elkanah, but for Hannah it was a daily torture as she saw other women with children and received their constant taunts because of her barrenness. She wanted to be a mother. The Bible tells us that in her great distress she constantly prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. Yet her sorrow never turned to anger against God. She loved God, and she knew that He is faithful, and that He answers prayer. 

If a single word can describe Hannah, I think it would have to be the characteristic of “HOLINESS.” Her unfailing devotion to God and her desire for a son led her to make a solemn vow to the Lord, recorded for us in 1 Samuel 1:11: “O Lord of Hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thy maidservant and remember me, and not forget Thy maidservant, but wilt give Thy maidservant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life.” 

Having made this commitment, God gave her His peace, and so the Bible says, “…she went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.” Verse 19 says: “And the Lord remembered her, and it came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, ‘Because I have asked him of the Lord.’” 

That child that Hannah dedicated to the Lord grew to become the godly prophet, Samuel, one of the greatest men in all of Scripture. Chapter 2, verse 21 tells us that after the birth of Samuel God gave Hannah and Elkanah three more sons and two daughters, making 6 children in all. But Samuel, her firstborn, her miracle baby, was always special to Hannah. 

To this day, mainly because of the example of Hannah, parents bring their children to dedicate them to the Lord. My mother dedicated me to the Lord. I dedicated my three children to the Lord. Many of you have done the same thing. We know that children are a gift from God, loaned to us for a few short years to love and train and nurture, but they do not belong to us. 

Hannah, in an act of holiness and devotion to God, gave Samuel back to the Lord, and just look what God did with him! What will God be pleased to do today if a mother gives her children over to the Lord and raises them to know, love, and serve Him, living out before their watching eyes a life of consistent personal holiness? 

OBSERVATIONS & CONCLUSION:

1.    If Peninnah had been kind to Hannah, Samuel might never have been born. It was the unbearable harshness of Peninnah that drove Hannah to the throne of grace with a faith tried in the fire. The very element that aggravated her trial was that which led to her triumph.

2.    The beginning of Hannah’s life was very painful, and she no doubt wondered at times why God seemed to care so little for her. But in time she saw the light of His mercy and grace.

3.    Samuel’s home was marked by serious defects. Yet out of that mess God brought forth a masterpiece. No one has the right to use a bad family of origin as an excuse for evil attitudes or evil behavior.

4.    As to Peninnah, it is interesting to note that it was at the times of the most solemn religious occasions that she poured out on Hannah her most vile and hateful passions. Religious people are not necessarily good people.

5.    Under Elkanah’s roof we see a mystery. On the one hand, a woman eminently fitted to bring up children but having none to bring up. On the other hand, we see another woman, whose temper and ways were fitted to ruin children, entrusted with the rearing of a family. In the one case a God-fearing woman does not receive the gifts of Providence; in the other case a woman of a selfish and cruel nature seems loaded with His benefits. It just proves that God does not measure justice by our scale, nor does He settle final accounts in the “here and now.” We need to have a long view of things.

6.    And just one more thing… There are “mothers” who have no children. They have all the physical equipment. They have the desire. They have loads of love to give away. But either they have no husband, or they are unable to bear children. Modern solutions include IVF, artificial insemination, or adoption, but these options were not open to Hannah. Hannah might have been tempted to think that God did not care about her barrenness, but He did. He had a greater plan for her life, involving Samuel at just the right time. But even if God had not given her a child, it would not mean that He did not love her. Her barrenness was part of His plan. There are things in our lives that we do not like, but that we have no power to change. Thus, we can either become angry and bitter, or we can choose to trust that God knows what He is doing, and that He will make it up to us in other ways.